Pharmacy License from Michigan to Colorado: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Last verified: 2026-07-21 · source: Colorado State Board of Pharmacy (DORA, Division of Professions and Occupations) ↗
A pharmacist license transfers from Michigan to Colorado by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Colorado State Board of Pharmacy (DORA, Division of Professions and Occupations), verify your Michigan license, and meet Colorado's endorsement requirements. NAPLEX is not retaken; license history transfers via the NABP eLTP. Colorado requires passing the Board-approved jurisprudence examination — the Multistate Pharmacy Jurisprudence Examination (MPJE) — before the transferred license is granted..
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Verdict
Licensure by endorsement
Your Michigan license transfers into Colorado through the NABP Electronic Licensure Transfer Program — NABP forwards your license and NAPLEX history to the Colorado State Board of Pharmacy (DORA, Division of Professions and Occupations) — but Colorado gates the license behind its own pharmacy-law exam. NAPLEX is not retaken; license history transfers via the NABP eLTP. Colorado requires passing the Board-approved jurisprudence examination — the Multistate Pharmacy Jurisprudence Examination (MPJE) — before the transferred license is granted.. Coming from Michigan neither speeds this up nor slows it down; the eLTP is origin-neutral, so the timeline below is Colorado's standard out-of-state queue. Open the e-Profile transfer and book the law exam as early as Colorado allows.
What changes, Michigan → Colorado
| Michigan (current) | Colorado (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| Application fee | $137.7 (LARA pharmacist licensure-by-endorsement total paid via MiPLUS (application processing fee plus the pharmacist license fee; the pharmacist license line alone is ~$60.60). An optional Michigan controlled substance license adds ~$85.85. No MPJE/UMPJE exam fee applies because Michigan requires no jurisprudence exam. Separate NABP eLTP fees ($300 + $100 per jurisdiction, 2026-07-21) are additional. michigan.gov blocked direct fetch, so confirm the current total in MiPLUS.) | Colorado (DORA / Division of Professions and Occupations) does not publish the pharmacist license-transfer application fee on an openly accessible page; the fee is stated on the application form inside DPO Online Services. Separate NABP eLTP fees apply ($300 application + $100 per jurisdiction) plus the MPJE exam fee. |
| Processing time | LARA does not publish a guaranteed processing timeframe; the application remains valid for two years from the date received. Endorsement review runs after the NABP transfer report and the fingerprint background check clear; a missing out-of-state license verification is the most common cause of delay. | No board-stated processing time for pharmacist license transfer; NABP eLTP verification typically takes several business days before the Division reviews the application. |
| Licensing authority | Michigan Board of Pharmacy (LARA, Bureau of Professional Licensing) | Colorado State Board of Pharmacy (DORA, Division of Professions and Occupations) |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Colorado sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm Colorado's current requirements on the Colorado State Board of Pharmacy (DORA, Division of Professions and Occupations) website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Colorado State Board of Pharmacy (DORA, Division of Professions and Occupations) (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state via the verification system.
- Submit the license transfer preliminary application through your NABP e-Profile (eLTP), then the official application to the Division.
- Pass the Board-approved jurisprudence examination (MPJE).
- Have been licensed as a pharmacist for at least one year in another state, or have met Colorado internship requirements at original licensure.
- All licenses held in any state must be active, current, and in good standing with no active disciplinary action.
- Pay the fees (Colorado (DORA / Division of Professions and Occupations) does not publish the pharmacist license-transfer application fee on an openly accessible page; the fee is stated on the application form inside DPO Online Services. Separate NABP eLTP fees apply ($300 application + $100 per jurisdiction) plus the MPJE exam fee.) and allow No board-stated processing time for pharmacist license transfer; NABP eLTP verification typically takes several business days before the Division reviews the application..
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Does Colorado accept a Michigan pharmacist license?
A pharmacist license transfers from Michigan to Colorado by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Colorado State Board of Pharmacy (DORA, Division of Professions and Occupations), verify your Michigan license, and meet Colorado's endorsement requirements. NAPLEX is not retaken; license history transfers via the NABP eLTP. Colorado requires passing the Board-approved jurisprudence examination — the Multistate Pharmacy Jurisprudence Examination (MPJE) — before the transferred license is granted..
Do I retake the NAPLEX moving from Michigan to Colorado?
No — the NAPLEX is a one-time national exam that transfers with your record. NAPLEX is not retaken; license history transfers via the NABP eLTP. Colorado requires passing the Board-approved jurisprudence examination — the Multistate Pharmacy Jurisprudence Examination (MPJE) — before the transferred license is granted..
What will the move to Colorado cost?
Colorado (DORA / Division of Professions and Occupations) does not publish the pharmacist license-transfer application fee on an openly accessible page; the fee is stated on the application form inside DPO Online Services. Separate NABP eLTP fees apply ($300 application + $100 per jurisdiction) plus the MPJE exam fee. (Colorado (DORA / Division of Professions and Occupations) does not publish the pharmacist license-transfer application fee on an openly accessible page; the fee is stated on the application form inside DPO Online Services. Separate NABP eLTP fees apply ($300 application + $100 per jurisdiction) plus the MPJE exam fee.).
How long will licensing in Colorado take?
No board-stated processing time for pharmacist license transfer; NABP eLTP verification typically takes several business days before the Division reviews the application. — No board-stated processing time for pharmacist license transfer; NABP eLTP verification typically takes several business days before the Division reviews the application..
Sources
Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 2026-07-21.
- Colorado State Board of Pharmacy — Applications and Forms ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- 3 CCR 719-1 — Colorado pharmacy rules, Licensing / license transfer ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- NABP — Electronic Licensure Transfer Program (eLTP) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- Mich. Admin. Code R. 338.523 — Pharmacist license by endorsement; requirements (Michigan rule) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- Michigan LARA — Pharmacy (Bureau of Professional Licensing) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
Reviewed by Billy Reiner, Editor · verified against primary sources 2026-07-21
How we verify · All sources · spot an error? [email protected]