How to Get a Death Certificate in Kosciusko County, Indiana

You can also order from the state office. Ordering methods, fees and wait times are on our Indiana death certificate guide.

Indiana limits certified copies to people with a direct interest. IDOH defines this as "a documented and verifiable financial and legal interest, or an immediate direct kinship" to the person who died (IDOH requirements). State law also requires that the certificate be needed to determine personal or property rights or to comply with state or federal law (IC 16-37-1).

People who can order include:

• Close family: parents, spouse, adult children, grandparents, adult grandchildren, siblings, aunts and uncles, and adult nieces and nephews
• Beneficiaries: by law, a beneficiary of the deceased's life insurance policy, annuity, IRA, retirement account or brokerage transfer on death account has a direct interest
• People with a legal interest: with proof such as a contract, agreement, title or court order
• The assigned funeral home or funeral director: with an explanation of their interest on letterhead
• Attorneys and court-appointed guardians: with ID and documents showing their interest
• Genealogists: only if the person named on the certificate would be over 75 years old

Executors and administrators: IDOH accepts a court order as proof of a legal interest, but it does not say whether court papers appointing a personal representative (letters) are enough on their own. Call IDOH Vital Records at (317) 233-2700 or the county health department to confirm before you order. If you are also a close family member, you can apply as family.

An ex-spouse does not qualify unless they can prove a legal direct interest (IDOH FAQ).

ID. IDOH asks for one current primary photo ID, such as:

• A government-issued driver's license or state ID (front and back)
• A U.S. military ID (front and back)
• A U.S. or foreign passport
• A Veterans ID

If you don't have one, you can send two secondary documents instead, such as a signed Social Security card, current vehicle registration, a DD-214, a voter registration card with your current address, or a lease or deed with your name, address and signature. See the full list in the IDOH ID requirements.

For mail orders: send a copy of the front and back of your ID or the application will be rejected. The mailing address on the application must match your ID.

Proof of your relationship or interest. Send documents that show how you are connected to the person who died, for example birth certificates that show a family link, a marriage certificate if you are the spouse, or the court order, contract or title that gives you a legal interest. Send photocopies only; originals are not returned. Requests without proper ID or entitlement documents are returned without being processed.

Payment. $8 for the first state copy and $4 for each additional copy of the same record ordered at the same time. The $8 is a search fee and is not refunded if no record is found.

Local health departments set their own ID rules and fees, so check with the county office before you go.

On State Form 49606 you choose:

• Certified or Non-Certified copy. A certified copy is only available if you meet the direct-interest rules.
• With Cause of Death or Without Cause of Death.

Ask each bank, insurer or agency which kind of copy they need. IDOH does not publish a plain-language list of what a non-certified copy can be used for.

Some county health departments sell non-certified genealogy copies at a lower price. Contact the office to confirm what it offers.

In Indiana, the death certificate is filed electronically with the local health officer where the death happened (IC 16-37-3). The funeral director usually gathers the personal details from the family. Either the funeral director or the doctor, physician assistant or advanced practice registered nurse who last cared for the person starts the certificate in the state's system.

State law sets 5-day steps (IC 16-37-1):

• If the funeral director starts the certificate, they must send it to the medical certifier within 5 days of the death.
• The medical certifier must certify the cause of death within 5 days of starting or receiving it.
• The local health officer must report the completed certificate to the state within 5 days of receiving it.

Deaths referred to the coroner can take longer. The funeral director also gets the permit for burial or cremation, which the local health officer issues after receiving a properly completed certificate.

No official source says how many days after a death you can first order a copy. Because the record reaches the county before the state, the county health department where the death happened is usually the fastest place to get one.

It usually costs less to order extra copies at once: from the state, each additional copy of the same record is $4 when ordered at the same time, versus $8 for a new search later. See our guide on how many copies to estimate your number.

To correct an Indiana death certificate, contact the funeral director, physician or coroner who filed the original certificate (IDOH).

• The funeral director makes the change, signs and refiles the amended certificate.
• The medical certifier must also sign the amended certificate.
• If the original signatures cannot be obtained, a court order is required.

Requirements depend on the change, so IDOH asks people to call Vital Records at (317) 233-2700 to reach the right staff. The state charges an extra $8 for an amendment (the "Death Amendment" box on Form 49606). Some county health departments also handle corrections; contact the office to confirm its process and fees.

Official ways to order an Indiana death certificate:

• The local health department in the county where the death happened, found on the IDOH Local Health Department Map and Contacts page
• The Indiana Department of Health, Division of Vital Records, by mail with Form 49606
• VitalChek, IDOH's only approved online vendor, through the IDOH VitalChek page or by phone at (866) 601-0891

Some unofficial websites offer to order certificates for you but are not government sources. Start from the IDOH website or your county health department's own site.