Death certificates, and how to get them

This is the single most useful thing on this page. Ten certified copies is a common starting point. Many organisations want their own certified copy and will not accept a photocopy or a scan — and some keep it rather than returning it.

Ordering more later is possible but slower, and it holds up whatever you were trying to do. Ordering extra at the start costs a few pounds or dollars each.

• The funeral director usually orders them for you, as part of arranging the funeral. This is the easiest route and the one most families use.
• Otherwise, the vital records office for the state, county or district where the death occurred — not where the person lived, if those differ.
• In the UK, the death is registered with the local register office, generally within five days.

Roughly: the person's full name, date and place of birth and death, their address, their parents' names, and often a Social Security or national insurance number. You will also need to show who you are and that you are entitled to request it — a spouse, child, parent or the executor.

Some offices offer a cheaper informational copy marked as not valid for legal purposes. It is fine for your own records and useless for a bank. If in doubt, ask for certified.