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A Rhode Island medical tint exemption is issued by the Rhode Island Division of Motor Vehicles (DMV), not by a doctor. Without an exemption, tinted side and rear windows on a passenger car must let in 70% or more of visible light, and darker tint can result in a fine. The exemption does not apply to the windshield. The process involves two parts:
Some drivers ask whether a Rhode Island medical exemption lets them tint their windows as dark as they want. The physician’s affidavit states the specific light transmittance that meets your medical needs, and the DMV decides whether to approve it. Medical exemptions do not apply to the windshield.
ForeverTint connects you with an independent licensed physician who reviews your medical history by chart review or, occasionally, a brief phone call. If you qualify, the physician completes the affidavit section of the Rhode Island DMV application and the signed document is delivered to you, so you can complete your section and submit it to the DMV yourself.
It’s important for Rhode Island drivers to understand the state’s window tint laws, even if you do not currently qualify for a medical exemption. Rhode Island’s tint law is set out in Chapter 31-23.3 of the Rhode Island General Laws, and its standard for tinted windows is 70% or more visible light transmittance.
These limits mean that tint darker than 70% on a passenger car’s side or rear windows requires a medical exemption from the Rhode Island DMV. ForeverTint helps you find out whether you qualify for the physician affidavit that supports your DMV application. Eligibility is determined by a licensed physician based on your medical history, and the DMV decides whether to approve the exemption.
Traditionally, getting a physician affidavit for a Rhode Island tint exemption meant making an in-person doctor’s appointment. ForeverTint moves the physician review online:
*If the physician determines you do not qualify, you receive a full refund.
An independent licensed physician decides whether your condition qualifies. Conditions a physician may consider include:
Lupus is an autoimmune disease in which ultraviolet light can trigger skin rashes, joint pain, and fatigue. Physicians commonly advise people with lupus to limit UV exposure, including the UVA light that passes through car side windows.
Porphyrias are a group of disorders in which certain compounds build up in the body and react to light, causing blistering, burning pain, and skin damage after sun exposure. Avoiding sunlight is a central part of managing the cutaneous forms.
Xeroderma pigmentosum is a rare genetic disorder that prevents the body from repairing DNA damage caused by ultraviolet light. People with XP burn after minimal sun exposure and face a greatly increased risk of skin cancers and eye damage.
People with albinism produce little or no melanin, the pigment that helps protect skin and eyes from ultraviolet light. They are highly prone to sunburn and skin damage and often experience significant light sensitivity and glare.
Photosensitivity dermatitis is an abnormal skin reaction to sunlight that can cause redness, itching, swelling, and rash on exposed skin. It can be linked to an underlying condition or to medications, and limiting UV exposure helps prevent flare-ups.
A personal history of melanoma or other skin cancers means ongoing UV exposure is a serious concern. Dermatologists routinely advise these patients to reduce sun exposure wherever possible, including time spent driving.
Some eye conditions, such as uveitis, certain retinal disorders, and sensitivity following eye surgery, cause pain or impaired vision in bright light. A licensed physician or optometrist can assess whether reducing light exposure while driving is medically necessary.
Cockayne syndrome is a rare genetic disorder that causes extreme sensitivity to sunlight, along with other developmental and health effects. Strict sun protection is part of everyday care.
Bloom syndrome is a rare inherited disorder that causes sun-sensitive skin, often with a facial rash after sun exposure, and an increased lifetime risk of cancer. Limiting UV exposure is a standard precaution.
Vitiligo causes patches of skin to lose their pigment, leaving those areas without natural protection from ultraviolet light. Depigmented skin burns easily, so physicians often recommend extra sun protection.
Some autoimmune conditions, such as dermatomyositis, cause skin and muscle symptoms that worsen with sun exposure. Certain medications used to treat autoimmune disease can also increase sensitivity to light.
Healing burns, skin grafts, and scar tissue are more vulnerable to sun damage, and UV exposure can cause scars to darken. Physicians typically advise protecting these areas from direct sunlight.
Other diagnosed conditions, including sun sensitivity caused by medications, can make sun exposure a health concern. Describe your condition during intake, and an independent licensed physician will review your medical history and decide whether darker tint is medically necessary for you.
The Rhode Island DMV’s Application for Medical Exemption from Maximum Window Tint Limits has two parts. The physician or optometrist section asks for:
In the applicant section you give your personal and driver’s license information and up to three vehicles (registration, make, model and VIN), authorize release of relevant medical records to the DMV, and sign before a notary. Leased vehicles need a letter from the leasing company. You submit the original application (faxes are not accepted) to the DMV in Cranston within 30 days of the physician’s affidavit; incomplete applications are not processed. If the DMV approves the application, it issues a sticker for the driver’s side window or a certificate, and records a permit number and expiration date.
A physician’s affidavit by itself is not a Rhode Island tint exemption. Without an exemption issued by the Rhode Island DMV, tint below 70% on a passenger car’s side or rear windows can result in a fine of up to $250 under section 31-23.3-5, even if your medical condition is legitimate. An exemption does not guarantee you will not be stopped or cited; officers retain discretion.
Rhode Island General Laws Section 31-23.3-4(7): “A motor vehicle registered in this state in the name of a person, or the person’s legal guardian, who has an affidavit signed by a physician or an optometrist licensed to practice in this state that states that the person has a physical condition that makes it necessary to equip the motor vehicle with a sunscreening device which may exceed federal standards. The division of motor vehicles, upon application of the individual, which shall include the affidavit, shall issue a sticker to be applied to the driver’s side window to identify this exemption.”
Section 31-23.3-4(3): The chapter does not apply to sunscreen material with “a total visible light transmittance of not less than seventy percent (70%)” on the windshield, front side windows, side windows behind the driver, or the rear window if the vehicle has two outside mirrors.
Section 31-23.3-4(4): Transparent material is allowed on “the uppermost six inches (6″) along the top of the windshield, provided the strip does not encroach upon the driver’s direct forward viewing area.”
Source: Rhode Island Division of Motor Vehicles, Window Tinting (R.I. Gen. Laws Chapter 31-23.3)
Rhode Island law (R.I. Gen. Laws Chapter 31-23.3) requires tinted side and rear windows on passenger cars to let in 70% or more of visible light. Section 31-23.3-4(7) exempts a vehicle registered to a person with an affidavit from a Rhode Island licensed physician or optometrist stating that a physical condition makes darker tint necessary, and the DMV issues a sticker or certificate identifying the exemption. Without an exemption, darker tint can result in a fine of up to $250.
ForeverTint connects you with an independent physician licensed in Rhode Island who reviews your medical history by chart review or, occasionally, a brief phone call. If you qualify, the physician completes the affidavit section of the DMV application and the signed document is delivered to you. You then complete your section, have it notarized, and submit it to the Rhode Island DMV yourself, and the DMV decides whether to approve the exemption.
If your windows are darker than Rhode Island’s 70% standard and your vehicle has no DMV exemption, you can be fined up to $250. The DMV identifies approved exemptions with a sticker for the driver’s side window or a certificate, so keep your exemption certificate and paperwork in the vehicle. Even with an exemption, officers retain discretion.
No. The physician’s affidavit states the light transmittance percentage that meets your medical needs, and the DMV decides whether to approve it. Medical exemptions do not apply to the windshield, where tint is limited to the uppermost 6 inches outside the driver’s direct forward view.
Yes. A physician note alone is not enough. You submit the DMV’s Application for Medical Exemption from Maximum Window Tint Limits, including the physician or optometrist affidavit and your notarized applicant section, as an original (not a fax) within 30 days of the affidavit. The DMV decides whether to approve it and issues a sticker or certificate.
First, a physician or optometrist licensed in Rhode Island reviews your medical history and, if you qualify, completes the affidavit section of the DMV application, including the tint percentage you need. You then complete the applicant section, sign it before a notary, and submit the original to the Rhode Island DMV within 30 days. If the DMV approves it, the DMV issues a sticker for the driver’s side window or a certificate.
Rhode Island law does not list specific conditions; it requires a physical condition that makes darker tint necessary, as stated in a physician’s or optometrist’s affidavit. Conditions a physician may consider include lupus, porphyria, xeroderma pigmentosum, albinism, photosensitivity dermatitis, melanoma and other skin cancers, and light-sensitive eye conditions. The DMV form notes that exemptions are not granted for conditions that quality sunglasses can adequately address.
Having a medical recommendation from a doctor for darker window tint does not guarantee you will not get a ticket. An officer can still give you a ticket at their own discretion.