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The End of Life Plannerby Valoren

General information · not a substitute for the advice of an attorney.

Free · general informationRhode Island

Probate in Rhode Island

What Rhode Island’s own law and courts say about probate, from how an estate comes before the court to when creditors must claim. Nothing on this page decides whether a particular estate needs probate. That question belongs to the court, or to an attorney in Rhode Island.

  • Every fact dated, in the official words
  • Each state’s own law

Every quotation checked October 24, 2026

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Every quotation on this page is the official body’s own words, as they stood on the day we read them. The date is beside each one.

Which court hears probate: each city or town’s probate court, and what it has power over

Every probate court shall have jurisdiction in the town or city in which it is established of the probate of wills; the granting of administration, the appointment of custodians, of administrators, of guardians of persons and estates

the accepting and allowing of bonds, inventories, and accounts of executors, administrators, and guardians

Rhode Island · general information · checked October 24, 2026 · R.I. Gen. Laws § 8-9-9

A probate court in every city or town, and the statutes it works under, in one city’s words

Every City or Town in this state has it’s own probate court, which administers these laws. Probate Court is a court of law established by RIGL 8-9; the operating statute for Probate is RIGL Title 33.

Rhode Island · general information · checked October 24, 2026 · City of Providence Probate Court

How long creditors have to present claims, and asking leave to claim late

(a) Claims shall be presented within six (6) months from the first publication or be forever barred, subject to extensions granted pursuant to subsection 33-11-5(b).

may before distribution of the estate, petition the probate court for leave to present a claim out of time.

Rhode Island · general information · checked October 24, 2026 · R.I. Gen. Laws § 33-11-5(a), (b)

The statewide probate forms, and the ones not available online

Below are the links to the Probate Forms. The Secretary of State’s office does not have authority over the content or use of these forms; they are being presented as required by RIGL 33-22-16.

Please note that there are several forms that are not available online. If you need any of these forms, contact the appropriate Probate Court.

Rhode Island · general information · checked October 24, 2026 · R.I. Gen. Laws § 33-22-16 (statewide probate forms)

What the person holding the will must do after the death, how soon, and the executor’s own duty

(a) Every person, other than a probate clerk, who has custody of a will shall, within thirty (30) days after notice of the death of the testator, deliver the will into the probate court which has jurisdiction of the probate thereof, or to the executors named in the will, who shall themselves deliver it into court within thirty (30) days after they receive the will

Rhode Island · general information · checked October 24, 2026 · R.I. Gen. Laws § 33-7-5(a)

Refusing to deliver a will after the court’s citation: contempt, and being held until it is delivered

if any executor or other person neglects, without reasonable cause, to deliver a will, after being duly cited for that purpose by the court, he or she may be adjudged to be in contempt and may be committed therefor to the adult correctional institutions and shall remain there until he or she delivers the will to the court

Rhode Island · general information · checked October 24, 2026 · R.I. Gen. Laws § 33-7-5(a)

A fiduciary named in a will lodging it with the court on an affidavit: the fee and the receipt

a fiduciary nominated in a will may deliver such will to the probate court with an affidavit

Upon receipt of such will and affidavit the probate clerk, upon being paid a fee of thirty dollars ($30.00), shall receive and keep the will and accompanying affidavit and shall give a receipt of the deposit thereof.

Rhode Island · general information · checked October 24, 2026 · R.I. Gen. Laws § 33-7-5(b)

The same page for other states

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FAQ

Common questions

Every probate court shall have jurisdiction in the town or city in which it is established of the probate of wills; the granting of administration, the appointment of custodians, of administrators, of guardians of persons and estates

the accepting and allowing of bonds, inventories, and accounts of executors, administrators, and guardians

Rhode Island · general information · checked October 24, 2026 · R.I. Gen. Laws § 8-9-9

Every City or Town in this state has it’s own probate court, which administers these laws. Probate Court is a court of law established by RIGL 8-9; the operating statute for Probate is RIGL Title 33.

Rhode Island · general information · checked October 24, 2026 · City of Providence Probate Court

(a) Claims shall be presented within six (6) months from the first publication or be forever barred, subject to extensions granted pursuant to subsection 33-11-5(b).

may before distribution of the estate, petition the probate court for leave to present a claim out of time.

Rhode Island · general information · checked October 24, 2026 · R.I. Gen. Laws § 33-11-5(a), (b)

(a) Claims shall be presented within six (6) months from the first publication or be forever barred, subject to extensions granted pursuant to subsection 33-11-5(b).

may before distribution of the estate, petition the probate court for leave to present a claim out of time.

Rhode Island · general information · checked October 24, 2026 · R.I. Gen. Laws § 33-11-5(a), (b)

Below are the links to the Probate Forms. The Secretary of State’s office does not have authority over the content or use of these forms; they are being presented as required by RIGL 33-22-16.

Please note that there are several forms that are not available online. If you need any of these forms, contact the appropriate Probate Court.

Rhode Island · general information · checked October 24, 2026 · R.I. Gen. Laws § 33-22-16 (statewide probate forms)

(a) Every person, other than a probate clerk, who has custody of a will shall, within thirty (30) days after notice of the death of the testator, deliver the will into the probate court which has jurisdiction of the probate thereof, or to the executors named in the will, who shall themselves deliver it into court within thirty (30) days after they receive the will

Rhode Island · general information · checked October 24, 2026 · R.I. Gen. Laws § 33-7-5(a)

if any executor or other person neglects, without reasonable cause, to deliver a will, after being duly cited for that purpose by the court, he or she may be adjudged to be in contempt and may be committed therefor to the adult correctional institutions and shall remain there until he or she delivers the will to the court

Rhode Island · general information · checked October 24, 2026 · R.I. Gen. Laws § 33-7-5(a)

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