Nursing License from Illinois to Rhode Island: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Does Rhode Island accept an Illinois nursing license?
A nursing license transfers from Illinois 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 Illinois license, and meet Rhode Island's endorsement requirements. NCLEX is not retaken; your license is verified through Nursys.
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Same data, interactive — with share link and board links.
Verdict
Licensure by endorsement
This direction has a silver lining. Illinois 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 Illinois 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
Illinois to Rhode Island (this page): Licensure by endorsement.
Rhode Island to Illinois (the reverse move): Licensure by endorsement.
The route is the same in both directions.
- Does coming from Illinois matter?
Coming from Illinois 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
Illinois 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 Illinois.
- Application fee
Rhode Island lists $135 for an out-of-state applicant and Illinois lists $50–$75 for the reverse move; neither may be the full cost.
- Processing time
Rhode Island lists up to 13 weeks; Illinois has no verified processing-time figure on file, so the two cannot be compared here.
- Exam rules on record
Illinois 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, Illinois → Rhode Island
| Illinois (current) | Rhode Island (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| NLC status | Licensure by endorsement | NLC member — multistate license honored |
| Application fee | $50–$75 ($50 non-refundable endorsement fee, or $75 with the optional 6-month temporary permit (+$25); fingerprint fee paid separately to a licensed livescan vendor) | $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 | no processing range stated in IDFPR application materials | 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 | Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (Board of 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 Illinois 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)
- IDFPR — Registered Nurse Instruction Sheet (Examination/Endorsement/Restoration), rev. 4/24 ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- IDFPR — Nurses profession page ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
Reviewed by the License Reciprocity Editorial Team · verified against primary sources 2026-10-29
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