Practicing Across States: Licensure by Endorsement, Not Reciprocity

Ala. Code §34-34A-11 and Ala. Admin. Code r. 282-X-4-.06 provide reciprocity for licensed dietitians/nutritionists from other states whose licensing standards are not less than Alabama's, as determined by the Board; reciprocity applicants must also be current on continuing education with CDR or as approved by the Board. Separately, applicants presenting current CDR registration are treated as having met Alabama's education, experience, and exam requirements outright.

Because the Dietitian license's substantive qualifying standard is simply holding current CDR registration (a national credential), an out-of-state RD/RDN with active CDR registration qualifies for an Alaska Dietitian license under the standard application without a separate state exam; the Nutritionist license works the same way for holders of the national BCNS/ACBN credential.

Arkansas grants licensure by reciprocity/endorsement when "the standards in that [other] state are not less than those provided for" under Arkansas's own rule (007.33.20 Ark. Code R. 045). Out-of-state applicants must submit current copies of the other state's governing rules/legal authority, their disciplinary history, contact information for that state's licensing authority, a copy of their license, and the applicable Arkansas application and renewal fees.

Conn. Gen. Stat. §20-206o lets the department issue a certificate without examination, on payment of the same $190 fee, to any applicant who presents proof of current licensure or certification as a dietitian or nutritionist in another state, DC, or U.S. territory with standards the department determines are equal to or higher than Connecticut's.

24 Del. C. §3807 (Reciprocity) provides that the Board will grant licensure to registered, certified, or licensed dietitians/nutritionists from other states, provided that state's standards are reasonably equivalent to Delaware's §3806 qualifications. Reciprocity applicants must submit copies of the other jurisdiction's licensing statutes/regulations and letters of good standing from every jurisdiction where they hold or have held a license.

The Board's current application is explicitly titled "New License Application by Examination and Endorsement," and requires endorsement applicants to submit official license verifications from every state/jurisdiction where they have ever held a professional license — confirming DC operates a formal endorsement pathway for practitioners already licensed elsewhere.

Fla. Stat. §468.509 allows the board to waive the licensure exam for applicants who are registered dietitians (CDR), Certified Nutrition Specialists (CBNS), or Diplomates of the American Clinical Board of Nutrition — an endorsement-style pathway for holders of those national credentials.

O.C.G.A. §43-11A-9 (as reenacted by HB 185) lets the Board grant a license without examination to an applicant who either (1) holds a valid license or certification as a licensed/certified dietitian, dietitian nutritionist, or nutritionist from another state or jurisdiction with substantially equal or greater requirements, or (2) applies for Licensed Dietitian status and presents satisfactory evidence of current CDR registration as a registered dietitian.

Hawaii Administrative Rules §11-79-13 (Licensure by endorsement, effective 2008-01-24) lets the director grant licensure to an applicant who holds a valid dietitian license from another state, territory, or jurisdiction if that jurisdiction's requirements are equal to or greater than Hawaii's, upon application and payment of the fee set under HAR §11-79-17. Separately, current CDR registration alone automatically satisfies Hawaii's education and supervised-practice requirements for any applicant under HAR §11-79-11.

Because Idaho's licensure standard is itself simply holding current CDR registration (Idaho Code §54-3506), any RD/RDN with active CDR registration — regardless of which state they currently practice in — qualifies for an Idaho license under the standard application; there is no separate Idaho jurisprudence exam or additional state-specific testing layered on top of CDR registration.

IDFPR may license by endorsement without re-examination if the applicant's out-of-state license requirements were substantially equal to Illinois's at the time of licensure; applicants holding current registration/certification from CDR or another recognized national credentialing body may also have exam and documentation requirements waived. An endorsement application form is published on IDFPR's dietitian nutritionist licensing page.

IPLA's licensing page states that verification of all registrations, licenses, or certifications the applicant holds in other states/territories must be sent directly to the Board, consistent with an endorsement/reciprocity pathway for practitioners already credentialed elsewhere; a secondary summary cites Ind. Code §25-1-21-5 as the general reciprocity statute governing this pathway, though this agent could not independently verify that specific citation against the primary statute text.

481 Iowa Admin. Code 921.6 (Licensure by endorsement) allows the board to license by endorsement any applicant from the District of Columbia or another state, territory, province, or foreign country who has been a licensed dietitian there, meets Iowa's own educational-qualification rule (921.4), and provides direct verification of licensure history from every jurisdiction where the applicant has held a license.

K.A.R. 28-59-2 allows an applicant currently or previously licensed in another state to apply for a Kansas license, provided the applicant meets current Kansas requirements, the issuing state's requirements were at least equal to Kansas's at the time of that license, and the applicant is in good standing (no pending administrative proceeding or discipline) in every state that has licensed them.

32 M.R.S. §9907-A directs the board to establish a license-by-endorsement process, and §9912 (Reciprocity) allows the board to license applicants already licensed in another state if that state's standards are equivalent to or greater than Maine's, without imposing more stringent requirements on out-of-state applicants than on in-state ones.

Minn. Stat. §148.624 subd. 1 allows an applicant with a valid, current registration with the Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR) to obtain Licensed Dietitian status by providing evidence of that national credential, functioning as an endorsement pathway for CDR-registered dietitians.

Rule 3.4.4(9) lets the Department waive the prescribed examination and grant a license by reciprocity to anyone currently licensed as a dietitian in another state, D.C., or U.S. territory whose licensure standards the advisory council considers greater than or equal to Mississippi's, provided that state/territory extends reciprocity to Mississippi licensees. Separately, Rule 3.4.4(1)-(8) implements a broader "universal occupational license" pathway (Miss. Code Ann. Title 73, universal licensing law) for people relocating to Mississippi who hold a current out-of-state license in good standing in a similarly scoped occupation for at least one year, subject to background/discipline checks; a license issued this way is Mississippi-only and does not confer interstate-compact eligibility.

RSMo §324.210 allows the committee to waive the examination requirement and grant licensure to an applicant who presents "satisfactory evidence... of current registration as a dietitian with the commission on dietetic registration" — an exam-waiver pathway for CDR/RD holders, though a Missouri license application is still required.

The Dietitian license's substantive standard is simply proof of current CDR registration (37-25-310, MCA), so any RD/RDN with active national CDR registration qualifies for a Montana license under the standard application regardless of prior state of practice — functioning as an automatic endorsement-style pathway rather than a separate reciprocity process.

Neb. Rev. Stat. §38-1813 provides that current, valid CDR registration as a registered dietitian nutritionist independently satisfies Nebraska's LDN licensure requirements (in lieu of the state's own degree/hours/exam pathway) — functioning as an endorsement route for CDR/RD holders, though a Nebraska license application is still required.

RSA 326-H:12 includes a grandfather provision deeming applicants who were registered as a dietitian with the Commission on Dietetic Registration on or before December 31, 2000 to have met the degree, internship, and exam requirements. This is a narrow historical grandfather clause tied to CDR registration rather than a general license-by-endorsement pathway for current out-of-state licensees; no broader reciprocity statute was found in RSA 326-H covering currently-licensed out-of-state applicants.

Per the Board's FAQ page, applicants who hold an existing license in another state must provide a copy of each license plus direct verification of license status from the issuing state(s); the New Mexico Board grants reciprocity where the other state's standards are "not less stringent than those in New Mexico."

NCBDN offers a Category D reciprocity pathway for applicants who hold a valid license/certification as a dietitian/nutritionist, dietitian, or nutritionist from another state with "substantially the same licensing requirements" (as determined by the Board) and who had already met examination requirements at the time of their original licensure. Category D has no online application; applicants must contact the Board office directly. Total fee is $248 (same $60 application + $150 issuance + $38 background-check structure as Category A/F).

ORC §4759.06 waives Ohio's education, pre-professional experience, and exam requirements for applicants who present satisfactory evidence of current registration as a registered dietitian with the Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR) — functioning as an endorsement pathway for CDR/RD holders, though an Ohio license application is still required.

Under Okla. Admin. Code §435:35-1-9, the Board waives the examination requirement for applicants who hold a valid out-of-state dietitian license/certificate meeting or exceeding Oklahoma's requirements, or who are currently registered as a Registered Dietitian by the Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR) — an endorsement pathway requiring a completed application, fees, a copy of the out-of-state license/certificate, and a verification form from the issuing agency (which Oklahoma may independently confirm).

ORS 691.445 allows the Health Licensing Office, in consultation with the Board, to waive the examination and license an applicant who provides evidence of either (a) current registration as a dietitian with a board-approved national credentialing body (CDR), or (b) current licensure in another U.S. state or territory whose requirements are not less than Oregon's own (ORS 691.405–691.485), upon application and payment of fees.

Under Act 41, out-of-state licensees who hold a substantially equivalent license and have practiced under it for at least 3,600 hours in the five years preceding application, remain in good standing, and have no disqualifying disciplinary or criminal history may be licensed by endorsement.

216-RICR-40-05-30 permits licensure without examination for applicants who provide proof of valid registration sent directly from the Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR) — an endorsement-style pathway for CDR-registered dietitians. The application also accepts license verification from any other state where the applicant has held a dietetics/nutrition license.

The Panel's licensure-by-registration pathway effectively serves as an endorsement route: an applicant with current, valid CDR registration may obtain an SC license by submitting the application, a copy of their current CDR registration card, and license verifications from all jurisdictions in which they hold or have held a license — without a separate SC-administered exam.

SDCL §36-10B-11 (License by Reciprocity) allows the board to grant a South Dakota license to an applicant already "licensed as a dietitian or nutritionist in another state or territory of the United States" if that state's licensure standards are not less stringent than South Dakota's own requirements.

Tennessee accepts licensure by endorsement/reciprocity for applicants already licensed as a dietitian/nutritionist in another state whose requirements are substantially equivalent to Tennessee's, per Tenn. Comp. R. & Regs. 0470-01-.04; the fee schedule (0470-01-.06) lists a distinct $20 endorsement/verification fee for this pathway.

Per TDLR's dietitian program page, holders of a current CDR registration have already met Texas's educational, experience, and (CDR) examination requirements and need only pass the Texas Jurisprudence Examination and submit a TDLR application — functioning as an endorsement pathway for CDR/RD holders.

Utah Code §58-49-6 ("Certification of persons qualified in other jurisdictions") provides a certification pathway for applicants already certified, registered, or licensed as a dietitian under the laws of another state or territory; Utah Admin. Code R156-49-302 ("Qualification for Licensure – CDR Registered Dietitian") further establishes CDR registration itself as a qualifying pathway. Full statutory text could not be directly rendered (see notes) — this description is based on confirmed section titles plus corroborating context from R156-49 and the 2025 Dietitian Licensure Compact Act.

26 V.S.A. §3385 lets an applicant qualify for certification directly on proof of current CDR registration (in lieu of separately proving the degree/900-hour/exam pathway), functioning as a de facto endorsement route for CDR/RD holders applying to Vermont.

RCW 18.138.050 ("Certification without examination") allows the Secretary of Health to certify an applicant for the "certified dietitian" title without examination if the applicant is already licensed or certified as a dietitian in another jurisdiction whose requirements are, in the Secretary's judgment, equivalent to or greater than Washington's.

WVBOLD's license application includes an Endorsement Form for applicants currently licensed in another state, and 31 CSR 1 §5.1 addresses waiver of the written-examination requirement for applicants holding a current license from another state with equivalent standards or active Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR) registration — though the applicant must still file the full license application, required documentation, and application fee; the exam waiver is not automatic.

Wis. Stat. §448.82 requires the board to grant a reciprocal dietitian certificate, upon application and the $60 fee, to an individual who holds a similar certificate or license from another U.S. state or territory whose requirements the board determines meet Wisconsin's standards.