Please note: local and state laws change constantly. This information is for educational purposes only. We do our best to keep this up-to-date, but please contact us to discuss your unique situation.
Getting Divorced in Rhode Island
According to Rhode Island Code, divorces will be decreed for the following causes:
- Impotency;
- Adultery;
- Extreme cruelty;
- Willful desertion for 5 years of either of the parties, or for willful desertion for a shorter period of time in the discretion of the court;
- Continued drunkenness;
- The habitual, excessive, and intemperate use of opium, morphine, or chloral;
- Neglect and refusal, for the period of at least one year before the filing of the petition, on the part of the husband to provide necessaries for the subsistence of his wife, the husband being of sufficient ability; and
- Any other gross misbehavior and wickedness, in either of the parties, repugnant to and in violation of the marriage covenant.
A divorce from the bonds of matrimony may also be decreed, irrespective of the fault of either party, on the ground of irreconcilable differences which have caused the irremediable breakdown of the marriage. This is commonly referred to as a “no-fault” divorce.
Same Sex Marriage
Any person who otherwise meets the eligibility requirements for Rhode Island may marry any other eligible person regardless of gender.
Residency Requirements
No complaint for divorce will be granted unless the plaintiff has been living in Rhode Island and has resided for a period of one year before the filing of the complaint.
Waiting Period
No decree for a divorce will become final and operative until 3 months after the trial and decision.
Rhode Island Divorce Laws and Marriage Laws
You can find a complete listing of the Rhode Island divorce laws by searching under “Domestic Relations” here.
