In child custody disputes in which the parents and children have significant contacts with more than one state—such as having homes in multiple states and spending significant amounts of time in multiple states—there may be a question of which state’s courts have jurisdiction over the child custody dispute (the authority to hear and decide the dispute). The Uniform Child Custody Jurisdiction Enforcement Act (UCCJEA) is a law adopted by most states (all but Massachusetts) that determines which state’s courts have jurisdiction to hear and decide a child custody dispute in such a situation.

In Rhode Island, as in most other states, the Uniform Child Custody Jurisdiction Enforcement Act (UCCJEA) is the governing statute for determining jurisdiction in child custody disputes involving multiple states. The UCCJEA aims to avoid conflicts between states in custody decisions, promote cooperation among states, and protect the best interests of the children involved. Under the UCCJEA, the child's 'home state'—defined as the state where the child has lived with a parent or a person acting as a parent for at least six consecutive months immediately before the commencement of the child custody proceeding—generally has jurisdiction to make an initial custody determination. If the child has not lived in any state for six months, the state with the most significant connection to the child and at least one parent, and where substantial evidence concerning the child's care, protection, training, and personal relationships is available, may be considered the appropriate jurisdiction. Rhode Island courts will recognize and enforce child custody orders from other states that comply with the UCCJEA, provided that the issuing state had proper jurisdiction under the Act.