Rhode Island, vital records
The Rhode Island Department of Health, Center for Vital Records, issues birth, death, marriage and civil union records from its Cranston office. City and town halls issue copies too, and older records are at the State Archives.
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Vital records
How to request a certified Rhode Island birth, death or marriage record from the Center for Vital Records in Cranston, by mail or at its drop box. Mail requests take 4 to 6 weeks.
Open official site Requesting a Rhode Island vital recordVital records
The State Archives certifies open records: births and marriages from 1853 to 1925 and deaths from 1853 to 1975, many viewable online. Newer records are at the Department of Health.
Open official site Rhode Island State Archives, vital recordsVital records
National Center for Health Statistics links to every state and territory vital records office, with fees and mailing addresses. The federal government itself issues no certificates.
Open official site CDC, Where to Write for Vital RecordsVital records
National Center for Health Statistics data on births and deaths in the United States, such as leading causes of death and life tables. It publishes statistics, not copies of records.
Open official site CDC, National Vital Statistics SystemVital records
Guide to Rhode Island birth, death and marriage records: what the State Office of Vital Records issues, what city and town halls issue, and adoptee birth records.
Open official site Rhode Island Department of Health, vital recordsFederal
Social Security Administration form to apply for an original or replacement card or to correct your record. It generally asks for your birth certificate as proof of age.
Open official site SSA, Form SS-5, Social Security card applicationGuide
Rhode Island has no state divorce certificate. The Rhode Island Department of Health Center for Vital Records issues birth, death, marriage and civil union certificates, pre-adoption birth certificates and single status letters, and does not list divorce records among them, although Rule 1.7(a) requires the Rhode Island Department of Health Divorce Record to be filed with each complaint. Certified copies of the final judgment of divorce, the document with the property and support terms, come from the clerk's office of the Family Court where the case was filed. The Center's page is at health.ri.gov.
Guide
Record guide
At a glance
More Rhode Island records on this site: Rhode Island public records, Free Background Checks.
Straight answers
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No. The CDC is explicit: 'The Federal Government does not maintain files or indexes of these records.' Every U.S. vital record is kept by the state where the event occurred.
A certified copy has a raised seal and is accepted by SSA, passport offices, and courts. An informational copy is marked 'Informational, Not a Valid Document to Establish Identity' and cannot be used for legal ID.
It varies by state, but a mail order to a state vital records office is typically 4, 8 weeks. Walk-in county clerk requests can be same-day. Online orders through VitalChek add a separate processing time on top of the state's.
Most states limit certified copies to the registrant, immediate family, and legal representatives. Informational copies are generally available to anyone after a waiting period defined by state law.
You should have a Consular Report of Birth Abroad (CRBA, form FS-240). Replacements come from the U.S. Department of State, not from a state vital records office.
All states
Every state page lists that state's official vital record sources, each opened and verified.