How to Get a Death Certificate in Illinois

Illinois death records are not open to everyone. Under state law (410 ILCS 535/25), you need a personal or property right interest in the record, or you must be the authorized agent of someone who has one. IDPH explains "property right" as something owned and tangible, such as a car title or a property deed.

People who can usually order a certified copy include:

• Relatives of the deceased, such as a spouse
• The administrator or executor of the estate
• Others the IDPH application gives as examples, such as an attorney or someone acting for the estate
• A person who is not a relative, if they include a letter or document from the office or agency that needs the death certificate (for example, for a car title transfer)
• Anyone with an order from a court
• Certain government agencies, on written request
• The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs or an accredited veterans organization

Genealogy: someone with only a genealogical interest can get an uncertified copy, and only if the death happened at least 20 years before the request.

Illinois has two places that issue certified death certificates: county clerks and the state Department of Public Health. For most families, the county clerk is the faster route.

County clerks (often the fastest)

By law, every death record is copied to the county clerk of the county where the death happened, and the clerk must issue certified copies to eligible people (410 ILCS 535/8 and 535/25). IDPH itself tells families they may contact the county clerk where the death occurred.

• Which county: the county where the death happened. When someone dies in a different Illinois county from where they lived, the law also sends a copy to the clerk of their home county, so that office may be able to help. Contact the office to confirm.
• Fees, hours and ordering options vary by county. Search for your county clerk's official website, or use the county clerk list linked from the IDPH ordering page.
• Deaths before 1916: only the county clerk where the death took place has the record. IDPH does not.
• Example: the Cook County Clerk (deaths in Chicago and suburban Cook County) prints most records while you wait at its downtown office and three suburban courthouses. It also takes orders online, by phone at (866) 252-8974, by mail (about 20 working days), and at local currency exchanges.

Illinois Department of Public Health, Division of Vital Records

IDPH holds records for deaths in Illinois from 1916 to the present. Its office moved in September 2026; the old Ridgely Avenue address is closed. Questions: 217-782-6554 or DPH.VITALS@illinois.gov.

• Online: order through VitalChek, the service linked from the IDPH ordering page. A major credit card is required. VitalChek adds a $15 handling fee, plus $22 if you choose UPS delivery. IDPH does not publish a processing time for online orders. Genealogical copies cannot be ordered online.
• By mail: send the application (form VR 280) with a check or money order payable to the Illinois Department of Public Health (no cash) to: Illinois Department of Public Health, Division of Vital Records, 110 W Lawrence Ave., Springfield, Illinois 62704-2610. Processing takes about 12 weeks from when IDPH receives your paperwork, with no status updates along the way.
• Urgent requests: IDPH processes requests sent by overnight delivery, with proof of immediate need and a prepaid overnight return envelope, within 5 to 7 business days.
• By fax: IDPH lists fax 217-523-2648 as an ordering option, but does not explain how to pay for a fax order. Contact the office to confirm before faxing.
• In person: IDPH's death certificate page does not describe walk-in service at the Springfield office. Contact the office to confirm before you go.

For a state order:

• A completed application (form VR 280), including your relationship to the deceased and how you will use the copy
• A photocopy of a non-expired, government-issued photo ID, such as a driver's license, passport, active duty military ID, Veterans Administration photo medical card, or federally issued tribal ID. Copy both sides if there is information on both.
• If you are not a relative: a letter or document from the office or agency that needs the death certificate
• Payment: $19 for the first copy and $4 for each additional copy ordered at the same time

If your ID is expired or you do not have one:

• Expired less than 6 months ago: add one document showing your name and current address, dated within the last 6 months.
• Expired more than 6 months ago, or no valid ID: send two documents with your name and current address, dated within the last 6 months. One must be a medical card, auto insurance card, voter registration card, pay stub, or bank, financial or credit card statement. The other must be current mail, such as a utility or phone bill.

Social Security cards are not accepted. IDPH returns requests unprocessed if the ID is missing, unreadable or expired.

Executors and administrators: IDPH does not say which document it accepts from an estate representative. Contact the office to confirm what it needs.

County clerks may ask for more. Cook County, for example, asks mail customers for a copy of their photo ID and proof of immediate relationship or financial interest.

IDPH offers certified and uncertified copies.

• Certified long form ($19): IDPH says it is accepted for all legal use and contains the most available information, including the cause of death. This is the copy used to settle an estate, claim a will, or file insurance claims.
• Short form ($10): basic death record information without the cause of death. The IDPH application does not say whether it is accepted for legal purposes, so for estate work, order the long form.
• Uncertified genealogical copy ($10): a plain paper copy, only for deaths at least 20 years ago, stamped "FOR GENEALOGICAL PURPOSES ONLY." It cannot be used for legal purposes.

Copies for deaths from 2008 on are printed from the state's electronic system, while older ones come from paper or microfilm and may look different. IDPH says they are all certified copies and suitable for all legal purposes.

Under Illinois law (410 ILCS 535/18), the funeral director who first takes custody of the body is responsible for filing the death certificate. The funeral director collects personal details from the family, records the burial or cremation details, and passes the certificate to the doctor, who completes the cause of death. The doctor must sign the medical part within 48 hours after death (the coroner or medical examiner does this when they are investigating).

The certificate must be filed with the local registrar where the death happened within 7 days after the death, and before cremation or removal of the body from the state. Local registrars then send copies to the county clerk and to IDPH each month.

IDPH does not publish how many days after a death you can first order a copy. Ask your funeral home or county clerk when the record will be ready, and whether the funeral home can order copies for you.

The number depends on how many banks, insurers and agencies will ask for a certified copy as you settle the estate. At the state, extra copies ordered at the same time cost only $4 each, compared with $19 for a new first copy later. For help estimating, see our guide on how many copies.

To correct an Illinois death certificate, complete IDPH's Affidavit and Certificate of Correction Request (form VR 400) in full and sign it in front of a notary public. Do not use white-out or cross-outs. Mail it to IDPH, Division of Vital Records, 110 West Lawrence Ave., Springfield, IL 62704-2610, with:

• A $15 check or money order payable to IDPH (add $2 for each additional corrected copy)
• A copy of your non-expired government photo ID
• Documents that prove the correct information

IDPH's correction guidelines give examples:

• Name, sex, age, date of birth or birthplace: usually a birth record
• Date of death: medical records from the place of death
• Marital status or surviving spouse: a marriage, civil union or divorce record, or other proof that existed within two years of the death
• Funeral home: notarized statements from both funeral homes
• Cause of death, manner of death and other medical details: only a Certificate of Death Worksheet signed by the certifying physician

If your documents do not clearly support the change, you may need a court order. Urgent corrections sent by overnight delivery with proof of need are processed within 15 business days.

Official ways to order an Illinois death certificate:

• The Illinois Department of Public Health, online through the VitalChek service it links to, by mail, or by fax
• The county clerk in the county where the death happened, through the clerk's official website or office

Some third-party websites charge their own fees on top of the official fee to submit the same application for you. Start from the IDPH website or your county clerk's own site to make sure you are ordering from an official source.