How to Get a Death Certificate in New Mexico

New Mexico limits who can order a death certificate for the first 50 years after the death. People who can order include:

• Immediate family: current spouse, mother or father (paternal relatives qualify only if the father is listed on the record), child, sibling, and maternal or paternal grandparent. The state application form and state rules also list grandchild, although the death certificate web page leaves grandchild out.
• A legal representative of the deceased person or the family. State rules say this includes an attorney, executor of the estate, physician, funeral service practitioner, trust officer or other corporate fiduciary.
• Others with a "direct and tangible interest," at the State Registrar's discretion, by providing certified documentary proof of that interest.

People who are not immediate family must provide tangible proof of their legal interest in the record. For an executor, that may mean court papers showing the appointment, but the state does not publish a specific list for death records. Contact the office to confirm what to send.

Death certificates become public records 50 years after the date of death. After that, anyone can request a copy.

Giving false information on the application is a criminal offense.

All New Mexico death certificates come from the state office in Santa Fe. The state says plainly that Public Health Offices do not issue death certificates and that death certificates can only be obtained through the Santa Fe office, so county offices do not issue them either. The state only issues certificates for people who died in New Mexico.

Online or by phone through VitalChek

• VitalChek is the state's authorized expediting service. Order through the state's VitalChek link or by phone at 877-284-0963.
• Processing: 3-5 business days, plus delivery time.
• The state lists a total of $21.00 with regular U.S. Mail delivery or $39.50 with UPS Next Day Air, and notes that additional service and shipping fees apply. The state does not say whether these totals are per order or per copy, so contact the office to confirm.
• Important for executors: VitalChek's New Mexico page says New Mexico Vital Records does not accept third-party orders placed through VitalChek. It does not define "third party." If you are not immediate family, plan to order by mail or in person, or call the Bureau first.

By mail

• Fill out the Death Record Search Application (a Spanish version is also available), or send a letter with the required details.
• Include a photocopy of your government-issued photo ID and a certified check or money order payable to "New Mexico Vital Records" in the exact amount. Do not send cash.
• Mail to: New Mexico Vital Records, Post Office Box 26110, Santa Fe, NM 87502
• Processing: an average of 6-12 weeks, according to the state application form. This can change with volume.

In person (Santa Fe only)

• Bureau of Vital Records & Health Statistics, 2554 Camino Entrada, Santa Fe, NM 87505
• Hours: Monday-Friday, 8:30am-4:00pm
• Bring a current government-issued picture ID and complete a search application.
• The state does not publish an in-person turnaround time or which payment methods are accepted at the counter. Contact the office to confirm.

Questions: call the Santa Fe office at 505-827-0121 or toll-free 1-866-534-0051. The NMDOH Helpline, 1-833-SWNURSE (1-833-796-8773), also answers questions 7:00am-8:00pm weekdays and 10am-4pm weekends. Full details are on the NMDOH death certificate page.

• The application: the Death Record Search Application, or a letter with the required details. The application asks for the name of the mortuary in charge of final arrangements. You must sign it and state the purpose of your request. "Estate/Probate" is one of the listed purposes.
• ID: by mail, a photocopy of your government-issued photo ID. In person, a current government-issued picture ID. The application asks for the ID type, issuing state, ID number and expiration date.
• Proof of legal interest, if you are not immediate family.
• Payment: $5 per certified copy. The $5 is a search fee that includes one certified copy if the record is on file, and it is not refunded if no record is found. By mail, use a certified check or money order payable to "New Mexico Vital Records." The state office does not accept credit cards; card payments go through VitalChek.

A few other rules to know:

• People who are homeless at the time of the request can have all fees waived by signing a form approved by the Bureau.
• Orders with no activity for six months are closed, and fees are not returned.

New Mexico's death certificate page and application describe only certified copies. The $5 fee includes one certified copy of the record. The state does not describe a separate informational or genealogy copy for death records; contact the office to confirm if you need one.

Once 50 years have passed since the date of death, the record becomes public and anyone may request a copy.

By law, a New Mexico death certificate must be filed within five days after the death, and the medical certification must be completed within 48 hours.

Here's how the filing works:

• The funeral home completes the personal (demographic) section of the certificate in the state's electronic system and files the certificate with the Bureau.
• The doctor or other certifier, or the Office of the Medical Investigator (OMI), completes the cause-of-death section electronically.
• If OMI handles the case, it has up to 30 days after receiving medical records or autopsy results to complete the cause and manner of death, and can ask for more time.
• If information is missing, the funeral home files what is available and a follow-up affidavit is due within 30 days.

The state has said that late, incomplete or error-filled filings are delaying finalized death certificates. The state does not publish how soon after a death families can order a copy, or whether funeral homes order copies for families. Ask your funeral home, or contact the office to confirm.

Many families and executors need several certified copies while settling an estate. In New Mexico, extra copies ordered from the state by mail or in person are $5 each, so ordering a few extra at the start can save another 6-12 week wait by mail. See our guide on how many copies to estimate your number.

Under state rules, a change to a death certificate can be requested by the informant (the person who gave the personal information) or by the funeral service practitioner who signed the certificate.

• Cause of death can be changed only by the certifier who signed it or by the Office of the Medical Investigator.
• Date, place and time of death, and manner and cause of death, can only be changed through a medical affidavit signed by the certifier.
• Marital status can be changed at the informant's request with a notarized affidavit and proof, by the funeral home with an affidavit, or by court order.

Obvious minor errors can be corrected at no charge. Corrections that need an affidavit or documents carry a fee that includes one certified copy of the amended record. The state application lists a "Chargeable Amendment" at $10.

The state does not publish a separate amendment form for death certificates on its public pages. Contact New Mexico Vital Records at 505-827-0121 for the process.

The official ways to order a New Mexico death certificate are:

• New Mexico Vital Records in Santa Fe, by mail or in person
• VitalChek, the state's authorized expediting service, through the state's link or at 877-284-0963

Other websites that are not authorized by the state may charge more than the official fees. When in doubt, start from the NMDOH death certificate page.