How to Get a Death Certificate in Arizona

Arizona is a closed record state. Death certificates are not public records, so everyone who orders a certified copy must show they are eligible. Applicants must be 18 or older, with limited exceptions.

People who can order include:

• The spouse, parents, grandparents, adult children, adult grandchildren and adult brothers or sisters
• A person named as executor or beneficiary of the deceased person's estate
• A beneficiary of the deceased person's life insurance policy
• The person responsible for the funeral and final disposition
• Someone authorized in writing by an eligible person, or named in a power of attorney by an eligible spouse, parent or grandparent
• A person named in a court order
• An attorney representing an eligible person
• A funeral director, for a final disposition within 12 months after the death was registered
• Government agencies

ADHS lists every eligible group and the proof each one needs on its who can obtain a death certificate page.

Arizona has two places that issue death certificates: county health department vital records offices and the state Bureau of Vital Records in Phoenix.

County vital records offices (best for same-day service)

Every Arizona county has a county health department vital records office. ADHS lists them on its local county offices page, and page 2 of the application lists the service locations. The state office no longer offers same-day walk-in service and points walk-in customers to county offices.

County offices issue from Arizona's shared electronic database, so they can usually issue a certificate for a death anywhere in Arizona, not just in their own county. Older deaths are the exception: Navajo County, for example, issues only for deaths from February 1, 2008 to the present and sends older deaths to the state. Services differ by county:

• Maricopa County: same-day service is possible in person; mail orders are usually processed within one week
• Pima County: same-day service in person; mail orders can take up to 2 to 4 weeks
• Coconino County: mail orders take up to 10 business days
• Mohave County: certificates are not issued the same day; processing can take up to two weeks
• Some locations take death certificate requests by mail only

Call or check the county's page before you go to confirm hours, services and payment types. Some counties add a card convenience fee.

State Bureau of Vital Records: by mail

• Mail the signed application (VS-159), a copy of your photo ID, proof of eligibility, payment and a self-addressed stamped envelope to: Bureau of Vital Records, PO Box 6018, Phoenix, AZ 85005
• Processing averages five business days from the day the application arrives, not counting mailing time
• Do not send cash

State Bureau of Vital Records: online

• Order through VitalChek, the only online service ADHS partners with
• Each copy is $20, plus a $15.50 processing charge per order
• Optional express shipping costs $17.50 to $19.50, plus $5.00 for a UPS alternate delivery location
• ADHS does not publish an online processing time

Questions for the state office

Call (602) 364-1300 or toll-free (888) 816-5907. ADHS lists its general hours as Monday to Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., closed weekends and state holidays. Vital Records opens at noon on the first Friday of each month.

• The application: the Request for Copy of Death Certificate (VS-159), signed
• Photo ID: a copy of the front and back of a valid government-issued photo ID that shows your signature. If you have no ID, have your signature on the application notarized instead.
• Proof of eligibility: for example, a spouse sends the marriage certificate, an adult child sends their own birth certificate naming the deceased as a parent, and an executor or estate beneficiary sends a copy of the deceased person's last will and testament. A life insurance beneficiary sends the policy or other documentation from the insurer naming them.
• Translations: documents in another language must be translated into English
• Payment: $20 per copy. The ADHS web page lists cashier's checks, money orders, Visa or MasterCard for state orders, while the application form also has boxes for American Express and Discover. Call ADHS at (602) 364-1300 to confirm which cards are accepted. If you pay by card and the card is not yours, include a copy of the cardholder's government photo ID with signature.
• Mail orders: a self-addressed stamped envelope

County offices accept different payment types. Check with the office before you go.

Eligible people receive certified copies. These are the copies banks, insurers, the probate court and the MVD expect.

Noncertified copies exist only for limited cases, such as family members (including nieces and nephews) doing genealogy research, and certain government agency requests. Copies issued to government agencies are marked "For Government Use Only." Death certificates become available for genealogy 50 years after the death.

Arizona law (A.R.S. 36-324) says certified copies are issued "except the portion of the certificate that contains medical information," and ADHS does not explain how this applies to death certificates. If you need a copy that shows the cause of death, call ADHS at (602) 364-1300 to confirm what you will receive.

Every Arizona funeral home creates the death certificate in the state's electronic system, called D.A.V.E., and the doctor certifies the cause of death in it.

Under A.R.S. 36-325:

• The doctor (or other health care provider) must sign the medical certification within 72 hours
• The funeral home must submit the death certificate within seven calendar days of taking possession of the body
• The registrar must register a complete certificate within 72 hours of receiving it
• If the cause of death is still under investigation, the medical examiner can enter "pending" so the certificate can still be registered

The funeral home's role: a funeral director can order certified copies for a death registered within the past 12 months. Copies the funeral home orders are sent to the funeral home, not to the family, so ask the funeral director when you make arrangements.

Navajo County notes that deaths in the last 30 to 90 days may not yet be completed in the database. If a recent death is not available yet, contact the county office or the funeral home.

Many banks, insurers and agencies ask for their own certified copy, and every copy in Arizona costs the same $20, so ordering a few at once saves extra trips or orders. Make a list of every account and institution before you order. See our guide on how many copies to estimate the right number.

Arizona separates two kinds of changes:

• Corrections fix typos, such as a misspelled name or transposed numbers. The informant (the person who gave the information to the funeral director) or the person responsible for final disposition can request one.
• Amendments add, remove or replace information. A person may request to amend the demographic and final disposition information, with a document proving their relationship to the deceased.

Cause or manner of death can only be changed by the medical certifier, such as the doctor or medical examiner.

The fee to correct or amend a death record is $30. You submit the application, a copy of your photo ID, ADHS's affidavit to correct or amend, proof of your relationship and documents proving the correct information. For an amendment, the office notifies the original informant, who has 10 calendar days to respond.

Where to send it: for deaths before 2008, mail the request to the Bureau of Vital Records, PO Box 6018, Phoenix, AZ 85005. For deaths from 2008 on, requests go to a county vital records office (ADHS says the county where the death occurred). Contact the county office to confirm. Full instructions are on the ADHS corrections and amendments page.

Official ways to order an Arizona death certificate:

• A county health department vital records office (directory)
• The ADHS Bureau of Vital Records by mail (application)
• VitalChek, the online service ADHS partners with

ADHS says it does "not endorse any other internet ordering service." Coconino County warns that some companies charge high, often nonrefundable processing fees just to take an application online and forward it to the state. The official fee is $20 per copy, plus $15.50 per order if you use VitalChek.