Engineering License from Pennsylvania to Rhode Island: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Does Rhode Island accept a Pennsylvania PE license?
A PE license transfers from Pennsylvania 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 Pennsylvania 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 Pennsylvania does not start over — but does file a full Rhode Island application. Your Pennsylvania 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. Two things govern your timeline: keeping your Pennsylvania 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's different between Pennsylvania and Rhode Island
Computed from both states' verified data rows, in both directions, and from the route every other origin gets into Rhode Island. Exam notes are our summary of each board's published rules, with sources below.
- Route, each way
Pennsylvania to Rhode Island (this page): Licensure by endorsement.
Rhode Island to Pennsylvania (the reverse move): Licensure by endorsement.
The route is the same in both directions.
- Does coming from Pennsylvania matter?
Coming from Pennsylvania does not change the answer: every origin (the other 49 states and DC) gets the same result for a move into Rhode Island.
- Application fee
Rhode Island lists $150 for an out-of-state applicant and Pennsylvania lists $50 for the reverse move; neither may be the full cost.
- Processing time
Pennsylvania lists 4–6 weeks for the reverse move; Rhode Island has no verified processing-time figure on file, so the two cannot be compared here.
- Exam rules on record
Rhode Island and Pennsylvania carry different exam notes (our summaries, below); any state law or jurisprudence exam is listed with each state's requirements.
- Rhode Island (this move): 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))
- Pennsylvania (the reverse move): FE and PE exam results transfer through your NCEES Record and are not retaken; Pennsylvania requires no state-specific engineering exam for endorsement (state-specific exams apply only to land surveyors)
What changes, Pennsylvania → Rhode Island
| Pennsylvania (current) | Rhode Island (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| Application fee | $50 (Certification, licensure or registration application fee (49 Pa. Code 37.17(b)); a provisional endorsement license may be issued while remaining requirements are completed. Transmitting an NCEES Record costs $175 for the first board and $100 for each additional board, 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 | 4–6 weeks (Pennsylvania advises allowing approximately 4 to 6 weeks for initial review of an application submitted through pals.pa.gov.) | 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 | State Registration Board for Professional Engineers, Land Surveyors and Geologists | 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 listed above, and allow for the processing time shown there.
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Can I keep my Pennsylvania PE license after I'm licensed in Rhode Island?
Yes — PE licenses stack. Keep the Pennsylvania 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)
- 49 Pa. Code Chapter 37 (fees 37.17; licensure by endorsement 37.20) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- PA Dept. of State - Engineers, Land Surveyors, Geologists board ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
Reviewed by the License Reciprocity Editorial Team · verified against primary sources 2026-07-21
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