Rhode Island: Adult Legal Name Change Requirements

Requirements one by one

File the notarized PC-8.1 form in the resident municipality

Under R.I. Gen. Laws § 33-22-28(b), an adult petitions the probate court in
the city or town where the adult resides. State law sets no minimum residence
period, but municipal proof rules vary. Providence currently accepts Rhode
Island identification showing a Providence address or asks for separate address
proof reaching back six months; that is a local document rule, not a statewide
six-month-residence statute.

Current statewide form PC-8.1 asks for current and mailing addresses, the name
on the original birth record, date and place of birth, parents' names,
occupation, optional marital status, prior court-ordered changes, residence
history, a specific reason, the proposed name, and any requested birth-record
change. The adult swears or affirms the form before a notary and attaches a
certified original birth certificate and BCI report.

There is no public-notice or publication step

Current § 33-22-28(d) says the court may not require public notice or
publication before approving an adult name change. Older Rhode Island local
materials and hearing advertisements can reflect the law before the June 17,
2024 amendment; they should not be used to add a newspaper requirement today.

The statewide statute does not prescribe one hearing procedure for every
municipal probate court. PC-8.1 includes a decree entered "upon hearing," and
local courts publish their own calendars and filing deadlines. Check the
resident municipality's current schedule.

A BCI report is part of the current form packet

Under § 33-22-28(e), the court may require a criminal-history record check.
The statewide PC-8.1 instructions say to attach a BCI report. Local details can
be more specific: Providence currently requires an original Attorney General
BCI no more than 60 days old, while Warwick requires the Rhode Island check by
the hearing and an affidavit stating that the applicant has no out-of-state
criminal record.

A conviction is not a categorical bar. Under § 8-2-14(b), the Superior
Court shares jurisdiction with probate courts for an adult convicted of any
misdemeanor or felony.

Fraud is the denial rule, and safety can require sealing

Under § 33-22-28(a), the court must grant the change unless it is sought for
a fraudulent purpose. Spousal consent does not affect the decision.

Under § 33-22-28(g), the court must seal the records and docket entries, on
the adult's request or on its own initiative, when an open record would
jeopardize the adult's safety under the totality of the circumstances. The
statute expressly includes violence or discrimination risk, transgender status,
and survival of domestic violence. The court may not deny sealing solely because
the adult lacks specific prior threats. Rhode Island does not create a separate
gender-identity petition; it places that safety consideration inside the general
sealing rule.

Fees and local document rules vary

Section 33-22-28(c) permits court costs to be waived or reduced for an
indigent petitioner or someone with limited ability to pay. Local filing fees
are not uniform. Providence currently charges $39, including one certified
copy; Pawtucket lists $44. Confirm the resident court's fee and BCI charges.

If a Rhode Island birth record is amended, current form PC-10.15 lists a $10
amendment fee, plus the stated fee for a certified copy.

What trips people up

• Old publication instructions are stale. The 2024 amendment prohibits
  public notice or publication before approval.
• Local paperwork is not uniform. The statute supplies the statewide rule,
  while each municipal probate court may set its own BCI age, residence proof,
  fee, filing deadline, and hearing calendar.
• Safety sealing is mandatory after the finding. The court "shall" seal and
  may not demand a documented history of specific threats as the only route.

Common questions

Must I publish the name change in a newspaper?

No. Section 33-22-28(d) bars the court from requiring public notice or
publication before approval.

Does Rhode Island require a criminal-background report?

The statute lets the court require one, and the current statewide PC-8.1 form
instructs the adult to attach a BCI report. Local courts prescribe the details.

Can the entire case be sealed for safety?

Yes. If an open record would jeopardize safety under the statutory totality
test, the court must seal the records and docket entries.

Statutes and sources

• R.I. Gen. Laws § 33-22-28 — municipal probate venue, fraud-only denial,
  fee relief, no publication, optional criminal check, and safety sealing;
  § 8-2-14(b) — concurrent Superior Court jurisdiction for convicted adults.
  Official § 33-22-28
  and official § 8-2-14
  (accessed July 26, 2026).
• Rhode Island probate forms PC-8.1 and PC-10.15 — sworn petition fields,
  BCI and birth-certificate attachments, decree, and birth-record amendment fee.
  Official PC-8.1
  and official PC-10.15
  (accessed July 26, 2026).
• Municipal probate materials — local BCI, address-proof, hearing, and fee
  examples. Providence instructions,
  Warwick rules,
  and Pawtucket fees
  (accessed July 26, 2026).