Rhode Island

At a Glance

Category	Details
IMLC Member	No
FCVS	Required
NP Independent Practice	Yes
PA Independent Practice	Yes
Physician-Owned PC Allowed	Yes
Max NPs per Physician	No Limit
Max PAs per Physician	No Limit

Licensure

Item	Cost
Initial License	$1,090
Renewal Fee	$1,090
Renewal Cycle	Biennial
Annualized Cost	$545
Controlled Substance Registration	Yes ($200 per biennial cycle)

Endorsement & Reciprocity

• Available: Yes
• Fees: Application and biennial renewal fees are identical at $1,090.00; add $200 for CSR (Controlled Substance Registration).
• IMLC not yet operational in RI as of the 2025 BMLD Annual Report due to a pending FBI fingerprint-check authorization; fingerprints_required left null because no explicit statement was found requiring fingerprints for the standard (non-compact) licensure pathway.

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APC Supervision

In-state requirement for supervising physicians: MD must be licensed in RI.

Nurse Practitioners

NPs can practice independently in Rhode Island.

• Maximum NPs per physician: No Limit (FPA)

Physician Assistants

PAs can practice independently in Rhode Island.

• Maximum PAs per physician: No Limit

CME & Training Requirements

Requirement	Details
Total CME	40 hours
Category 1 Minimum	40 hours
Cycle	Biennial
Opioid / SUD	8 hrs one-time
Jurisprudence Exam	Required

Fingerprint Requirements

Detail	Info
Required	No
FBI Check	Unknown
Method	Contact board
Out-of-State Options	Contact board

Malpractice Insurance

• Required for licensure/practice: Yes
• Applies to: Applies to all licensed medical and dental professionals and all licensed healthcare providers in Rhode Island; coverage must insure against claims of bodily injury or death arising from malpractice, professional error, or mistake, and must be obtained before seeing patients.
• Compensation fund: No state guaranty/compensation fund substitutes for the mandate; self-insurance is permitted only if the practitioner has 'sufficient financial resources' as approved under rules set by the director of business regulation.

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Giving Up a License

• Status after lapse: automatically lapsed (registration certificate lapses if renewal + fee not filed by July 1)
• Lapse consequences: Reinstatement of a lapsed certificate requires payment of the current registration fee plus an additional fee under §23-1-54; if the physician has not actively practiced for two or more years, the Board requires proof of clinical competency before reactivation.
• Voluntary surrender: Available — Statutory 'inactive list' lets a physician who does not intend to practice request in writing to be transferred to inactive status, exempting them from annual registration and fees while inactive; this is a non-disciplinary, self-initiated mechanism distinct from automatic lapse.
• Reinstatement: From the inactive list: restored to active status upon filing a written request with the registration form and fee. From lapsed status: reinstated at Board discretion upon payment of current registration fee plus an additional fee (§23-1-54); two-plus years of non-practice triggers a clinical-competency requirement before reactivation.

Verified 2026-08-14 Report an error

Quirks & Gotchas

• Initial licensure routes exclusively through FCVS (Federation Credentialing Verification Service) - you cannot submit directly to RI. FCVS has its own separate fee (~$395 for a new profile) and timeline on top of the state fee.
• Incomplete applications are automatically withdrawn after 1 year with no refund path described.
• Reactivating a lapsed RI license requires a separate reactivation/reinstatement application - not the standard new app. Contact the Board separately.
• Initial MD or DO license: $1,090
• Renewal: $1,090 (every 2 years)
• Renewal with approved training program (residency/fellowship): $870
• Late renewal penalty: +$170 on top of base renewal
• Controlled Substance Registration (CSR): +$200/year (separate from license fee, billed annually)
• Academic Faculty Limited License: $600 initial / $170 renewal
• Hospital Medical Officer Limited: $65 initial and renewal
• Volunteer physician license: no fee
• No formal jurisprudence exam required by RI regulations. The Board-approved USMLE/COMLEX/NBME/LMCC satisfies examination requirements. All step/level scores must be 75 or above, and each section must pass within 3 attempts - failure beyond that triggers additional Board review.
• No fingerprinting requirement in current regulations. Character fitness is assessed through application questions and board history disclosure, not a formal biometric check.
• Minimum 40 hours AMA PRA Category 1 or AOA Category 1a credits, due by June 1 of even-numbered years.
• For the 2026 cycle: any ACCME-accredited content in any topic qualifies - no specific topic mandated this cycle.
• ABMS or AOA Maintenance of Certification satisfies the entire CME requirement.
• Board committee participation counts toward CME hours.
• The Board audits CME compliance - a formal audit procedure exists.
• PDMP Registration: Mandatory. Must check Rhode Island’s PDMP (rhodeisland.pmpaware.net) every time** dispensing or prescribing a controlled substance - not just at renewal, at every prescription event.
• RIVERS Training:** Required for death certificate completion; must be trained in the RI Vital Events Registration System.

Researched from state board websites and regulatory sources. Verify with the board directly before applying.

Resources

• Rhode Island Board of Medical Licensure
• FSMB State Licensure Directory
• Interstate Medical Licensure Compact

Sources

Data compiled from state medical board websites, FSMB, and regulatory filings.

Have a correction or update? Let us know.