How to Get a Death Certificate in Rhode Island
From Everendium · Last reviewed October 17, 2026
This guide covers Rhode Island. For the general overview, see Getting Death Certificates: How Many You'll Need and Why.
Quick answer
In Rhode Island, certified death certificates are issued by the Rhode Island Department of Health's Center for Vital Records in Cranston and the city and town clerks. In person, a certified copy costs $22, and each additional copy purchased the same day costs $18. By mail it is $25 for the first copy and $18 for each additional. Through VitalChek it is $35 per record, plus a rush fee if you choose it. A search for one name and one record over two consecutive years is free, and each added year costs $2.
Getting a death certificate is one of the first practical steps after a death in Rhode Island, and the details of who issues it and what it costs are specific to Rhode Island.
Who issues death certificates in Rhode Island?
Certified copies come from the Rhode Island Department of Health’s Center for Vital Records in Cranston and the city and town clerks. In practice, the funeral home usually files the certificate and orders an initial batch of certified copies for you.
How much does a certified copy cost in Rhode Island?
In person, a certified copy costs $22, and each additional copy purchased the same day costs $18. By mail it is $25 for the first copy and $18 for each additional. Through VitalChek it is $35 per record, plus a rush fee if you choose it. A search for one name and one record over two consecutive years is free, and each added year costs $2.
Who can order a copy in Rhode Island?
Rhode Island vital records are confidential, and only people with a direct and tangible interest can get copies. For deaths less than 50 years ago, copies go to close relatives, and the application asks whether you are the person’s parent, spouse or partner, child, grandparent, or another relative. A clear copy of photo ID is required.
How do I order more copies in Rhode Island?
- At any city or town hall: deaths since January 1, 2022 can be requested from any Rhode Island city or town clerk. For earlier deaths, use the city or town where the death occurred.
- At the state Center for Vital Records: Simpson Hall, 6 Harrington Road, Cranston, which takes cash, checks, money orders, and cards.
- By mail: to the Center for Vital Records, Simpson Hall, 6 Harrington Rd., Cranston, RI 02920, with the application, a clear copy of your ID, and a check or money order ($25 for the first copy).
- Online: through VitalChek ($35 per record).
What else should I know before I order?
Acceptable ID includes a driver’s license, passport, military ID, certificate of naturalization, or alien registration card.
What should I do next?
Confirm with the funeral home how many copies it is ordering for you, then decide how many more you need; see how many death certificates you need in Rhode Island and our general guide to death certificates.
Add this to your Final Day Plan: your Social Security number, birthplace, and parents’ full names - the death certificate application asks for these, and they’re often surprisingly hard for a family to track down under pressure.
Fees and rules change - confirm current details with the Rhode Island Center for Vital Records or a town clerk before you send payment.
Sources
- Rhode Island Department of Health - Requesting a Vital Record from the State ($22 and $18 in person; $25 by mail; ID; who can request)(Government)
- Rhode Island Department of Health - Ways to order vital records (any city or town hall for deaths since 2022; VitalChek $35)(Government)
- Town of Lincoln Clerk - Vital Records (death certificates; $22 and $18)(Government)
- City of Pawtucket Clerk - Death Certificates (records under 50 years only to close relatives)(Government)
About this review
Everendium Editorial Team · last reviewed October 17, 2026.
Fees, eligibility rules, and ordering options were checked on October 17, 2026 against the state's own published fee information, application forms, and county government pages listed in the sources. Death certificate fees change often, and some official pages were read only as search extracts, so the current fee should be confirmed on the agency's page before paying. Recommended for periodic re-verification. This is general information, not legal advice
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