Restraining Orders

Only the state that issued your protection order can change, extend, or cancel the order.  You cannot have this done by a court in Rhode Island.

To have your order changed, extended, or canceled, you will have to file a motion or petition in the court where the order was issued.  You may be able to request that you attend the court hearing by telephone rather than in person, so that you do not need to return to the state where the abuser is living.  To find out more information about how to modify a restraining order, see the Restraining Orders page for the state where your order was issued.  Select the issuing state from the drop-down menu.

If your order does expire while you are living in Rhode Island, you may be able to get a new one issued in Rhode Island, but this may be difficult to do if no new incidents of abuse have taken place in Rhode Island.  To find out more information on how to get a restraining order in Rhode Island, visit our Domestic Violence Restraining Orders page.