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When there is a deceased person and not much, or even nothing, else what ways are there to acquire a death certificate? Not all deceased persons have a will, close relatives, etc.Thanks.
It depends on the state but you will always need some basic identifying information. The coroner or funeral home will typically handle this at the time of death based on information provided by whoever was available to identify the deceased.
If what you’re asking is how to acquire a copy of the death certificate later on, contact the department of health or vital records in the county where the death occurred and they will point you in the right direction.
When there is a deceased person and not much, or even nothing, else what ways are there to acquire a death certificate? Not all deceased persons have a will, close relatives, etc.Thanks.
Coroner?
Hospital?
Are you talking about getting a copy of a death certificate, or getting a death certificate for someone recently deceased that doesn't have one yet?
A funeral home generally provides 3-5 copies of certified death certs to next of kin and mybe to someone paying for the funeral. I would start there. If it is after the fact, the process, as Kathryn stated, varies among the states. Do a Google search for the specific state.
The funeral home usually applies for the death certificate. We ran into trouble getting a death certificate because the funeral home did not fill out the form correctly. We were able to get the issue fixed by going to the state health department who made several calls to find out what the problem was.
Also, to obtain a copy in this state, I had to fill out a form stating my relationship to the deceased and reason for the request, plus pay a fee.
Not all deceased persons have a will, close relatives, etc.Thanks.
What do you mean by locate or acquire?
Whether someone has a will or close family or not has nothing to do with issuing a death certificate. Are you trying to locate someone in this deceased person's family who might have a copy, or are you asking how to have one issued? If you are this person's next of kin and/or duly appointed executor of course, you'll need official copies of the DC in order to deal with their estate.
Last edited by Parnassia; 11-13-2023 at 04:00 PM..
I can let you know in a couple weeks because I called 2 different offices in the state my mother died 17 years ago because I want to know her exact cause of death other than "heart attack". My doctor also wants to know for my medical history.
Vital Statistics would charge me $25 for the death certificate but when I asked if there was another way to get the information the person referred me to the Division of Forensic Science. That second office told me to download the form on the state website and send it (notarized) to them. They will send me whatever shown as cause of death. So that's what I'll do.
The forms I saw state the need to have either a family relationship (they want to see a marriage or birth certificate at Vital Statistics) or you are the executor for the deceased (again need proof.) Forensic Science I think needs a drivers license as ID and statement of family relationship (no proof I think).
If the death happened 20+ years ago the information becomes public through a different state office, for genealogy seekers for example.
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What do you mean by locate or acquire?
Whether someone has a will or close family or not has nothing to do with issuing a death certificate. Are you trying to locate someone in this deceased person's family who might have a copy, or are you asking how to have one issued? If you are this person's next of kin and/or duly appointed executor of course, you'll need official copies of the DC in order to deal with their estate.
