Rhode Island Nursing License: Requirements, Renewal, and Discipline

To practice in Rhode Island, you need a Rhode Island nursing license issued by the state Board of Nurse Registration and Nursing Education. That means graduating from an approved nursing program, passing the NCLEX, clearing a fingerprint-based background check, and submitting an application with a $135 fee for registered nurses or $45 for licensed practical nurses. Licenses renew every two years on March 1, and Rhode Island rejoined the Nurse Licensure Compact on January 1, 2024, which changes how the process works for nurses who live in or move to the state.¹

Who Qualifies

Every applicant must graduate from an approved nursing education program. For RNs, that’s an Associate Degree in Nursing, a Bachelor of Science in Nursing, or a hospital-based diploma program. LPNs complete a shorter diploma program, typically about a year. The program has to be accredited by a recognized body such as the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing or the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education.²

After graduation you sit for the National Council Licensure Examination: the NCLEX-RN or NCLEX-PN, depending on your track. Pearson VUE handles registration and the exam fee is $200. If you don’t pass, you wait at least 45 days before retaking it. There’s no lifetime cap, though the NCSBN limits attempts to eight per year, and repeated failures can prompt the Board to require remedial coursework before another try.

A fingerprint-based criminal background check is mandatory and runs through the Rhode Island Attorney General’s Office.³ It covers both Rhode Island and out-of-state arrests. A felony conviction involving fraud, drugs, or patient harm doesn’t automatically disqualify you, but the Board reviews the file individually, weighing the nature of the offense, how much time has passed, and evidence of rehabilitation.

Foreign-Educated Nurses

If you completed your nursing education outside the United States, your credentials must be evaluated by the Commission on Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools (CGFNS) before you apply. The standard credentials evaluation report costs $485, with expedited review available for an additional $425.⁴ The report verifies that your foreign education is substantially equivalent to a U.S. program. Processing takes time, so start this step early.

Applying for Your Initial License

The application goes to the Rhode Island Board of Nurse Registration and Nursing Education with a non-refundable fee of $135 for RNs or $45 for LPNs.⁵ Payment is by check or money order made out to the Rhode Island General Treasurer. You’ll disclose any prior disciplinary actions, criminal convictions, or pending legal matters; false information is grounds for denial.

Your nursing school sends official transcripts directly to the Board. You can’t submit your own copy. Recent graduates waiting on NCLEX results can request a temporary practice permit by submitting a certificate of program completion. The permit allows supervised practice for up to 90 days and is automatically revoked if you fail the exam.⁶

The application also requires a passport-style photograph taken within the past year and a notarized affidavit affirming that your information is accurate and that you are legally authorized to work in the United States.

If You’re Already Licensed in Another State

You have two paths, and which one fits depends on where you live.

Rhode Island rejoined the Nurse Licensure Compact on January 1, 2024. If you already hold a multistate license from another compact state, you can practice in Rhode Island under that license without applying here, as long as it’s active and unencumbered.¹ If you permanently relocate to Rhode Island, you must apply for a Rhode Island license by endorsement and declare it as your new primary state of residence. Primary residence means your driver’s license, voter registration, and federal income tax return all point here.⁷

Endorsement applications use the same fees as initial licensure: $135 for RNs, $45 for LPNs.⁵ You must hold an active, unencumbered license in your original state. Verification runs through Nursys, the national database maintained by the NCSBN, at $30 per license type per state.⁸ If your original state doesn’t participate in Nursys, you request verification directly from that state’s board. Pennsylvania, for example, requires a separate request.⁶ The fingerprint background check is required just as it is for initial applicants.

Foreign-trained nurses seeking endorsement who are already licensed elsewhere in the U.S. must still complete CGFNS credentialing if they haven’t previously. Military-affiliated applicants can use an expedited process by completing the Military Veteran Expedite Form included with the application.⁶

If your primary residence is Rhode Island, you can request a multistate license during endorsement or at your next renewal. If you need one before your renewal cycle (for example, because you accepted a travel assignment), you can submit an early multistate application, though additional fees may apply. Nurses who can’t establish Rhode Island as their primary residence still qualify for a regular single-state license.

Advanced Practice Registered Nurses

Rhode Island recognizes four APRN categories: certified nurse practitioner, certified nurse midwife, certified registered nurse anesthetist, and clinical nurse specialist.⁹ Under state law, APRNs are licensed as independent practitioners, meaning they can practice, diagnose, and treat patients within their specialty without a physician collaboration agreement.¹⁰

To qualify, you need an active Rhode Island RN license (or multistate privilege to practice) that isn’t encumbered in any state, a graduate APRN program accredited by a body recognized by the U.S. Secretary of Education or the Council for Higher Education Accreditation, national certification in your specific role and population focus from a Board-recognized certifying body, and the same criminal background check required of RN applicants.¹¹

APRNs who prescribe controlled substances also need federal DEA registration through DEA Form 224.¹² Your national certification must be verified at every license renewal, so keeping it current is essential; letting it lapse freezes your APRN privileges.¹³

Renewal and Continuing Education

Rhode Island nursing licenses expire on March 1 every two years. Whether you renew in an odd or even year depends on your license number. The Department of Health mails renewal notices by January of your renewal year, and the completed application with payment must be filed before February 15.¹³ Renewal fees match the initial fees: $135 for RNs, $45 for LPNs.⁵ Late renewals carry a penalty. Miss renewal entirely and your license goes inactive; you can’t practice until it’s reinstated.

You must complete 10 continuing education contact hours during each two-year cycle, with at least two hours focused on substance abuse. CE programs should be accredited by organizations such as the American Nurses Credentialing Center or a similar recognized provider. The Board conducts random audits, and you’re required to keep documentation for four years.² Coming up short in an audit can lead to non-renewal or a requirement to complete additional education before your license is restored.

If you’ve been convicted of any offense since your last renewal, submit an updated background check with your renewal application. Disciplinary actions taken against you in other states may also trigger a Board review.

What Can Cost You the License

The Board can deny, suspend, or revoke a license for statutory grounds that include fraud or deceit in obtaining a license, incompetence or negligence, habitual intoxication or drug addiction, patient abandonment, falsifying nursing records, and willful disregard of established nursing standards or repeated violations of the Nurse Practice Act.¹⁴

Investigations usually start with a formal complaint. The Board reviews evidence, interviews witnesses, and can temporarily suspend a license if it finds an immediate risk to public safety. Outcomes range from a formal reprimand to full revocation. In substance abuse cases, the Board may offer a nondisciplinary alternative, such as participation in the Rhode Island Professional Assistance Program, rather than going straight to punitive action.¹⁴

Discipline is reported to the Nursys database, where employers and other state boards can see it.¹⁵ Certain actions, including revocations, suspensions, probation, and license surrenders, must also be reported to the National Practitioner Data Bank.¹⁶ A report in either system follows you across state lines.

To get a suspended or revoked license reinstated, you petition the Board. Suspended nurses generally must show they’ve satisfied every condition the Board imposed. Revoked licenses face a waiting period before reapplication is even possible, and the Board evaluates readiness case by case.² The petition carries the same non-refundable fee as a new application. Even when reinstatement is granted, the Board often attaches probationary conditions such as supervised practice, periodic drug testing, or restrictions on the types of patients you can treat. A denial can be appealed through administrative procedures and ultimately to Superior Court.¹⁷

1
State of Rhode Island, Department of Health. Nurse Licensure Compact Information
2
State of Rhode Island, Department of Health. Nurses
3
Rhode Island Attorney General’s Office. Get a Background Check
4
CGFNS International, Inc. Fee Schedule and Policies
5
Rhode Island General Assembly. H7909 – Fee Structure for Department of Health Services
6
State of Rhode Island, Department of Health. Nursing Online Initial Application Requirements
7
NCSBN. Frequently Asked Questions
8
NCSBN. License Verification (Nursys)
9
National Council of State Boards of Nursing, Inc. APRN Consensus Model
10
Rhode Island General Assembly. Rhode Island Code 5-34-44 – Advanced Practice Registered Nurses as Independent Practitioners
11
Rhode Island Secretary of State. Licensing of Nurses and Standards for the Approval of Basic Nursing Education Programs
12
Diversion Control Division. Registration
13
Cornell Law School. 216 Rhode Island Code R 216-RICR-40-05-3.4 – Issuance and Renewal of Licenses
14
Rhode Island General Assembly. Rhode Island Code 5-34-24 – Grounds for Discipline of Licensees
15
National Council of State Boards of Nursing. Nursys
16
National Practitioner Data Bank. What You Must Report to the NPDB
17
Rhode Island General Assembly. Rhode Island Code 5-45-6 – Licensing Function of Department of Health – Term of Licenses – Appeal of License Denials, Suspensions, or Revocations