How to Get a Death Certificate in Mississippi

Mississippi limits certified death certificates to people with a "legitimate and tangible interest" in the record. Under MSDH's application form and rules, that includes:

• The spouse of the deceased
• Parents listed on the death record
• Siblings, grandparents, children or grandchildren of the deceased
• The informant named on the death record
• A legal guardian (guardianship papers required)
• A legal representative of one of the people above, with proof. Attorneys must give their bar number, the name of the person they represent, and that person's relationship to the deceased.
• Anyone with a certified copy of a court order
• The funeral home on record that took possession of the body
• People who need the record to determine or protect a personal or property right, with documents that prove it

Everyone states their relationship on the application and signs a statement of interest. People who are not immediate family must prove a direct and tangible interest. MSDH suggests documents such as joint property deeds, an insurance policy naming both the deceased and the applicant, or relevant court documents.

Executors and administrators: MSDH does not say whether letters testamentary or letters of administration alone are enough. Contact Vital Records at 601-206-8200 to confirm what they will accept.

All certified copies come from MSDH Vital Records. Under MSDH's rules, the State Registrar serves as the local registrar for every county, so there is no county office that issues death certificates. MSDH holds deaths filed in Mississippi from November 1912 to the present.

Online through VitalChek

• Order at VitalChek's Mississippi page, which MSDH links to from its own pages.
• VitalChek adds its own fee to the $17 state fee. MSDH does not publish the amount.
• Pay by American Express, Discover, MasterCard or Visa.
• VitalChek lists 7-10 business days after receipt for regular mail and 3-5 business days for UPS Express, at extra cost.
• If the certificate needs an apostille for use in another country, VitalChek says to order by phone instead.

By phone

• Phone orders also go through VitalChek. MSDH's Death Certificates page says to call the Vital Records office at 601-206-8200; its Q&A lists 1-877-295-4229 for phone orders.
• Credit card only. The VitalChek fee applies.

By mail

• Fill out Form 523, Application for Certified Mississippi Death Certificate.
• Include a copy of your ID, any proof of relationship, and a cashier's check or bank or postal money order payable to Mississippi Vital Records. No personal checks, and do not send cash.
• Mail to: Mississippi Vital Records, P.O. Box 1700, Jackson, MS 39215-1700.
• Processing is generally 7-10 business days after MSDH receives the request, plus mailing time. MSDH asks you to allow 3-4 weeks after mailing before asking about a missing order.

In person

• MSDH Office of Vital Records, 222 Marketridge Drive, Ridgeland, MS 39157 (off Highland Colony Parkway).
• Customer service hours: Monday-Friday, 8:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m. Closed state holidays.
• Pay by cash, money order, cashier's check, or credit or debit card.
• MSDH sources disagree on same-day pickup. The current Form 523 says deaths from 2020 to the present are available the same day and older records are mailed. MSDH's Death Certificates page and Q&A say death certificates ordered in person are mailed within 7-10 business days. Call 601-206-8200 before you go if you need a copy that day.

• The application: Form 523 (revised 02/2026), with your relationship to the deceased and your signed statement of interest.
• One valid photo ID: a state driver's license or state photo ID, employment ID, school or university ID, U.S. military ID, tribal ID, permanent or temporary resident card, or U.S. passport.
• No photo ID? Form 523 accepts two items instead: Social Security card, utility bill showing your address, Medicaid card, SNAP/EBT card showing your address, work ID, or Veteran Universal Access ID card. If you have none of these, call Vital Records at 601-206-8200.
• Proof of relationship or interest: Form 523 says spouses, siblings, grandparents and children must provide proof of relationship. Guardians and legal representatives must always send proof of their status. MSDH's rules say immediate family "may be required" to show proof, so contact the office to confirm what to include.
• Payment: $17 for the first copy and $6 for each extra copy of the same record ordered at the same time.

Applications without proper ID are returned unprocessed. If no record is found, MSDH keeps the $17 search fee and issues a "Not on File" statement; only the fees for extra copies are refunded.

MSDH issues certified copies: long-form certificates with a raised seal. Mississippi does not offer a separate "informational" death certificate to the public.

The only non-certified product is a plain paper copy, issued for genealogy requests on deaths filed more than 50 years ago. For banks, insurance companies, the court and other estate tasks, order certified copies.

The funeral director who first takes custody of the body completes the death certificate, except for the pronouncement and cause-of-death sections, and files it electronically with MSDH. The certificate must be filed within five days after the death.

Under MSDH's current rules (revised October 10, 2025), the hospital or nursing home, funeral director or medical examiner must pass the certificate along for the cause of death within 48 hours. If the cause is waiting on autopsy or lab results, the doctor or medical examiner marks it as pending and signs, and the record is amended later. Copies ordered before then may show the cause as pending.

Once the record is filed, it can be ordered. The funeral home on record can also order certified copies. MSDH does not publish a typical wait between the death and when copies can first be ordered.

Banks, insurers, retirement plans and the court often each want their own certified copy. In Mississippi, extra copies of the same record cost $6 each when ordered at the same time as the first, so ordering several at once usually costs less than going back later. See our guide on how many copies to estimate your number.

Veterans: up to five certified copies are free for an honorably discharged veteran (or a service member who died on active duty) who died in Mississippi, when a recognized Veterans Service Officer requests them in writing.

Check names and dates as soon as you receive copies.

• Death less than one year ago: contact the funeral director who filed the certificate.
• Death more than one year ago: a court order may be required. Contact Vital Records at 601-206-8200 or VRInfo@msdh.ms.gov.
• Cause of death and other medical items: these can be changed only by the doctor or medical examiner who certified them, or the State Medical Examiner.
• Other items: these can be amended on affidavit of the informant and the funeral director.
• Second changes and disputes: a second change to an item that was already amended requires a Mississippi chancery court order. A contested change may require one, at the State Registrar's discretion.

The amendment fee is $28, which includes one certified copy of the corrected record. Extra copies ordered at the same time are $6 each. See MSDH's death certificate instructions for details.

Mississippi death certificates come only from MSDH Vital Records. The official ways to order are:

• MSDH's Death Certificates page, which links to VitalChek for online and phone orders
• Mail to Mississippi Vital Records, P.O. Box 1700, Jackson, MS 39215-1700
• In person at 222 Marketridge Drive, Ridgeland

Some third-party sites charge extra fees to place the same order for you. If a site is not msdh.ms.gov or the VitalChek page MSDH links to, it is not an official channel. Ordering by mail or in person avoids any vendor fee.