1. Home
  2. Birth Records
  3. How to Obtain a Birth Certificate
  4. Rhode Island Birth Records

Rhode Island Birth Records Search

The Rhode Island Department of Health records and maintains all RI birth records and issues birth certificates upon request.

Birth records are kept private until 100 years old. Therefore, only the following people can get a copy of your Rhode Island birth record: you, if you are a legal adult, your spouse, child, grandchild, lawyer, grandchildren, siblings, parents and a legal guardian.

Table of Contents

You must also verify your identity using one of the following forms of valid, photo ID: driver’s license, alien registration card, military ID, passport, certificate of naturalization and a government-issued ID.

If you cannot supply one of the above, you can submit two alternative documents like a tax return, utility bill, pay stub or another form of identification.

Types of RI Birth Records

The Department of Health can issue birth certificates in two flavors, certified or non-certified.

  • Non-Certified - a non-certified copy is not a legal document and cannot be used to verify your identity. It is for informational purposes only or to be used in genealogical research.
  • Certified - a certified copy is a legal document that can be used to verify your identity and to apply for a driver’s license, passport, to the military, school or for other government benefits or permits.

The State also offers services to correct Rhode Island birth records and issue Foreign birth certificates.

State Population

Although the state is the smallest state in the country, it has 1.06 million people living there. It continues to see a slight decrease in population every year.

Rhode Island is only 1,545 square miles of landmass but has over 1,018.1 people per square mile making it the 2nd largest in the country regarding population density. New Jersey is number one.

The state’s largest city is Providence with more than 100,000 inhabitants living there.

It was one of the original 13 States.

1,091,817
State Population
1 birth every 2921 seconds

1 death every 4382 seconds

Population change from 2010-2016

Population by Gender

There are more women than men in Rhode Island. The total population of Rhode Island is estimated at 1,057,566 people with 513,805 male and 543,761 female. There are 29,956 more more women than men in the state, which is 51.42% of the total population.

The Rhode Island Gender Ratio is 94 men to 100 women (99:100) or 0.94. State’s gender ratio is lower than the national average of 97 men to 100 women (97:100) or 0.97.

Gender ratio in 2016

94
Men
100
Women

Total population in 2016

513,805
Men
543,761
Women

Timeline of male/female population from 2010-2016

Rhode Island Birth Statistics

The state's birth rate decreased to 9.04 births per 1,000 population in 2016 with 10,798 total births making it lower than the national birth rate - 11.95 births per 1000 women. The total number of births for 2016 was 10,798, 0.27% of the number of nationwide registered births.

State Birth Rate

Top 5 States with Lower/Higher Birth Rates than Rhode Island

There are no states with a lower birth rate than Rhode Island Top 5 states with a higher birth rate than Rhode Island
Washington - 12.55
Virginia - 13.30
New Hampshire - 9.11
Wisconsin - 11.35
Alaska - 15.12

Top 5 Counties in Rhode Island with the lowest/highest Birth Rate

Top 5 counties in Rhode Island with the lowest birth rate Top 5 counties in Rhode Island with the highest birth rate
Washington County - 7.36Providence County - 11.48
Kent County - 9.51Kent County - 9.51
Providence County - 11.48Washington County - 7.36

Fertility Rate in RI

In Rhode Island the fertility rate based on historical data went from 48.63 to 48.15 from 2010-2016, and currently is lower than the crude fertility rate of the US - 51.79 births per 1000 women. The state reproductive age of the mother has seen an increase during the last 6 years, going from 29.19 to 30.11.

State fertility rate timeline with the average age of mother

Fertility Rate By County

The top reproductive counties of Rhode Island are Providence County - 54.8, Kent County - 53.82 and Washington County - 39.4.

State Average Birth Weight and LMP Gestational Age

Where to Obtain a Rhode Island Birth Certificate

To request a Rhode Island birth records search and certificate, you can visit any city or town clerk’s office if you were born after 1960. You can only get a non-certified copy from the Department of Health office.

For same-day service the non-refundable fee is $22, for mail-in copies, you have to pay $25. For each additional copy, it is another $18. Make checks out to the General Treasurer, State of Rhode Island.

If you visit in person, you can pay with cash, check or money order. If applying by mail, only checks and money orders will be accepted.

If your Rhode Island birth record lookup is null, you will receive a notice that they could not find your birth certificate.

The Vital Records office is open from 7:30 a.m. until 3:30 p.m. weekdays and you can reach them at 401-222-2811 for more information.

You may also use the VitalChek system to order your copy by performing Rhode Island birth records search online.

Rhode Island Department of Public Health

Cost of copy: $20.00
Organization: RI Department of Health
Address:Office of Vital Records, Room 101; 3 Capitol Hill, Providence, RI June
Remarks: State office keeps birth and marriage/civil union records for 100 years and keeps death records for 50 years. In general, copies can be obtained at the time of the occurrence. Additional copies of the same record ordered at the same time are $15.00 each. Information for city/town addresses are available via the Rhode Island Department of Health, Office of Vital Records website. For earlier records, write to the city/town clerk where the event occurred or to the Rhode Island State Archives, 337 Westminster Street, Providence RI 02903 Personal check or money order should be made payable to General Treasurer, State of Rhode Island. To verify current fees after office hours, the telephone number is (401) 222-2811. This will be a recorded message. To verify current fees and general information during office hours, please call the Health Hot Line at (401) 222-5960. Information on how to obtain certified copies is also available via the Rhode Island Department of Health website. All requests must be accompanied by a photocopy of the applicant's valid government-issued picture identification, e.g., driver's license. In lieu of a valid government-issued picture identification, two pieces of mail are accepted showing the correct name and address of the individual requesting the record. Event: Pre-Adoption Non-Certified Birth Cost of Copy: $20.00 Address: RI Department of Health Office of Vital Records, Room 101 3 Capitol Hill Providence, RI 02908-5097 In June, 2011 the State of Rhode Island passed a law allowing adult adoptees born in Rhode Island access to a non-certified copy of their unaltered, original birth certificate. If you are an adoptee who was born in Rhode Island and you are age 25 or older, you can request a non-certified copy of your original, pre-adoption birth record from the State Office of Vital Records. According to state law, we can only release your record to you, the adoptee. Relatives cannot request copies of your record on your behalf. Please visit the web-site at www.health.ri.gov under Adult Adoptees for further information on applications, ID requirements and access. Personal check or money order should be made payable to General Treasurer, State of Rhode Island. All requests must be accompanied by a photocopy of the applicant’s valid government-issued picture identification, e.g., driver’s license. In lieu of valid government-issued picture identification, two pieces of mail are accepted showing the correct name and address of the individual requesting the record..