Transfer Your Engineering License to Rhode Island: Reciprocity & Endorsement (2026)
Last verified: 2026-07-21 · source: Rhode Island Board of Registration for Professional Engineers ↗
Rhode Island grants PE licensure by comity — its term for endorsement — to an out-of-state Professional Engineer in good standing: the Rhode Island Board of Registration for Professional Engineers reviews the credentials in your NCEES Record instead of re-examining 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)). Application fee: $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.).
Moving to Rhode Island from a specific state?
Pick your current state — the checker returns your exact pathway.
Verdict
Licensure by endorsement
Comity is Rhode Island's normal route for an already-licensed engineer, and the word describes what the Rhode Island Board of Registration for Professional Engineers actually does: it extends professional courtesy to your existing PE license after confirming your record meets Rhode Island's practice act, rather than re-examining you. The lever that makes this smooth is your NCEES Record — NCEES compiles your transcripts, experience, references, and FE/PE results and transmits them straight to Rhode Island, and a Model Law Engineer designation speeds many boards further. One prerequisite is absolute: your current license must be active and unencumbered, so clear any open disciplinary matter before you file.
Read the exam line on this page closely before you assume the move is exam-free. Most boards add nothing to the FE and PE, but a few require a state-specific examination — seismic, surveying, or a statutes-and-rules review — that comity does not waive, and where Rhode Island requires one it is listed above rather than folded silently into the process.
Rhode Island grants a new PE registration by comity to an out-of-state PE without re-testing, provided a complete NCEES Record is submitted. Comity application fee is $150; a separate $300 initial certificate-of-registration fee is due on issuance (biennial renewal is also $300). The board sits within the RI Department of Business Regulation, Division of Design Professionals. Aggregator sites listing a '$25' fee are citing the Engineer-in-Training (EIT) fee, not PE comity.
Rhode Island requirements at a glance
| Exam | 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)) |
|---|---|
| Additional requirements |
|
| 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.) |
| 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). |
Step by step
- Confirm Rhode Island's current requirements on the Rhode Island Board of Registration for Professional Engineers website — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Rhode Island Board of Registration for Professional Engineers (application linked on this page).
- 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
Coming from a specific state?
Direction matters — these guides cover the exact move into Rhode Island:
Frequently asked questions
Does my PE license transfer to Rhode Island?
Rhode Island grants PE licensure by comity — its term for endorsement — to an out-of-state Professional Engineer in good standing: the Rhode Island Board of Registration for Professional Engineers reviews the credentials in your NCEES Record instead of re-examining 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)). Application fee: $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.).
Do I retake the FE or PE exam to get licensed in 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 PE licensure in Rhode Island cost an out-of-state applicant?
$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.).
How long does the Rhode Island Board of Registration for Professional Engineers take to act on a comity application?
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)..
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)
Reviewed by Billy Reiner, Editor · verified against primary sources 2026-07-21
How we verify · All sources · spot an error? [email protected]