To complete a CNA renewal in Michigan, log into MI-NATES within the 45 days before your certificate expires, attest that you’ve worked at least 40 paid hours in nursing services during the past 24 months, and pay the $40 fee. Starting March 23, 2026, you’ll also confirm you’ve completed continuing education. Miss the deadline and you can’t legally work as a nurse aide; let the lapse stretch past 24 months and you’re off the registry entirely.
What You Need to Renew
Michigan requires three things: proof of recent paid work, the $40 fee, and (for certificates expiring on or after March 23, 2026) a continuing education attestation. Your certificate runs for 24 months from the date it was granted, and the renewal window opens 45 days before expiration.1Michigan Legislature. Michigan Compiled Laws 333-21915 – Registration or Permit; Time Period Effective; Application for Renewal
The 40-Hour Employment Requirement
You must have worked at least 40 paid hours providing nursing or nursing-related services during the 24 months before your certificate expires. You attest to this electronically during renewal. If you can’t meet the 40 hours, you don’t qualify for standard renewal and will need to retrain and retest.2Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs. Nurse Aide Registry
This isn’t a Michigan quirk. Federal law requires every state to remove nurse aides from its registry after 24 consecutive months without paid nursing work.3GovInfo. 42 USC 1396r – Requirements for Nursing Facilities
The $40 Fee
You’ll pay $40 through the MI-NATES portal when you submit the application. The fee is nonrefundable, even if your renewal is later denied or your registration is revoked before it expires.4Michigan Legislature. Michigan Compiled Laws 333-21918 – Fees; Payable to Department; Revocation or Denial; Nonrefundable
How to Renew Through MI-NATES
All Michigan CNA registry functions run through MI-NATES (Michigan Nurse Aide, Training, and Enforcement System). There is no paper option.2Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs. Nurse Aide Registry
- Log into MI-NATES through your MILogin account. Use Google Chrome or Microsoft Edge; the system does not work with Safari.
- Open the renewal application no earlier than 45 days before your expiration date.
- Attest that you’ve worked at least 40 paid hours in nursing services during the past 24 months.
- If your certificate expires on or after March 23, 2026, attest to completing the required continuing education.
- Pay the $40 fee electronically.
The Bureau of Community and Health Systems emails a reminder 45 days out, but it only reaches you if your contact information in MI-NATES is current, so don’t count on it alone. Renewing early costs nothing: your renewed certificate runs for 24 months from the previous expiration date, not from the day you submit, so there’s no advantage to waiting.2Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs. Nurse Aide Registry
Continuing Education Starting March 2026
Effective March 23, 2026, Michigan CNAs must complete at least 12 hours of continuing education per year, for 24 hours over each two-year renewal cycle. Any CNA whose certificate expires on or after that date must meet the requirement before renewing. The training must cover topics that ensure ongoing competence, including abuse, neglect, and care plans.2Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs. Nurse Aide Registry
If you work in a nursing home certified by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, the 12 hours of annual in-service training the facility already provides under federal regulations counts toward this requirement. CNAs who don’t work in a CMS-certified facility will need to find qualifying education on their own.5Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs. Michigan Nurse Aide Continuing Education FAQ
If Your Certification Has Already Lapsed
Your certificate lapses the day after it expires if you haven’t submitted a complete renewal. You cannot legally work as a CNA during a lapse.2Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs. Nurse Aide Registry
Lapsed Less Than 24 Months
You can still use the standard renewal process. You’ll confirm you met the 40-hour employment requirement during the 24 months before your original expiration date. The catch: the renewed certificate is only valid for 24 months from that original expiration date, so every month you wait is a month of your next cycle gone.2Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs. Nurse Aide Registry
Lapsed More Than 24 Months
Once more than 24 months have passed since expiration, or if you cannot meet the 40-hour requirement, federal regulations require the state to remove you from the nurse aide registry.6eCFR. 42 CFR 483.156 – Registry of Nurse Aides
Getting back on means starting over. You must complete a state-approved nurse aide training course and pass the competency examination again, applying as a brand-new CNA. There is no shortcut or waiver for prior experience.2Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs. Nurse Aide Registry
Working Without a Current Certificate
Michigan law prohibits anyone from working as a nurse aide without a current registration.7Michigan Legislature. Michigan Compiled Laws 333-21916 – Practice as Nurse Aide Prohibited Until Renewal of Registration Under the Michigan Public Health Code, practicing a health profession with a lapsed, suspended, or revoked registration is classified as a felony.8Michigan Legislature. Michigan Compiled Laws 333-16294
Employers carry risk too. Healthcare facilities that employ excluded or unregistered individuals can face civil monetary penalties from the federal Office of Inspector General and may lose eligibility for Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement.9Office of Inspector General. Exclusions Program A facility that catches a lapse has strong reasons to pull the CNA off the schedule immediately and report it, which is how a missed renewal date turns into a felony exposure and a damaged professional record at the same time.
Transferring a Certificate From Another State
If you were certified in another state, you may not need to renew at all; you may need to apply for reciprocity. Michigan grants reciprocity to CNAs certified in states whose training programs meet or exceed Michigan’s standards, and the state maintains a list of roughly 40 approved states. You must be in good standing on your current state’s registry, and your training program must have included at least 75 course hours aligned with federal standards. The reciprocity fee is also $40, submitted through MI-NATES.2Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs. Nurse Aide Registry
Because the registry is entirely online, LARA no longer processes paper reciprocity forms or completes verification paperwork for CNAs moving out of Michigan. Verification requests for another state are handled through MI-NATES.2Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs. Nurse Aide Registry