Not a government site. We do not sell records or host personal data. About us

County Records Guide
Menu

How to order a Rhode Island birth certificate

Who holds it: RIDOH Center for Vital Records (Simpson Hall, 6 Harrington Rd., Cranston) and city/town clerks; State Archives for births 100+ years old1

Last checked against official sources on .

On this page
  1. How to search and order
  2. Fees
  3. Who may order and what is restricted
  4. More details
  5. Related records in Rhode Island
  6. How Rhode Island handles it
  7. Birth certificates in Rhode Island towns with a full guide
  8. Official copies vs look-alike sites
  9. Sources

State fee

$22 first copy in person; $25 by mail; $18 each extra copy same day; extra search years $2 each; rush +$72

Who may order

Registrant (18+), issue, parent or guardian, spouse/civil union/registered domestic partner, grandparent, sibling, attorneys, title examiners, members of incorporated genealogical societies (official duties), court order, persons protecting a personal/property right3

Ordering online

VitalChek1

Processing time

Mail: 4-6 weeks; rush: 5-7 business days2

How to search and order

Payment
State office in person: cash, check, money order, debit/credit cards, mobile pay; by mail: check or money order to 'General Treasurer, State of Rhode Island'2

Fees

Town fee
Statute: $20 first copy, $15 each duplicate, plus state ESRS surcharge; Providence charges $22 walk-in / $25 mail-in, $18 each additional copy4

Who may order and what is restricted

Restrictions
If there is no second parent on the record, only the adult child or Parent 1/guardian may obtain it1
ID required
Valid government photo ID, or two documents with name and current address1
When records become public
Births over 100 years old are open and transferred to the State Archives5

More details

Any town hall
Births 1960 to present: any city or town hall; before 1960: the city/town where the birth occurred or the parents lived1
Apostille
For apostille, order from the State Office of Vital Records; city/town copies cannot be apostilled1
Death certificates: who holds it
RIDOH Center for Vital Records; city/town clerks (any town for 2022+ deaths, else the town of death/residence); State Archives for deaths 50+ years old1
Death certificates: fee
State office: $22 in person, $25 by mail, $18 each extra copy same day2
Older records: vital holdings
Births and marriages over 100 years old and deaths over 50 years old; open records and indexes free online; certified copies by request form6

How Rhode Island handles it

  • Cities and towns, not counties. No county government records offices: land records, vital records copies, probate and property tax are handled by the 39 cities and towns; courts and corrections are state-run.7
  • Any-town-hall vital records. Recent birth (1960+) and death/marriage (2022+) certificates can be obtained at any city or town hall; older ones only where the event occurred.1
  • Open vs closed vital records. Vital records open at 100 years (births, marriages) and 50 years (deaths) and move to the State Archives.8

Birth certificates in Rhode Island towns with a full guide

The local office, its official online search and its own fee, for each town with a full guide. Local fees can differ from the statewide figures above.

TownOfficeSearch onlineFee
CoventryTown Clerk - Vital Records9—Certified copy: $22 walk-in, $25 by mail; $18 for each additional copy bought the same day10
CranstonCity Clerk - Marriage Licenses / Vital Records11——
CumberlandTown Clerk - Vital Records12—Certified copy: $22 walk-in, $25 by mail; $18 for each additional copy of the same record bought the same day12
East Providence——Walk-in $22 first copy; mail-in $25 first; $18 each additional; cash, check or money order13
JohnstonJohnston Town Clerk: any RI birth 1960-present; pre-1960 only if born in Johnston or parents lived there14—Walk-in: $22 first copy, $18 each additional copy14
North ProvidenceTown Clerk - Vital Records15—Walk-in $22.00 first copy, $18.00 additional; mail-in $25.00 first, $18.00 additional15
PawtucketBorn in RI after 1960: any city/town or RIDOH16—In person $22 first; by mail or online $25 first; $18 each additional same record; +$5 online credit-card surcharge16
ProvidenceVital Records17—$22.00 walk-in / $25.00 mail-in; $18 each additional copy the same day18
Providence County———
South KingstownTown Clerk - Registry of Vital Statistics19—$22 first copy, $18 each additional; by mail $25 first, $18 additional (fees effective July 1, 2018)19
Warwick——Walk-in $22 first; mail-in $25 first; $18 each additional20
Washington County———
West WarwickTown Clerk - Vital Records21—Walk-in $22.00 first copy, $18.00 additional; mail-in $25.00 first, $18.00 additional21
WoonsocketCity Clerk22——

For any other town, see the town list on the Rhode Island guide.

Official copies vs look-alike sites

A certified copy comes only from the office that holds the record; reports and "research copies" sold by commercial sites are not issued by any Rhode Island office. How to tell an official record source from a paid look-alike.

Rules in other states: birth certificates in every state. Everything else in Rhode Island: Rhode Island public records guide.

Sources

Every fact above links to the official page it comes from; all 22 sources were checked on November 4, 2026. Fees and rules change, so check the office's own page before you pay or travel.

  1. Birth, Death & Marriage Records (Vital Records)Rhode Island Department of Health, Center for Vital Records
  2. Requesting a Vital Record from the StateRhode Island Department of Health, Center for Vital Records
  3. R.I. Gen. Laws § 23-3-23 Disclosure of recordsRhode Island General Assembly (State of Rhode Island General Laws)
  4. R.I. Gen. Laws § 23-3-25 Fees for copies and searchesRhode Island General Assembly (State of Rhode Island General Laws)
  5. R.I. Gen. Laws § 23-3-5.1 Transfer of public historical documentsRhode Island General Assembly (State of Rhode Island General Laws)
  6. Rhode Island State Vital Records (State Archives)Rhode Island Department of State
  7. Recorder of DeedsCity of Providence
  8. Where can I find that Record?Rhode Island Department of State
  9. Town ClerkTown of Coventry
  10. Application for Copy of Birth Certificate (PDF)Town of Coventry
  11. City of Cranston home pageCity of Cranston
  12. Vital Records - General Information (PDF)Town of Cumberland
  13. Ep-vitalCity of East Providence
  14. Vital Records- Birth, Marriage and Death CertificatesTown of Johnston
  15. Vital RecordsTown of North Providence
  16. Paw-birthCity of Pawtucket
  17. Department DirectoryCity of Providence
  18. Vital RecordsCity of Providence
  19. Registry of Vital StatisticsTown of South Kingstown
  20. War-vitalCity of Warwick
  21. Vital RecordsTown of West Warwick
  22. City ClerkCity of Woonsocket