Nursing License from New York to Rhode Island: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Does Rhode Island accept a New York nursing license?
A nursing license transfers from New York 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 New York 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. New York 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 New York 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
New York to Rhode Island (this page): Licensure by endorsement.
Rhode Island to New York (the reverse move): Licensure by endorsement.
The route is the same in both directions.
- Does coming from New York matter?
Coming from New York 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
New York 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 New York.
- Application fee
Rhode Island lists $135 for an out-of-state applicant and New York lists $143 for the reverse move; neither may be the full cost.
- Processing time
Rhode Island lists up to 13 weeks; New York has no verified processing-time figure on file, so the two cannot be compared here.
- Exam rules on record
Rhode Island and New York carry different exam notes (our summaries, below); any state law or jurisprudence exam is listed with each state's requirements.
- Rhode Island (this move): NCLEX is not retaken; your license is verified through Nursys
- New York (the reverse move): NCLEX is not retaken; your out-of-state license is verified to NYSED through Nursys (or Form 3 if your state does not participate)
What changes, New York → Rhode Island
| New York (current) | Rhode Island (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| NLC status | Licensure by endorsement | NLC member — multistate license honored |
| Application fee | $143 (licensure and first registration fee (Form 1); NYSED's $35 limited permit is only for applicants who have never taken the NCLEX-RN, so it is not available to nurses already licensed by exam; NYSED RN checklists list no fingerprint background check) | $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 | NYSED does not publish processing times for RN licensure applications | 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 | New York State Education Department, Office of the Professions | 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 New York 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)
- NYSED Office of the Professions — RN Pathway #3 (licensed in another state) ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- NYSED Office of the Professions — RN License Requirements ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- NYSED Office of the Professions — How do I apply for Licensure by Endorsement? ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
Reviewed by the License Reciprocity Editorial Team · verified against primary sources 2026-10-29
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