We constructed a pair of Nocardia-Escherichia coli shuttle vectors, pNV18 and pNV19, by combining the mycobacterial plasmid pAL5000 with the E. coli vector pK18 or pK19. These vectors have a number of useful features, including small size (4.4 kb), a multiple cloning site, and blue/white selection. To our knowledge, pNV18 and pNV19 are the first cloning vectors for practical use in Nocardia spp.