Engineering License from Illinois to Rhode Island: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Last verified: 2026-07-21 · source: Rhode Island Board of Registration for Professional Engineers ↗
A PE 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 Registration for Professional Engineers, verify your Illinois 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 Illinois does not start over — but does file a full Rhode Island application. Your Illinois 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. 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)). Two things govern your timeline: keeping your Illinois 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 changes, Illinois → Rhode Island
| Illinois (current) | Rhode Island (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| Application fee | $100 ($100 Professional Engineer license application fee (68 Ill. Adm. Code 1380.275; the same single application fee applies to endorsement); renewal is $30 per year. Request that NCEES transmit your Record to Illinois — NCEES charges $175 first board / $100 each additional, paid separately) | $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 | IDFPR does not publish a guaranteed endorsement turnaround; the board's PE FAQ states that using an NCEES Record may shorten processing time | 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 | Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR), Division of Professional Regulation — Board of Professional Engineers | 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 ($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.)) and allow 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)..
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Does Rhode Island accept a Illinois PE license?
A PE 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 Registration for Professional Engineers, verify your Illinois 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)).
Do I retake the FE or PE exam moving from Illinois to Rhode Island?
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)).
What does the Illinois-to-Rhode Island comity application cost?
$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.).
Can I keep my Illinois PE license after I'm licensed in Rhode Island?
Yes — PE licenses stack. Keep the Illinois 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)
- IDFPR — Professional Engineering Frequently Asked Questions (endorsement pathway, FE/PE requirement, NCEES Record, PE vs SE) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- Ill. Admin. Code tit. 68, § 1380.275 — Fees (Professional Engineer license $100) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- IDFPR — Professional Engineering (Practice Act, rules, application forms) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
Reviewed by Billy Reiner, Editor · verified against primary sources 2026-07-21
How we verify · All sources · spot an error? [email protected]