Ordering From the State Instead
You can also order from the state office. Ordering methods, fees and wait times are on our Texas death certificate guide.
Who Can Order a Certified Copy
For deaths within the past 25 years, Texas limits certified copies to these people:
- Immediate family of the person who died, by blood, marriage or adoption: child, parent, brother or sister, grandparent, or spouse
- The deceased's guardian
- The deceased's legal agent or representative
- A funeral home (listed as a relationship choice on the state's mail application)
- Anyone else who sends legal documentation showing a direct, tangible interest, such as a court order establishing guardianship or an insurance policy naming them as beneficiary
Executors and administrators. Texas rules define a legal representative as an attorney in fact, a funeral director, or anyone designated by affidavit, contract or court order to act for the person who died or their immediate family. A court-appointed executor or administrator generally qualifies. Include your letters testamentary or letters of administration with the request. DSHS does not name executors on its website, so contact DSHS Vital Statistics at 888-963-7111 to confirm what it will accept.
Someone picking up for you. A qualified applicant can send another person to pick up the certificate. That person brings a notarized statement from you, a copy of your ID, and their own ID.
For deaths more than 25 years ago, contact DSHS to confirm the current rules.
What to Bring or Send
- The application. For mail orders to the state, use form VS-142. Immediate family members state their relationship on the application; they do not need a separate document proving it.
- Notarization (mail only). Mail applications for death certificates must be signed in front of a notary. You show the notary your original ID.
- A copy of your ID. By mail, send a photocopy of acceptable ID and never the original. In person, show the original. Bring one ID from the DSHS Group A list. Without one, bring two from Group B, or one from Group B plus two from Group C. See the DSHS acceptable ID list.
- Proof of your interest, if you are not immediate family. For example, a court order, an insurance policy naming you as beneficiary, or, for an executor or administrator, your letters testamentary or letters of administration.
- Payment for the copies you order.
- Online orders verify your identity through an online database.
Certified vs. Informational Copies
Texas offers two products:
- Certified copy of the death certificate. This is the full, official record, and it shows any corrections made to it. Banks, courts and insurers settling an estate generally ask for certified copies.
- Death verification letter. This only confirms that a death record is on file. Anyone can order one by giving the full name, date and place of death, and it costs $20. DSHS says verification letters are not legal substitutes for certified copies.
If you are handling an estate, order certified copies, not verifications.
When Certificates Are Available
Texas law requires the death certificate to be filed with the local registrar within 10 days of the death. The doctor or other medical certifier must complete the medical section within 5 days of receiving the certificate.
The funeral home's role. By law, the person in charge of burial or removal of the body, usually the funeral director, obtains the death certificate, adds the disposition details, signs it and files it electronically. The funeral director gets the personal information from a family member or other informant, and the doctor completes the cause of death.
DSHS does not publish a statewide waiting period before copies can be ordered. The City of Austin says certificates are usually available about 2 weeks after the death. Contact the office you plan to order from to confirm.
Funeral homes can order certified copies, but no official Texas source says whether they routinely order the family's first copies. Contact your funeral home to confirm whether copies are included.
How Many Copies You Need
Banks, insurers and other institutions settling an estate often ask for a certified copy. In Texas, extra copies cost only $3 each when ordered at the same time as the first, so ordering several at once is usually cheaper than going back later. See our guide on how many copies to estimate your number.
Fixing an Error
Only these people can ask DSHS to correct a death certificate:
- The funeral director named on the certificate
- The informant named on the certificate (the person who gave the information to the funeral director)
- The surviving spouse named on the certificate
- The surviving parent named on the certificate
Corrections are made by mail using form VS-172, Correcting a Death Certificate, signed in front of a notary, with a photocopy of your ID, the required supporting documents and payment. The correction fee is $15, plus the fee for any certified copies of the corrected record you order. The documents needed depend on what is being corrected and who is asking.
Processing takes about 25-30 business days, and expedited service is available. You can drop off a correction in person in Austin, but there is no same-day service for death record corrections. See DSHS requirements for changing vital records.
Only Order From Official Sources
Many websites offer to order Texas death certificates for you. Unofficial sites may add their own service fees on top of the official fee.
The official channels are:
- Texas DSHS Vital Statistics, by mail, in person in Austin, or online through Texas.gov, reached from the DSHS Death Records page
- Local vital records offices listed in the DSHS local office directory
If you are not sure a site is official, start from the DSHS page and follow its links.