How to Get a Death Certificate in Oregon

Oregon restricts death records for 50 years. You must be at least 18 (or an emancipated minor) and be one of the following:

• Spouse or registered domestic partner
• Child, parent, sibling, grandparent or grandchild
• Next of kin, which Oregon defines as spouse, child, parent, sibling, legal guardian, representative of the estate, or representative named in the will
• Legal guardian of the person immediately before death
• Legal representative (an attorney for the person who died or for another eligible person)
• Authorized representative, which includes court-assigned estate administrators, trust administrators, and anyone with notarized permission from an eligible person
• The person in charge of disposition (the person with the right to make funeral arrangements)
• Staff of the funeral home named on the death record
• A government agency acting in its official duties
• Someone with a personal or property right to protect, such as a life insurance beneficiary or joint account holder. People in this group usually get only the short form, unless the right requires the cause of death.

Aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, cousins, stepchildren, ex-spouses and unmarried partners are not eligible on their own. They can qualify with a notarized permission form signed by an eligible person (good for one use within a year of signing) or through a property right. Being the informant on the death record does not by itself make you eligible. See the full rules on the state's eligibility page.

County vital records offices (first six months only). Oregon's county vital records offices are usually the county health department, or the County Clerk in a few counties. A county office can issue a death certificate only if the death happened in that county and within six months of the date of death, and only if the state has authorized that county to sell certified copies. Find addresses and phone numbers on the state's county office list. Hours, payment methods and turnaround are not published by the state, so call the county office first to confirm it sells death certificates. After six months, or for a death in another county, order from the state.

Oregon Vital Records (any Oregon death). The state office is part of the Oregon Health Authority's Center for Health Statistics. General questions: 971-673-1190, Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

• Online: through VitalChek. You take an identity quiz, and if you fail it you must send a copy of your ID. Typically processed within three workdays, plus shipping.
• Phone: VitalChek at 1-888-896-4988, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Same identity quiz and processing time as online.
• Mail: send the order form (45-13B), a copy of your ID, any proof of relationship, and a check or money order payable to "OHA/Vital Records" to Oregon Vital Records, PO Box 14050, Portland, OR 97293-0050. Allow about 3 to 5 weeks from when the order is received, then regular mail delivery. Include a prepaid, pre-addressed envelope for faster shipping.
• Drop box: a sealed envelope with the same contents at 800 NE Oregon Street, Portland, OR 97232, at the entrance by the west door in the parking lot. Collected Monday to Friday. The state posts about 8 to 10 weeks for drop box orders, longer than mail.
• In person, by appointment: Portland State Office Building, 800 NE Oregon Street, Suite 205, Portland, OR 97232. Book an appointment. Appointments are 30 minutes, Monday to Friday, with the last one starting at 3:30 p.m. Pacific. Walk-ins may be seen until 3:00 p.m. as space allows. Closed on government holidays. The order form says you usually get the certificate in 30 to 60 minutes, but orders that need extra searching can take several days, and some full-image records are mailed or ready the next workday.

The state's older "Find us" page lists appointment hours ending at 3:00 p.m. The ordering page and contact page say 3:30 p.m. Call 971-673-1190 to confirm before you go.

Fees at the state office:

• $25 per certified copy. This is the record search fee and includes the first copy if the record is found. Each additional copy is also $25.
• Mail or drop box: no extra state fee.
• In person: a $3 identity fee ($28 for the first copy).
• Online: a $7 expedite fee plus a $15.50 VitalChek fee ($47.50 for the first copy).
• Phone: a $7 expedite fee plus a $17.20 VitalChek fee ($49.20 for the first copy).
• VitalChek orders default to UPS Next Day Air for $20 (someone must sign). You can switch to regular mail when ordering online.

Fees are not refundable. The state's web pages say this applies once the search has started, while form 45-13B says once the search has been completed. Call 971-673-1190 if this matters for your order. If you order several copies and no record is found, the state keeps the first search fee and refunds the extra copies.

Payment: mail and drop box take a check or money order only, no cash. In person takes credit card, debit card, cash or money order. Online and phone take most credit and debit cards, but not government benefit cards. A bounced check can bring a penalty of up to $35.

ID: online, phone and in-person orders start with an identity quiz. For mail and drop box, send a clear copy of one unexpired photo ID, such as a driver's license, state ID, passport, tribal ID, military ID or permanent resident card. Without one, send copies of three documents with your name, at least one showing your current address.

Proof of relationship, for example:

• Child: your birth certificate naming the person who died as your parent.
• Grandchild: your birth certificate and your parent's birth certificate.
• Sibling: your birth certificate showing a shared parent.
• Spouse or parent: usually nothing more if your ID name matches the certificate.
• Executor or estate administrator: a document showing your authority, such as court records or legal documentation. The state does not name one specific court document, so contact Oregon Vital Records to confirm what it will accept. A power of attorney for the person who died is not accepted.

Emergency fee waiver: people who lost a family member or property because of a state or federal emergency declaration can get up to three certified copies with no certificate fee by writing "Emergency Declaration" as the reason for ordering. VitalChek fees still apply.

Oregon issues two kinds of certified death certificate. Both cost $25.

• Short form (without cause of death): for deaths from 1978 to the present. It leaves out the cause, manner and time of death. Oregon says title changes for a car, bank account or property require the short form, and that probate, court proceedings, wills and trusts typically require it.
• Long form (with cause of death): for deaths from 1903 to the present. Oregon says life insurance companies and some financial institutions typically require it, and VA benefits require it.

You can order some of each. The state suggests asking each company or office which one it needs. For use in another country, get a certified copy first and then an apostille from the Oregon Secretary of State.

The funeral home files the report of death through Oregon's electronic vital records system, with the cause of death certified by the doctor, physician associate, nurse practitioner or medical examiner. Oregon law requires the report to be filed within five calendar days after the death and before final disposition. Since January 1, 2026, death records must be completed in the state's electronic system, with limited exceptions.

The state does not publish how soon after a death a certificate can be ordered. If the cause of death is still under investigation, the long form may not be available until the doctor or medical examiner completes it.

Many families get their first copies through the funeral home, since staff of the funeral home named on the record can order. For the first six months, the county office where the death happened may also be able to issue copies. After that, order from the state.

Banks, insurers and agencies may each ask for their own certified copy. Because Oregon offers both a short form and a long form, many families order a few short forms for titles and probate, plus a few long forms for life insurance and VA benefits. See our guide on how many copies to plan your order.

• Personal details (top half, such as a misspelled name or wrong birth date): start with the funeral home named on the record.
• Marital status, spouse's name or informant's name, or if the funeral home cannot help: contact the Amendments Unit at CHS.Amendments@oha.oregon.gov. The phone line, 971-673-1147, takes voicemail only.
• Cause of death or date of death: only the medical certifier on the record or a medical examiner can change these. If a doctor signed it, email CHS.Statistics@oha.oregon.gov. If a medical examiner signed it, call the medical examiner's office at 971-673-8200.

If you are told to file the correction yourself, you send the death order form, a copy of your photo ID, a notarized Affidavit to Correct a Death Record (form 45-27B), and any evidence documents requested.

Fees: no amendment fee within 1 year of the death; $35 after that. New certificates are $25 each. An optional $30 expedite fee gets the amendment done in 3 business days once everything is received (mail or drop box only). Certificates issued within the past year can be exchanged for amended ones for $5 each. In-person help with amendments is not available. Details are on the state's amendment page.

Oregon encourages families to order only from:

• Oregon Vital Records (the Center for Health Statistics), by mail, drop box or in-person appointment
• Your local Oregon county health department or county vital records office (county list)
• VitalChek, the only vendor Oregon Vital Records has an agreement with

Oregon Vital Records says it has no agreement with any vendor except VitalChek. If a site is not one of the official channels above, use an official channel instead.