How Do I Obtain a Death Certificate?
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February 15, 2025
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A death certificate is an important document you must obtain after a loved one dies for both legal and personal reasons. Understanding the steps to obtain a death certificate can help make navigating the process smoother so you can continue to make necessary arrangements.
What Is a Death Certificate?
A death certificate is a legal document stating the details of a person’s death, such as the cause, location, time of death and other details and is usually signed by a physician or coroner. Certified copies will have an official stamp of the county or state. Typically, it will also come with a certificate of disposition of remains which is a permit for burial or cremation.
What Is a Death Certificate Used For?
Death certificates are used as legal proof for a variety of purposes such as making funeral arrangements, settling estates, accessing financial accounts, submitting a life insurance claim and notifying government agencies and creditors, just to name a few. Public health officials use death certificates to compile data on the nation’s leading causes of death and authorities may use them during investigations of crime-related death.
Who Can Obtain a Death Certificate?
In some states, only a legal representative, an executor, spouse, parent, child or sibling of the deceased can obtain a certified copy and will need to provide proof of identity and relationship. In other states, death certificates are considered public record and informational copies (ones that cannot be used for legal purposes) can be obtained by anyone over the age of 18.
Steps To Obtain a Death Certificate
Gather Information: Write down important information such as their full name, date of death and county where they lived. Be sure to have your own identification ready (such as a driver’s license or passport) if you live in a state that requires proof of relationship.
Make the Request: There are a few ways you can obtain this important document. Most counties have a vital records office or health department that you can physically visit or an online website where you can complete a request form. Another option is to work with the funeral home who can assist in ordering certified copies on your behalf.
Pay the Fee: The cost of each certified copy varies by state and county and there is usually a reduction in price for each additional copy. Usually, 10 copies are sufficient for completing necessary tasks. It can take 2-4 weeks to receive the documents, so depending on the situation, you might also have to pay to expedite them if necessary.
If the death occurred abroad, the U.S. embassy or consulate must receive a death certificate from the foreign government so they can issue a Consular Report of Death Abroad (CRODA) to the next of kin or legal representative, which can be used as proof of death for most legal tasks.
Obtaining a death certificate is a critical part of being able to execute many tasks when a loved one dies such as burial, starting probate, claiming benefits, notifying creditors and more. Steps After Life has affordable solutions to help navigate end-of-life processes.