Engineering License from Michigan to Rhode Island: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Last verified: 2026-07-21 · source: Rhode Island Board of Registration for Professional Engineers ↗
A PE license transfers from Michigan to Rhode Island by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Rhode Island Board of Registration for Professional Engineers, verify your Michigan license, and meet Rhode Island's endorsement requirements. FE and PE exam results transfer through your NCEES Record and are not retaken; Rhode Island requires no state-specific engineering exam for comity (an FE-exam waiver is available to qualifying experienced applicants under R.I. Gen. Laws 5-8-11(a)(4)(i)).
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Verdict
Licensure by endorsement
Rhode Island grants PE licensure by comity, so a Professional Engineer licensed in Michigan does not start over — but does file a full Rhode Island application. Your Michigan license, ABET degree, qualifying experience, and FE and PE results reach the Rhode Island Board of Registration for Professional Engineers through your NCEES Record; the board's task is to confirm they meet Rhode Island's practice act, not to re-test you. FE and PE exam results transfer through your NCEES Record and are not retaken; Rhode Island requires no state-specific engineering exam for comity (an FE-exam waiver is available to qualifying experienced applicants under R.I. Gen. Laws 5-8-11(a)(4)(i)). Two things govern your timeline: keeping your Michigan license active and unencumbered while the Rhode Island application is pending, and clearing any Rhode Island-specific exam or statutes review before the license issues.
What changes, Michigan → Rhode Island
| Michigan (current) | Rhode Island (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| Application fee | $75–$115 (Per the Michigan State License Fee Act (MCL 338.2213): a $35 application processing fee plus a license fee of $40 per year, prorated for the time remaining in the biennial cycle (up to $80), so the amount due at initial licensure by endorsement runs roughly $75-$115. Biennial renewal is $80. (Statute lowers these to a $30 application processing fee and $20/year license fee after Sept 30, 2027.) Transmitting an NCEES Record costs $175 first board / $100 each additional, paid separately to NCEES) | $150 (Comity PE application fee (R.I. Rules & Regs 430-RICR-00-00-1); a $300 PE certificate of registration (initial registration) fee is due on issuance and biennial renewal is also $300. Transmitting an NCEES Record costs $175 for the first board and $100 for each additional board, paid separately to NCEES.) |
| Processing time | LARA/Board publishes no comity turnaround; out-of-state (endorsement) applications are reviewed by the Board of Professional Engineers. NCEES Record completion itself averages 2-3 weeks | The board does not publish a comity turnaround; a complete NCEES Record must be transmitted to the board before review (NCEES Record completion itself averages 2-3 weeks). |
| Licensing authority | Michigan Board of Professional Engineers (Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs, Bureau of Professional Licensing) | Rhode Island Board of Registration for Professional Engineers |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Rhode Island sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm Rhode Island's current requirements on the Rhode Island Board of Registration for Professional Engineers website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Rhode Island Board of Registration for Professional Engineers (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state via the verification system.
- Hold a current PE registration in another U.S. jurisdiction based on comparable NCEES examinations.
- Establish and transmit a complete NCEES Record (education, exams, experience, references) to the board as required by R.I. Gen. Laws 5-8-11.
- Meet one of the board's five education/experience pathways (e.g., EAC/ABET degree plus four years; ETAC/ABET plus eight years; non-accredited degrees 6-12 years).
- Qualifying experience must be obtained under the supervision of a PE registered in a U.S. jurisdiction.
- Pay the fees ($150 (Comity PE application fee (R.I. Rules & Regs 430-RICR-00-00-1); a $300 PE certificate of registration (initial registration) fee is due on issuance and biennial renewal is also $300. Transmitting an NCEES Record costs $175 for the first board and $100 for each additional board, paid separately to NCEES.)) and allow The board does not publish a comity turnaround; a complete NCEES Record must be transmitted to the board before review (NCEES Record completion itself averages 2-3 weeks)..
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Does Rhode Island accept a Michigan PE license?
A PE license transfers from Michigan to Rhode Island by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Rhode Island Board of Registration for Professional Engineers, verify your Michigan license, and meet Rhode Island's endorsement requirements. FE and PE exam results transfer through your NCEES Record and are not retaken; Rhode Island requires no state-specific engineering exam for comity (an FE-exam waiver is available to qualifying experienced applicants under R.I. Gen. Laws 5-8-11(a)(4)(i)).
Do I retake the FE or PE exam moving from Michigan to Rhode Island?
FE and PE exam results transfer through your NCEES Record and are not retaken; Rhode Island requires no state-specific engineering exam for comity (an FE-exam waiver is available to qualifying experienced applicants under R.I. Gen. Laws 5-8-11(a)(4)(i)).
What does the Michigan-to-Rhode Island comity application cost?
$150 (Comity PE application fee (R.I. Rules & Regs 430-RICR-00-00-1); a $300 PE certificate of registration (initial registration) fee is due on issuance and biennial renewal is also $300. Transmitting an NCEES Record costs $175 for the first board and $100 for each additional board, paid separately to NCEES.).
Can I keep my Michigan PE license after I'm licensed in Rhode Island?
Yes — PE licenses stack. Keep the Michigan license active (its renewal and continuing-education/PDH clock run separately) and you hold both. Engineers working near state lines or nationally routinely carry several PE licenses at once, all sourced from a single NCEES Record.
Sources
Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 2026-07-21.
- R.I. Rules & Regs 430-RICR-00-00-1 (fee schedule; comity registration procedures) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- RI Division of Design Professionals - Professional Engineers ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- NCEES - Records Program (comity licensure) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- Michigan LARA — Engineers, Professional (Board page) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- Michigan MCL 338.2213 — Architect, Professional Engineer, or Land Surveyor; Fees (State License Fee Act) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- Michigan LARA — Professional Engineer Licensing Guide (PDF) ↗ (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]