Yes the nicotine will definitely show up including if you use the patch. I've been a life insurance agent for 15 years and I've had it happen too many times. If you are a smoker, do your family a favor and don't apply for Non-smoker rates. If you should wind up passing from cancer of a heart attack etc, (smoking related type of death) the insurance company would only have to pay the smokers payout. For example (I don't know your age): $100 a month for $500,000 non smoker policy, or $100 a month for a $250,000 smokers policy, your family would only receive the $250,000. In that case, trying to save a few dollars on the policy made the policy unable to do what you wanted it for.