Title 5
Businesses and Professions

Chapter 34.3
Nurse Licensure Compact

R.I. Gen. Laws § 5-34.3-6

§ 5-34.3-6. Applications for licensure in a party state. [Effective until January 1, 2024.]

(a) Upon application for a license, the licensing board in a party state shall ascertain, through the coordinated licensure information system, whether the applicant has ever held, or is the holder of, a license issued by any other state, whether there are any restrictions on the multistate licensure privilege, and whether any other adverse action by any state has been taken against the license.

(b) A nurse in a party state shall hold licensure in only one party state at a time, issued by the home state.

(c) A nurse who intends to change primary state of residence may apply for licensure in the new home state in advance of such change. However, new licenses will not be issued by a party state until after a nurse provides evidence of change in primary state of residence satisfactory to the new home state’s licensing board.

(d) When a nurse changes primary state of residence by;

(1) Moving between two party states, and obtains a license from the new home state, the license from the former home state is no longer valid;

(2) Moving from a non-party state to a party state, and obtains a license from the new home state, the individual state license issued by the non-party state is not affected and will remain in full force if so provided by the laws of the non-party state;

(3) Moving from a party state to a non-party state, the license issued by the prior home state converts to an individual state license, valid only in the former home state, without the multistate licensure privilege to practice in other party states.

History of Section.
P.L. 2007, ch. 50, § 2; P.L. 2007, ch. 62, § 2.

§ 5-34.3-6. Applications for licensure in a party state. [Effective January 1, 2024; Expires January 1, 2027]

(a) Upon application for a multistate license, the licensing board in the issuing party state shall ascertain, through the coordinated licensure information system, whether the applicant has ever held, or is the holder of, a license issued by any other state, whether there are any encumbrances on any license or multistate licensure privilege held by the applicant, whether any adverse action has been taken against any license or multistate licensure privilege held by the applicant, and whether the applicant is currently participating in an alternative program.

(b) A nurse may hold a multistate license, issued by the home state, in only one party state at a time.

(c) If a nurse changes primary state of residence by moving between two (2) party states, the nurse must apply for licensure in the new home state, and the multistate license issued by the prior home state will be deactivated in accordance with applicable rules adopted by the commission.

(1) The nurse may apply for licensure in advance of a change in primary state of residence.

(2) A multistate license shall not be issued by the new home state until the nurse provides satisfactory evidence of a change in primary state of residence to the new home state and satisfies all applicable requirements to obtain a multistate license from the new home state.

(d) If a nurse changes primary state of residence by moving from a party state to a non-party state, the multistate license issued by the prior home state will convert to a single-state license, valid only in the former home state.

History of Section.
P.L. 2007, ch. 50, § 2; P.L. 2007, ch. 62, § 2; P.L. 2023, ch. 338, § 1, effective January 1, 2024; P.L. 2023, ch. 397, § 1, effective January 1, 2024.