How to Get a Death Certificate in Rhode Island

Rhode Island limits certified death certificates to people with a close tie to the person who died or a real need for the record. Under state rules, these people can order:

• The spouse, civil union partner or registered domestic partner
• Children and grandchildren (and further descendants), if 18 or older
• Parents or legal guardians, grandparents, and siblings 18 or older
• Attorneys, title examiners and members of legally incorporated genealogical societies, in their official work
• Funeral directors
• People who need the record to determine or protect a personal or property right
• Anyone with a court order telling the registrar to release the record

Executors and administrators are not named on the list. They generally fit the "personal or property right" group, and the application lists probate as a reason for the request. Whether an executor must show letters of appointment is not stated, so contact the office to confirm.

If a city or town clerk turns down a request, it can be sent to the State Registrar instead. See the state rules for the full list.

Rhode Island has two places that issue death certificates: city and town halls, and the state Department of Health (RIDOH).

1. City or town hall. Each city or town clerk is the local registrar and can issue certified copies. Where you can go depends on the year of death:

• Deaths in 2022 to present: any city or town hall in Rhode Island.
• Deaths before 2022: the city or town hall where the person lived at the time of death, or where the death happened.

City and town halls set their own hours, payment rules and exact fees, so call the clerk before you go. Find contact details in the RI.gov Cities & Towns directory.

2. RIDOH Center for Vital Records (state office).

• In person: Simpson Hall, 6 Harrington Rd., Cranston, RI 02920. Weekdays, 7:30 AM to 3:30 PM. RIDOH suggests scheduling an appointment to avoid waiting. Same-day service is not promised, so contact the office to confirm. Cost: $22 for the first copy, $18 for each extra copy bought the same day.
• By mail: send the Application for a Certified Copy of a Death Record (VS-82B), a photocopy of your ID and payment to Center for Vital Records, Simpson Hall, 6 Harrington Rd., Cranston, RI 02920. Cost: $25 for the first copy, $18 for each extra copy bought the same day. Pay by check or money order only, made out to "General Treasurer, State of Rhode Island." Do not send cash. Processing takes 4-6 weeks, or 5-7 business days with a $7 rush fee.
• Online: RIDOH links to VitalChek from its vital records page. VitalChek adds its own processing and shipping fees. RIDOH does not publish those fees or how long online orders take.

Phone orders are not offered. Questions go to the RIDOH Health Information Line at 401-222-2811.

Older records and use abroad. Death records more than 50 years old are held by the Rhode Island State Archives, not RIDOH. Copies issued by a city or town cannot be apostilled, so if the certificate will be used in another country and needs an apostille, order from the state office.

Full details are on RIDOH's Requesting a Vital Record from the State page.

• The application. RIDOH's form is the Application for a Certified Copy of a Death Record (VS-82B). You check your relationship to the person who died and sign a statement that it is true. False statements carry penalties under state law.
• Photo ID. A valid, government-issued photo ID such as a driver's license, passport, military ID, certificate of naturalization or alien registration card. By mail, include a clear photocopy.
• No photo ID? You can send two other documents that show your name and current address, such as a utility bill, bank statement, car registration or a copy of an income tax return.
• Payment. Check or money order by mail. City and town halls set their own payment rules.
• Extra papers in some cases. A legal guardian must provide guardianship papers. Anyone ordering under a court order must include a copy of the order.

Family members are not asked to send documents proving the relationship.

RIDOH's death record pages offer certified copies only. No informational or non-certified death certificate is listed. Contact the office to confirm if you need something other than a certified copy.

By state law, a certified copy from the state or a city or town registrar is treated "for all purposes the same as the original". The application asks why you need the record (probate, Social Security, veterans benefits, property title, foreign government or other) so the office can provide a copy suited to that use.

By law, the death certificate must be filed with the state registrar within seven calendar days after death and before the body is removed from the state (RIGL 23-3-16).

The funeral home's role: the funeral director who first takes custody of the body files the death certificate. The funeral director collects the personal details from the next of kin and gets the cause-of-death certification from the doctor, hospital or medical examiner. Funeral directors can also order certified copies. Ask your funeral home whether it will order your first copies and how many.

RIDOH does not publish how many days after a death a certified copy can first be ordered. Once you place a mail order with the state, expect 4-6 weeks, or 5-7 business days with rush service.

Many banks, insurers and agencies want their own certified copy, so many families order several at once. In Rhode Island, extra copies from the state office cost $18 each when bought the same day as the first, which is less than ordering one at a time later. See our guide on how many copies to plan your order.

To correct a death certificate, contact the RIDOH Center for Vital Records. Requests need a valid government-issued photo ID (a readable copy if by mail) and the supporting documents RIDOH requires for that kind of change. Details are on RIDOH's changes to birth, death or marriage records page.

• Processing time: about 3-4 weeks.
• Older deaths: deaths that occurred 50 or more years ago cannot be amended.
• Fees: by state law, no fee is charged for authorized corrections to records filed less than one year after the death. For older records, contact the office to confirm the fee.

If the death was recent, it can help to contact the funeral home first, since it filed the original certificate.

The official ways to get a Rhode Island death certificate are:

• A city or town hall (any one for deaths in 2022 or later; the town of residence or death for earlier deaths)
• The RIDOH Center for Vital Records in Cranston, in person or by mail
• VitalChek, the online vendor RIDOH links to from its vital records page
• The Rhode Island State Archives, for death records more than 50 years old

Other websites may offer to order a certificate for you. These sites are not run by the state and may add their own fees. To reach VitalChek safely, start from RIDOH's vital records page.