Retinoids are essential in the proper establishment and maintenance of immunity. Although retinoids are implicated in immune related processes, their role in immune cell adhesion has not been well established. In this study, we investigated the adhesive effects of 9‐cis‐retinoic acid (9‐cis‐RA) on a variety of human hematopoietic cell lines. 9‐cis‐RA treatment specifically induced immune cell adhesion of the human B‐cell line RPMI 8866, and the human monocytic cell line U937 to select immune ligands. Due to the prominent role of integrin receptors in mediating immune cell adhesion, we sought to evaluate if 9‐cis‐RA induced RPMI 8866 and U937 cell adhesion was integrin dependent. Intriguingly, 9‐cis‐RA mediated cellular adhesion was not affected by a variety of function blocking integrin inhibitors. In addition, the adhesion of RPMI 8866 cells could be inhibited by treatment with synthetic corticosteroids, suggesting a potential role in the inflammatory response. Finally, we demonstrate that 9‐cis‐ RA treatment of primary murine B‐cells also induces ex vivo adhesion. Our study is the first to demonstrate that 9‐cis‐retinoic acid prompts the cellular adhesion of immune cells, in vitro and ex vivo, through a yet unidentified immune receptor/complex whose expression or activation is induced upon 9‐cis‐RA exposure.