How to Get a Death Certificate in New Hampshire

New Hampshire vital records are private. Only people with a "direct and tangible interest" can get a certified copy, and the same rules apply at the state office and at city and town clerks.

People who qualify include:

• Immediate family. State law lists spouse, parents, children, siblings, grandparents, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, step-parents, step-children, aunts, uncles, nieces and nephews
• The person's legal guardian
• A legal representative, meaning an attorney, physician, funeral director or other representative acting with written authorization from the family
• People who need the record to determine or protect a personal or property right, such as an executor or someone settling the estate who is not immediate family
• Members of the news media, when the information is of a public nature
• Genealogists authorized in a notarized written statement by the immediate family

If you are not immediate family, include a letter that describes what record you need, why you need it, and any evidence supporting your claim, plus photo ID. The state registrar or town clerk decides whether the claim is supported. If it is denied, you may appeal.

Very old death records are public, but official sources state the cutoff in different ways (more than 50 years old, before 1961, or before 1948). This does not affect a recent death, which is always restricted. Contact Vital Records at 603-271-4650 if you need an older record.

New Hampshire's local offices are city and town clerks, not counties. Clerks and the state follow the same law and charge the same fees.

1. City or town clerk (local)

All 234 city and town clerks can issue certified death certificates. According to the Town of Hanover's clerk page, any clerk can issue a death record for anywhere in New Hampshire from 1965 to the present, not just deaths in their own town. The state's own pages do not publish that cutoff, so call the clerk to confirm. For deaths before 1965, contact the clerk in the town where the death happened, or the state.

Clerks accept requests in person or by mail. Hours and accepted payment methods vary by town, so call first. Find your clerk's contact information and hours through the Secretary of State's clerk page.

2. State Division of Vital Records Administration (DVRA)

• In person: 9 Ratification Way, Concord, NH 03301 (for GPS, use 71 South Fruit Street). Lobby hours are 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. The office can usually issue the certificate while you wait. The contact page does not list days of the week, so call to confirm before you go.
• By mail: Send the Application for a Certified Copy of a Vital Record (VR201), a legible copy of your photo ID, proof of your mailing address if it is not on your ID, a self-addressed stamped envelope, and a check or money order payable to "Treasurer-State of New Hampshire" to: NH Department of State, Division of Vital Records Administration, Registration / Certification, 9 Ratification Way, Concord, NH 03301-2455. Allow 20 business days from receipt, plus mailing time.
• Phone and email: 603-271-4650 (answered 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.), TDD 1-800-735-2964, or vitalrecords@sos.nh.gov.

3. Outside vendors (online or phone)

The state's FAQ names two third-party vendors for faster service, VitalChek (phone 877-878-8007) and EB2Gov, but says they have no affiliation with the State of New Hampshire and it cannot settle disputes with them. They add their own processing and shipping fees, which the state does not publish. EB2Gov works through local clerks, so the state says to contact the clerk where the record originated.

• The application. Use the state's VR201 form. Town clerks may have their own process, so check with them.
• Photo ID. A driver's license, non-driver ID, passport, green card or other government-issued photo ID. By mail, send a legible photocopy.
• Proof of mailing address, such as a utility bill, lease or car registration, if your address is not on your ID.
• A letter documenting your interest, if you are not immediate family. One practical approach for an executor is to send a copy of the probate court appointment with a short letter explaining the estate purpose, but the state does not publish a document checklist. Contact DVRA at 603-271-4650 or the town clerk to confirm what they need.
• Payment: $15 for the search and first copy, $10 for each extra copy. By mail to the state, use a check or money order payable to "Treasurer-State of New Hampshire". The $15 is charged whether or not a record is found and is not refunded.

No photo ID? Complete form VR206 and send photocopies of two documents in your name from the state's list of acceptable documents, such as a bank statement, pay stub or W-2, utility bill, Social Security card, lease or voter registration card. If none of them shows your current mailing address, also complete the "Assignment of Additional Mailing Address" form. Applications without two acceptable documents are returned.

Making a willful false statement on the application is a Class B felony.

New Hampshire's ordering pages describe certified copies only, issued on safety paper with the official seal. The state's pages do not describe a separate informational copy of a recent death record; contact the office to confirm.

When you order, the application asks which version you want:

• With cause of death and manner of death
• With manner of death only
• Without cause or manner of death

You can also ask to have the Social Security number suppressed. Banks, insurers and courts often want the full version, so check with them before choosing a version without the cause of death.

State law requires the death record to be filed electronically with the state within 36 hours of death and before burial or cremation. The doctor, APRN or physician associate must complete the medical certification (cause of death) within 36 hours, unless the death is referred to the medical examiner.

The funeral home's role: the funeral director (or the next of kin or a designated agent, if no funeral home is used) starts and files the death record. They collect the personal details from a family member or someone else who knows them, get the medical certification, and file everything within 36 hours of receiving the body. A funeral director acting with written authorization from the family can also obtain copies.

Once the record is filed, the state or any city or town clerk can issue certified copies. The state does not publish how many days after death copies are typically ready. If information comes in later, such as a pending cause of death, a supplemental record is filed.

Many banks, insurers, investment firms and government agencies ask for their own certified copy. In New Hampshire, extra copies of the same record cost $10 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 what you need.

Corrections are made through the clerk of the city or town where the death occurred, not the state office directly. Anyone directly interested in the record, usually a family member or the legal representative, can apply.

• Fee: $10 to the city or town clerk, waived if the clerk made the error. A certified copy of the corrected record is an additional $15.
• Form: the "Application for Correcting or Completing a Certificate of Birth, Marriage or Death" (Form VSCr), signed in front of a notary. For minor changes within six months of the death, a different form (VSX) is used. The clerk will pick the right form.
• Evidence: two pieces of documentary evidence, dated as close to the date of death as possible. One may be a notarized affidavit of personal knowledge. Documents are returned after the change is made.

See the state's purchasing and correcting vital records page for details.

The official ways to get a New Hampshire death certificate are:

• Any New Hampshire city or town clerk, in person or by mail
• The state Division of Vital Records Administration in Concord, in person or by mail, using the state application

The state FAQ mentions two outside vendors, VitalChek and EB2Gov, but says they are not affiliated with the State of New Hampshire and add their own fees. Other websites may look official but are not run by the state. To be safe, start from the New Hampshire Vital Records ordering page or call your town clerk.