Rhode Island Medical License Renewal, 2026

i Deadlines, fees, and what happens if you are late

1 Step-by-Step: Renewing Your Rhode Island Medical License

Follow these steps to renew your medical license with the Rhode Island Board of Medical Licensure and Discipline (Rhode Island Department of Health):

1. Complete your CME for the cycle (40 hours) (see details below)
2. Log in to the Rhode Island Board of Medical Licensure and Discipline (Rhode Island Department of Health) renewal portal
3. Complete the renewal application and answer the attestation questions
4. Pay the renewal fee ($1,090)
5. Submit and save your confirmation

2 Rhode Island CME Requirements

40 hours per 2-year cycle.

• At least 40 hours in Category 1
• 1 hour of geriatric medicine

Tracking your CME across multiple states is one of the most time-consuming parts of credential management. CredentialDOMD automatically monitors your CME progress and alerts you when you're falling behind, so you never miss a requirement.

3 Common Pitfalls to Avoid

These are the mistakes Rhode Island physicians most commonly make during renewal:

• The CME deadline is EARLIER than the license expiration: 216-RICR-40-05-1.5.5(A) requires the 40 hours of AMA PRA Category 1 / AOA Category 1a credit to be earned by June 1 of the even-numbered year, while the license itself runs through June 30. Finishing CME in late June is too late for that cycle.
• There is no grace period at all: any renewal not filed on or before July 1 lapses automatically (216-RICR-40-05-1.5.6(D), RIGL 5-37-10), and reinstatement is explicitly at the Board's discretion, not a right, at the current fee plus the $170 additional fee.
• Everyone is on the same fixed statewide cycle ending June 30 of even-numbered years, regardless of when the license was issued. A physician first licensed in early 2026 pays the full $1,090 initial fee and then faces renewal within months, since licenses expire on the next even-year date rather than two years from issuance (216-RICR-40-05-1.5.6(A)).
• At $1,090 per biennial renewal (216-RICR-10-05-2 § 2.9), Rhode Island's fee is among the highest in the country; the reduced $870 rate applies only to renewal with approved training, so budgeting off another state's fee will come up short.
• Renewal notices go out only 60 days before expiration (health.ri.gov physicians page), and renewal runs through the healthri.mylicense.com eLicense portal, so a stale email or mailing address in the portal can mean no warning before the automatic July 1 lapse.

4 Frequently Asked Questions

✓ Where this comes from

From the board's own pages, August 2026. These are the primary sources we read:

• Board's physician licensing page: Online Renewals link to healthri.mylicense.com, 60-day renewal notices, reactivation/reinstatement contact ([email protected]), links to fee regulation and licensure regulation
• DOH fee regulation 216-RICR-10-05-2 § 2.9: $1,090 renewal (MD and DO), $870 renewal with approved training, $170 late renewal fee, $1,090 inactive-to-active reinstatement
• Physician licensure regulation 216-RICR-40-05-1: § 1.5.6 biennial expiration on July 1 of even-numbered years, filing/postmark deadlines, automatic lapse, discretionary reinstatement; § 1.5.5 40-hour CME by June 1 of even years
• RIGL 5-37-10: application on or before June 1, certificate effective July 1 expiring June 30 two years later, automatic lapse July 1, discretionary reinstatement at current fee plus 23-1-54 additional fee
• CME requirement: 216-RICR-40-05-1.5.5

Boards change fees and rules; always confirm on the board page before you pay. Report anything out of date to [email protected].