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A Licence That Lapsed While You Served — Renew Without Sitting the Exam Again

Where a professional certificate or licence expired DURING military service, Rhode Island lets the veteran renew it WITHOUT FURTHER EXAMINATION — provided the renewal is made WITHIN FOUR MONTHS OF DISCHARGE. Four months is a short window at exactly the point when someone is least likely to be dealing with paperwork, and missing it means re-sitting whatever the board would ordinarily require. THE FEE IS NOT WAIVED; the prescribed fee is still payable. This is about the examination, not the cost.

Verified August 27, 2026

What this benefit is

Where a professional certificate or licence expired DURING military service, Rhode Island lets the veteran renew it WITHOUT FURTHER EXAMINATION — provided the renewal is made WITHIN FOUR MONTHS OF DISCHARGE. Four months is a short window at exactly the point when someone is least likely to be dealing with paperwork, and missing it means re-sitting whatever the board would ordinarily require. THE FEE IS NOT WAIVED; the prescribed fee is still payable. This is about the examination, not the cost.

What it's worth: Renewal without further examination, within four months of discharge

  • The certificate or licence must have EXPIRED DURING MILITARY SERVICE.
  • Renewal must be made WITHIN FOUR MONTHS OF DISCHARGE. That window is the whole benefit.
  • Renewal is WITHOUT FURTHER EXAMINATION.
  • THE FEE IS NOT WAIVED — the prescribed fee is still payable.
  • It removes the examination, not the cost.
  • THE RESIDENCY TEST IS NOT ESTABLISHED from the sources reviewed.
  • Statutory basis: R.I. Gen. Laws §30-20-1.

Who is entitled to it

  • You served in the U.S. armed forces.
  • Your licence lapsed during service.
  • Rhode Island licensing authorities.

Not sure whether that describes you?

Answer a few questions about this benefit specifically — we only ask what this one actually depends on, and we stop as soon as we know.

How to claim it

Deadline: Within four months of discharge
  1. 1Diary FOUR MONTHS from your discharge date the week you get home. This is the shortest window of any Rhode Island benefit here.
  2. 2Write to the licensing authority citing R.I. Gen. Laws §30-20-1 and stating that the licence expired during service.
  3. 3Have the prescribed fee ready — it is not waived.
  4. 4Send the DD-214 showing the service dates spanning the expiry.
  5. 5If the four months has already passed, ask anyway; a board may have discretion the statute does not require it to exercise.
Form
Renewal application to the licensing authority, citing §30-20-1
File with
The Rhode Island authority that licenses your profession
Documents you will need
dd214
No renewal
Once granted it does not need renewing.
Worth knowingFour months from discharge is the sort of deadline that expires while someone is still finding somewhere to live. If you hold any professional licence, deal with this before anything else on this page.

Sources

This finder provides an informational match, not a government eligibility determination. The responsible agency decides your application.