Rhode Island Vital Records Search

For current records (100 years or younger), contact the State of Rhode Island Department of Health. They are the agency in charge of preserving and issuing copies.

You can use the VitalChek service and get a copy online or by phone. You can also contact the State of Rhode Island Department of Health by visiting them in person or mailing in your application. You must pay a fee and have a direct and tangible interest in the record you request.

If you order by mail, the fee is $25 for the first copy and $18 for each additional copy. If you visit in person, the cost for the first copy drops to $22; all others remain $18 each. If you order through VitalChek, you must pay $35. If you want rush service, you will pay extra.

Birth records in Rhode Island are private, and only the following list of people can get copies:

• You.
• Your mother, father, sibling, guardian, or authorized agent.
• Attorneys-at-law, title examiners, or members of legally incorporated genealogical societies conducting official duties.
• A person who needs information to determine or protect personal or property rights.
• A person with a court order instructing the registrar to provide the document.

When requesting a copy of someone's birth record, you need to supply some information such as:

• Full name at birth.
• New name (if applicable).
• Date of birth.
• Age now.
• Hospital.
• City/town of birth.
• Mother's full maiden name.
• Father's full name.
• The reason for the request.
• Your relationship to the person listed on the certificate.

Current copies of birth records in Rhode Island are maintained by the State of Rhode Island Department of Health. Older birth records that you may need for genealogy (older than 100 years) are stored with the Rhode Island State Archives.

You can use the vital records application to make changes to a birth record by correcting the wrong information, providing proper ID, and paying the $10 fee.

No. Birth certificate search fees are not refundable.

You must contact the State of Rhode Island Department of Health for current death records (under 50 years old). If you are looking for death records older than that, you must contact the Rhode Island State Archives.

No. They are kept private for 50 years, then they become public records and are available for genealogy and other purposes.

The cost depends on the method you use to get your copy. For mail-in requests, the first copy is $25. If you visit in person, the cost is $22; then, every other copy is $18. If you use VitalChek, the fee jumps to $35.

If you visit in person, the processing time is 1-2 weeks. You can request rush processing that will shorten the time to 5 business days. If you order by mail, you may wait even longer. Through VitalChek, typically, the processing is between 5-7 days.

Death records are private for 50 years, and only the following list of people can get copies:

• Your mother, father, sibling, guardian, or authorized agent.
• Attorneys-at-law, title examiners, or members of legally incorporated genealogical societies conducting official duties.
• A person who needs information to determine or protect personal or property rights.
• A person with a court order instructing the registrar to provide the document.

When requesting a copy of someone's death record, you must supply the following information:

• Full name.
• Date of death.
• Place of death.
• Name of spouse or domestic partner.
• Mother's full name.
• Father's full name.
• The reason for the request.
• Your relationship to the person listed on the record.

As the requestor, you must also prove your eligibility with documentation.

The Rhode Island State Archives has birth and death records dating back to the 1600s and is happy to supply them for genealogy or other purposes.

You must contact the State of Rhode Island Department of Health by filling out a death certificate application and indicating that you want to change the record. You must supply proper documentation, pay the $10 fee, and show your ID.

No, all death certificate searches are non-refundable.

No. Marriage records are kept private for 100 years; then they become public records.

The State of Rhode Island Department of Health has current marriage records, but the State Archives has marriage records dating back into the 1600s.

It depends on how you order them. If you visit in person, the processing time is 1-2 weeks. You can request rush processing that will shorten the time to 5 business days. If you order by mail, you may wait even longer. Through VitalChek, usually, the processing is between 5-7 days.

The cost depends on the method you use to get your copy. For mail-in requests, the first copy is $25. If you visit in person, the cost is $22; then, every other copy is $18 each. If you use VitalChek, the fee jumps to $35.

When you request a copy of someone's marriage certificate, you must supply the following information:

• Full name of party A.
• Full name of party B.
• Full name of party A at birth.
• Full name of party B at birth.
• Date of marriage/civil union.
• City/town of marriage/civil union.
• Your relationship to the person(s) listed on the certificate.
• Your reason for the request.

As the requestor, you must also prove your eligibility with documentation, pay the fee, and show your ID.

You can fill out an application and send it in the mail, drop it off in person or use the VitalChek service to get copies.

If you were not married in Rhode Island, you must contact the vital records office in the town/state where you were married, andgot your marriage license.

Since marriage records are private for 100 years, only the following people can get copies:

• You.
• Your mother, father, sibling, guardian, or authorized agent.
• Attorneys-at-law, title examiners, or members of legally incorporated genealogical societies conducting official duties.
• A person who needs information to determine or protect personal or property rights.
• A person with a court order instructing the registrar to provide the document.

The marriage certificate application has an area where you can make changes. You can then pay the $10 fee and submit it to the State of Rhode Island Department of Health.

Yes.The Rhode Island Judiciary has set up a form where you can request records, and they are public records. You may not see the records online instantly, but you will get a copy. There may be third-party websites where you can see them online.

You would need to contact the courts in Rhode Island. The State Archives has only old vital records dating back to the 1600s, but those do not include divorces.

You can use the online request form, fill it out with your name and other details, and await your copy.

When you request divorce records, you only need the following information to get copies:

• Your name, address, phone number, and email address.
• Name of husband.
• Name of the wife.
• Town of residence in Rhode Island.
• Date of marriage.
• Date of divorce.

No, all search fees are non-refundable.

If you were not divorced in Rhode Island, you would need to contact either the courts or the vital records office where divorce records are kept in the county that your divorce was granted.