How to Get a Death Certificate in Hawaii

Hawaii issues certified death certificates only to people with a "direct and tangible interest" in the record. According to the Department of Health, that includes:

• The deceased person's spouse or parent(s)
• A descendant, such as a child or grandchild
• A person who shares a common ancestor with the deceased, such as a sibling, grandparent, aunt, uncle or cousin
• A legal guardian, or a person or agency acting on behalf of the deceased
• A personal representative of the estate (state law, HRS 338-18, also names a trustee of the estate or trust)
• A person whose right to a copy is established by a court order
• A person who needs to confirm the death of a co-owner of property held in joint tenancy
• A person who needs the certificate to determine payments under a credit insurance policy
• A person who needs to determine a former spouse's marital status for alimony payments, and adoptive parents in certain adoption cases

Executors: personal representatives are on the list, but the state does not publish a checklist of documents an executor must send. Call (808) 586-4539, option 2 to confirm before ordering.

Hawaii has no county vital records offices. Every Hawaii death certificate is a state record issued by the Department of Health's Office of Health Status Monitoring on Oahu, whatever island the death occurred on.

Online (eHawaii.gov)

• Order at vitrec.ehawaii.gov, the state's official portal linked from the Department of Health site. Records from July 1909 to the present can be ordered online.
• Pay by MasterCard, VISA, American Express or Discover. A $2.50 portal fee applies to each order of up to 5 copies.
• Upload your government-issued photo ID and documents showing you are eligible with the order.
• Certificates are sent by first-class mail, with an average processing time of 6 to 8 weeks. You can also choose to pick up your order at the Honolulu office (appointments required).

By mail

• Fill out the Request for Certified Copy of Death Record (OHSM 136).
• Mail it with a copy of your photo ID and proof of eligibility to: State Department of Health, Office of Health Status Monitoring, Issuance/Vital Statistics Section, P.O. Box 3378, Honolulu, HI 96801.
• Pay by cashier's check, certified check or money order payable to the State Department of Health. Cash and personal checks are not accepted by mail.
• Check the amount first: the Department of Health page says the $2.50 fee applies to all orders, but the form it links shows only $10.00 for one copy. Call (808) 586-4539, option 2 to confirm the exact amount before sending a money order.
• The request form lists an old Punchbowl Street address for in-person service. The office has moved; use the Merchant Street address below.
• The state does not publish a processing time for mail orders.

In person (Honolulu)

• City Financial Tower, 201 Merchant St., Suite 100, Honolulu, HI 96813 (corner of Merchant and Alakea Streets).
• Monday to Friday, 7:45 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Closed on all state holidays.
• The state portal says appointments are required, with walk-in service between appointments as time permits.
• Pay by cash, cashier's check, certified check or money order payable to the Hawaii Department of Health.
• The state does not say whether in-person orders are filled the same day.

Neighbor islands

• Hawaii Island: you can pick up an order placed and paid online at the Hilo District Health Office (75 Aupuni St., Suite 201, Hilo; Tuesday and Thursday by appointment only; 808-974-6008) or the Kamuela District Health Office (67-5189 Kamamalu St., Kamuela; Monday, Wednesday and Friday by appointment only; 808-887-8114). See the Hawaii Island vital statistics page.
• Kauai: the Kauai District Health Office says death certificates are only issued on Oahu.
• Maui: the Maui District Health Office helps with instructions only, and the Department of Health says no pickup service is available on Maui.

Ordering by phone is not described on any official page. Order online, by mail, or in person.

Every order, online, by mail or in person, needs:

• A government-issued photo ID (upload it online, include a copy by mail, or bring it in person). The state does not publish a list of accepted ID types.
• Documents showing you are eligible. The request form gives examples: birth certificates showing your relationship (if you were not born in Hawaii), other relevant information such as beneficiary documentation, and, if ordering for an eligible person, a letter from that person plus government-issued ID for both of you.
• Your signature on the request form (mail and in person).
• Payment in an accepted form.

If you can't show you are eligible, the state says your order will not be filled. Fees are non-refundable and are kept to cover the search if no record is found.

Hawaii does not offer an "informational" copy of a death certificate. There are two options:

• Certified copy: $10 for the first copy, $4 for each extra copy of the same certificate ordered at the same time, plus the $2.50 fee per order of up to 5 copies. Only people with a direct and tangible interest can get one.
• Letter of verification: $5 per letter, by mail or in person only. It confirms that a death certificate is on file and verifies details you provide, but it will not reveal information you did not already supply. It uses the same request form and the same eligibility rules.

A letter of verification is not a certified copy. Check with the bank, insurer or agency asking for proof of death to confirm what they accept.

Under state law (HRS 338-9), the person in charge of the disposition of the body, usually the funeral home, must file the death certificate with the Department of Health within three days after the death.

Here's how that process works:

• The funeral home gathers the personal details from the person best qualified to give them.
• The doctor, physician assistant or advanced practice registered nurse (or the coroner's physician) certifies the cause of death.
• If no doctor attended the death or the doctor does not sign, the case goes to the local health officer. Deaths that may not be from natural causes go to the coroner.

The state does not publish how soon after filing you can order certified copies, or whether funeral homes order copies for families. Ask your funeral home. Once ordered online, mailed certificates take an average of 6 to 8 weeks to arrive.

Many banks, insurers and agencies ask for their own certified copy, so most families and executors order several at once. In Hawaii, extra copies of the same certificate ordered at the same time cost just $4 each, and the $2.50 fee covers up to 5 copies, so 3 copies ordered online cost $20.50 in total. See our guide on how many copies to estimate your number.

An entry on a Hawaii death certificate can be corrected, added, removed or replaced on application with supporting documents, or by court order. The evidence needed depends on whether the change is court-ordered and, for requests from an individual, whether the change materially affects the record.

• Fee: in most cases, $3.00 per request to amend an item or group of items on a certificate.
• One change per item: once an item is amended, it can't be amended again without a court order (or, for a name change, a change-of-name decree).
• Contact: the Corrections Section at (808) 586-4541, or write to State Department of Health, Office of Health Status Monitoring, Corrections Section, P.O. Box 3378, Honolulu, HI 96801. Walk-in service is Monday to Friday, 7:45 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., excluding state holidays.

The state does not publish a death-specific correction form online or say who must request a cause-of-death correction. Contact the Corrections Section to confirm. Details are on the amendments page.

The official ways to order a Hawaii death certificate are:

• The state's online portal at vitrec.ehawaii.gov, linked from the Department of Health
• By mail to the Department of Health, P.O. Box 3378, Honolulu, HI 96801
• In person at 201 Merchant St., Suite 100, Honolulu

Hawaii does not use VitalChek. Third-party websites that offer to order Hawaii death certificates for you usually charge extra fees on top of the state fee. One such site we saw is simplytrust.com. It is not an official source.