How to Get a Death Certificate in Kansas

Kansas death records are not public. Under K.S.A. 65-2422d, the state can issue a certified copy only to someone with a direct interest in the record, when the record is needed to determine personal or property rights. You must be 18 or older.

The state's application form (VS-236) lists these relatives:

• Current spouse
• Parents
• Adult children
• Siblings
• Grandparents
• Aunts and uncles
• Nieces and nephews

Others who can order include a legal guardian (send the guardianship papers), a legal representative with proof of legal representation, anyone who can prove a direct interest (for example, a named beneficiary or someone who jointly owned property with the person who died), and someone with written authorization from an eligible person.

KDHE's Office of Vital Statistics page says proof of legal representation, direct interest, or written authorization is required if you are not named on the record or an immediate family member. The application form, though, labels its relatives list "Must provide ID and proof of direct interest," and KDHE does not say whether aunts, uncles, nieces and nephews count as immediate family. If you are not a spouse, parent, child, or sibling, expect to be asked for proof.

Executors and administrators: KDHE does not list which documents prove legal representation. Contact the Office of Vital Statistics at 785-296-1400 to confirm what to send before you order. KDHE may ask anyone for more documents to establish eligibility.

Every Kansas death certificate comes from the KDHE Office of Vital Statistics in Topeka. It holds deaths from July 1, 1911 to the present. County offices do not issue copies.

Online (VitalChek)

• KDHE says the only way to order on the internet is through VitalChek, the company it contracts with.
• VitalChek adds a $15 expedited service fee, plus optional UPS shipping.
• The credit card must be in your name. VitalChek verifies the cardholder's name and address and asks for your Social Security or driver's license number.
• Processing time: KDHE's Death Certificate page says 3 to 5 business days after the office receives the request, while its Internet ordering page says within three business days. Shipping time is extra.

By phone (VitalChek)

• Call 877-305-8315, available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Spanish interpreters are available.
• Same $15 VitalChek fee, plus optional UPS shipping. KDHE's Telephone page says another $15 is charged for requests of more than five copies of the same record.
• Credit card orders cannot be cancelled or changed once authorized.

iKan mobile app

• KDHE's Death Certificate page lists the iKan State of Kansas app. Search for "IKAN" in your app store.
• $20 per copy plus a $5 processing fee, limited to one certified copy per order. Pay by credit card or ACH.
• Will Call pickup in Topeka: you usually get a message the same day or next business day saying it is ready. Only the applicant can pick it up, with a current government-issued photo ID.
• Regular mail: 7 to 10 business days.

By mail

• Fill out the Application for Certified Copy of Kansas Death Certificate (VS-236).
• Send it with a copy of your ID and a check or money order payable to "Kansas Vital Statistics". Do not send cash.
• Mail to: Office of Vital Statistics, Curtis State Office Building, 1000 SW Jackson, Suite 120, Topeka, KS 66612-2221.
• Processing: 7 to 10 business days, depending on request volume, plus mailing time. For faster return, enclose a prepaid, self-addressed priority mail envelope.

In person

• Curtis State Office Building, 1000 SW Jackson, Suite 120 (first floor), Topeka. Use the main entrance off 10th and Jackson Street.
• Open Monday to Friday, 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM, excluding holidays. See the Walk-in page.
• Usually 15 to 20 minutes if the record is easy to find.
• Pay by cash, check, money order, or credit card.

Questions: call 785-296-1400. Live phones are answered Monday to Friday, 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM.

• Application: the VS-236 form for mail orders. It asks for your relationship to the person who died and a specific reason for the request.
• Photo ID: a current government-issued photo ID from the U.S. or another country, such as a driver's license, state ID card, passport or visa, or military ID. By mail, send a copy of the front and back. Matriculas are not accepted.
• No photo ID? Send or bring copies of two documents showing your name and current address, such as a Social Security card (signed), bank statement, car registration or title, utility bill, or pay stub. The application lists other options.
• Proof of eligibility, if you are not named on the record or an immediate family member: proof of legal representation, direct interest, or written authorization. A legal guardian sends the guardianship papers.
• Payment: $20 per copy. By state law, the first $20 is a five-year record search fee. If no record is found, the fee is kept and you get a letter saying no record was located. Each extra five-year search span costs another $20. Fees expire 12 months from the date of the request.

Kansas raised the fee from $15 to $20 on July 1, 2022, so any website still showing $15 is out of date.

Kansas issues certified copies only. There is no separate informational copy for recent deaths, and the state office will not give out facts about a death without a certificate.

Genealogy requests for deaths after 1940 must come from an immediate family member. For older records, see KDHE's Genealogy Requests page or contact the office. For deaths before July 1, 1911, KDHE points people to the Kansas Historical Society, and some county clerk offices kept older ledgers.

The funeral director who first takes custody of the body files the death certificate through the Kansas electronic death registration system. The funeral director gathers personal details from the next of kin and gets the cause of death from the doctor or coroner.

Under K.S.A. 65-2412, the certificate must be filed with the state within three days after the death, before the body is moved out of state, and in every case before burial or other disposal. If a coroner investigates, the coroner signs the cause of death within 24 hours after receiving the certificate.

KDHE does not publish how soon after a death families can order copies. Ask the funeral home whether the certificate has been filed, or call the Office of Vital Statistics at 785-296-1400 to confirm.

If no funeral home is involved, KDHE publishes a guide for families filing a death record themselves. There is no filing charge, and each certified copy is $20.

Banks, insurers, and other institutions may each ask for a certified copy. In Kansas, extra copies of the same record ordered at the same time cost the same $20 as the first. Ordering them together saves placing another order later, and another $15 VitalChek fee if you order online or by phone. See our guide on how many copies to estimate your number.

Families cannot amend a Kansas death certificate directly. KDHE says to contact the funeral home that filed it.

• Personal details (name, dates, and similar): only the funeral director who filed the certificate can request a change, within the first year after filing. After one year, personal details can only be changed by court order.
• Cause of death: can be changed at any time, but only by the certifying doctor or the coroner.
• Fees: amendments are free within the first three months after filing. After that, the fee is $20, except medical changes, which stay free.

Certified copies of the corrected record are ordered separately at $20 each.

The official ways to order a Kansas death certificate are:

• The KDHE Office of Vital Statistics, by mail or in person in Topeka
• VitalChek, KDHE's contracted vendor, online or at 877-305-8315
• The iKan State of Kansas mobile app

Start from KDHE's Death Certificate page to reach these. KDHE says VitalChek is the only way to order on the internet, so other websites offering Kansas death certificates are not official sources. Any site still showing a $15 fee is out of date; the state fee has been $20 per copy since July 1, 2022.