Rhode Island Divorce Filing Checklist — Every Document You Need

Filing for divorce in Rhode Island requires a specific set of documents submitted together as a package. Miss one form and the Family Court clerk rejects the entire filing — you fix it, re-upload, and lose days or weeks. The list below covers every document required for the initial filing, organized by whether your situation involves minor children.

Documents Required for Every Divorce Filing

These are mandatory regardless of whether you have children:

1. Complaint for Divorce

The complaint is the document that formally opens your case. It identifies both parties, states the grounds for divorce (typically irreconcilable differences under § 15-5-3.1), and outlines the relief you are seeking — property division, alimony, custody, or any combination.

You draft the complaint yourself or use a document preparation service. The court does not provide a blank complaint form — it is a custom document specific to your case.

2. Statement of Assets, Liabilities, Income, and Expenses (Form DR-6)

The DR-6 is the mandatory financial disclosure that both parties must file. For the initial filing, only the plaintiff's DR-6 is required. The defendant files theirs within 20 days of being served.

Critical rules:

• Must be signed in front of a notary public.
• Must use the 4.3 weekly multiplier for monthly income standardization.
• Must reflect your exact financial situation on the date you sign it (the "snapshot rule").
• Do not double-count payroll deductions as expenses.

The DR-6 is the form that trips up the most pro se filers. Errors here delay your case and can affect property division and support calculations.

3. Statement Listing Children (Form FC-59)

Required for every filing, even if you have no minor children. If there are no children, you check the "none" box. If there are minor children, you list each child's name, date of birth, and current address.

4. Certified Copy of Your Marriage Certificate

Obtain a certified copy from the vital records office of the state or country where you were married. A photocopy is not sufficient — the court requires an official certified copy with the registrar's seal.

If you married in Rhode Island, you can order a certified copy from the Rhode Island Department of Health, Center for Vital Records. Processing time is typically one to two weeks.

5. Rhode Island Department of Health Divorce Record

This is a vital statistics form that the court forwards to the state health department after your divorce is finalized. You complete it at the time of filing. The form asks for basic demographic information about both parties — names, dates of birth, addresses, Social Security numbers, and the date of marriage.

6. Filing Fee

$160.00 base court fee, plus $17.50 Tyler Technologies processing fee and $3.25 technology surcharge = $180.75 total for electronic filing. Credit card payments incur an additional 3.25% convenience fee (~$5.87).

If you cannot afford the fees, file a Motion to Proceed In Forma Pauperis (IFP) with a notarized affidavit of your income and expenses.

Additional Documents When Minor Children Are Involved

7. UCCJEA Affidavit

The Uniform Child Custody Jurisdiction and Enforcement Act affidavit discloses where each child has lived for the past five years and whether any other custody proceedings are pending in any court. This document establishes that Rhode Island has jurisdiction over custody decisions.

8. Child Support Guidelines Worksheet (Form DR-10)

Rhode Island uses a formulaic child support calculation based on both parents' incomes, health insurance costs, child care expenses, and parenting time. Form DR-10 walks through the calculation step by step.

You need income information for both parents to complete this form. If your spouse has not yet disclosed their income, use your best reasonable estimate — the court will reconcile the numbers once the defendant files their DR-6.

9. Proposed Parenting Plan

While not always required at the initial filing stage, having a parenting plan ready for the nominal hearing is essential. The plan should address:

• Legal custody (joint or sole decision-making authority).
• Physical placement schedule (which parent the children live with and when).
• Holiday and vacation schedules.
• Transportation and exchange logistics.
• Communication protocols between parents.

Documents You Will Need After Filing

These are not part of the initial filing package but are required at later stages:

• Marital Settlement Agreement: Required before the nominal hearing. Covers property division, debt allocation, alimony, and (if applicable) custody and support.
• Decision Pending Entry of Final Judgment (DPEFJ): Filed within 30 days after the judge grants your divorce at the nominal hearing.
• Final Judgment: Filed after the nisi period expires (90 days for irreconcilable differences, 20 days for three-year separation).

Pre-Filing Preparation Checklist

Before you start assembling your filing packet, gather:

• [ ] Three months of pay stubs (for DR-6 income calculations)
• [ ] Most recent federal and state tax returns
• [ ] Bank statements for all accounts (checking, savings, investment)
• [ ] Mortgage statements and property tax bills
• [ ] Retirement account statements (401k, IRA, pension)
• [ ] Vehicle titles and loan documents
• [ ] Insurance policies (health, life, auto, homeowner's)
• [ ] Credit card statements and outstanding debt records
• [ ] Certified copy of your marriage certificate

Having these documents ready before you start filling out the DR-6 makes the process dramatically faster and reduces the risk of errors.

The Rhode Island Divorce Filing Process Guide includes a filing-packet checklist that walks through each document with detailed instructions, plus a DR-6 worksheet that pre-calculates the monthly income figures so you can transfer them directly onto the form.

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