Nursing License from California to Rhode Island: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Does Rhode Island accept a California nursing license?
A nursing license transfers from California to Rhode Island by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Rhode Island Board of Nurse Registration and Nursing Education, verify your California license, and meet Rhode Island's endorsement requirements. NCLEX is not retaken; your license is verified through Nursys.
Verify this exact pair in the checker
Same data, interactive — with share link and board links.
Verdict
Licensure by endorsement
This direction has a silver lining. California is outside the compact, so you have been carrying a single-state license — but Rhode Island is a member. Endorse into Rhode Island, establish it as your primary residence, meet the uniform licensure requirements, and the license you receive is multistate: one application turns into practice privileges across the whole compact.
What's different between California 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
California to Rhode Island (this page): Licensure by endorsement.
Rhode Island to California (the reverse move): Licensure by endorsement.
The route is the same in both directions.
- Does coming from California matter?
Coming from California matters here: only 11 of 50 origins (the other 49 states and DC) get this result for a move into Rhode Island.
The others get: compact multistate — already covered (39).
- NLC membership
California is not in the NLC; Rhode Island is an NLC member state.
Because they are not both active members, the NLC does not cover this move.
A multistate license issued by Rhode Island does not cover practice in California.
- Application fee
Rhode Island lists $135 for an out-of-state applicant and California lists $350 for the reverse move; neither may be the full cost.
- Processing time
Rhode Island lists up to 13 weeks; California lists 10–12 weeks for the reverse move.
Rhode Island's longest listed wait is 1 week longer than California's.
- Exam rules on record
California and Rhode Island carry the same exam note for a licensee arriving from another state; any state law or jurisprudence exam is listed with each state's requirements.
What changes, California → Rhode Island
| California (current) | Rhode Island (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| NLC status | Licensure by endorsement | NLC member — multistate license honored |
| Application fee | $350 (US-educated endorsement application ($750 if internationally educated); + $49 fingerprint hard card if out of state (Live Scan vendor fees vary); optional $100 temporary license) | $135 (Professional (Registered) Nurse initial application, endorsed/reciprocal, per RIDOH fee regulation 216-RICR-10-05-2 (effective 2026-03-25); national criminal records check (BCI/FBI) fees paid separately by the applicant) |
| Processing time | 10–12 weeks (board processing-times page (updated 10/22/2026) lists a 10-12 week timeframe for US endorsement applications, processed in date order received; temporary license available (2-3 weeks)) | up to 13 weeks (regulation requires the Board to act on each application within 90 days of its submission (216-RICR-40-05-3 § 3.3.4(E))) |
| Licensing authority | California Board of Registered Nursing | Rhode Island Board of Nurse Registration and Nursing Education |
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 Nurse Registration and Nursing Education website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Rhode Island Board of Nurse Registration and Nursing Education (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state via the verification system.
- Statement of good standing submitted to the Board by the licensing agency of each state where you hold or have held a license.
- Rhode Island BCI criminal records review (submit the BCI no-disqualification notification or authorize a report to the Department).
- Hold a current license as a professional nurse, obtained by examination or endorsement, in another state, territory, or DC.
- Pay the fees listed above, and allow for the processing time shown there.
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Do I retake the NCLEX moving from California to Rhode Island?
No — the NCLEX transfers everywhere.
Sources
Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 2026-10-29.
- RI Code of Regulations 216-RICR-40-05-3 — Nurses (licensure by endorsement) ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- RI Code of Regulations 216-RICR-10-05-2 — Fee Structure for Licensing (effective 2026-03-25) ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- RI Department of Health — Nurses (licensing) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- California BRN — Licensure by Endorsement ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- California BRN — Endorsement Application Fees & Instructions (PDF) ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- California BRN — Processing Times ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
Reviewed by the License Reciprocity Editorial Team · verified against primary sources 2026-10-29
How we verify · All sources · Corrections log · spot an error? hello@licensereciprocity.com