How to Get a Death Certificate in Virginia

Virginia limits full certified copies to people with a close connection to the person who died. Based on the state's application form, statute and regulation, these people can order:

• Immediate family: mother, father, current spouse, adult child, adult brother or sister, and grandparents
• Grandchildren and great-grandchildren (Code of Virginia 32.1-271)
• The funeral service licensee (funeral home)
• A legal representative with proof. Virginia's regulation (12VAC5-550-470) lists the deceased's attorney, a person with power of attorney for the deceased's affairs, an insurance company that insured the deceased, a government agency acting for the deceased or family, a court-appointed guardian, and a court-appointed administrator

VDH's FAQ page says only immediate family can get full copies, but the statute, regulation and the application form also include the people above. If you are unsure whether you qualify, call VDH at 804-662-6200.

Family members check their relationship on the application and sign it. Legal representatives check "Legal Representative (submit proof)" and include proof of their role. The regulation does not name executors. If you are an executor and not also immediate family, contact VDH to confirm what proof it accepts.

Other relatives and non-family members cannot get a full copy. Someone with a direct and tangible interest can get a Verification of Death instead. After 25 years from the date of death, Virginia death records become public.

Virginia has three kinds of places that issue certified death certificates: local health departments, DMV customer service centers and the state office in Richmond. Local offices are not limited to deaths in their own city or county. They can issue copies for deaths anywhere in Virginia.

Local health departments and DMV (usually fastest)

Local health departments and DMV customer service centers are open for walk-ins during normal business hours, and many give you the certificate the same day. Find one on VDH's walk-in locations map. VDH says vital records are sometimes issued at a different address than the main health department building, so call ahead to confirm services and hours.

• Health departments charge $15 per copy. Payment options vary by office.
• DMV charges $17 per copy ($15 plus a $2 processing fee), even if the record is not found. DMV uses its own form, the Virginia Vital Record Application (DL 82). See DMV's vital records page.
• If a local office or DMV cannot find or print the record, it forwards your request to VDH in Richmond, which mails the certificate later.
• Very recent deaths: one older Virginia Beach Health Department page says that for the first 30 days after a death is filed, copies must come from the city or county where it was filed. VDH's own pages do not say this. Call the local office first if the death was very recent.

State office: VDH Office of Vital Records

The state office holds deaths from 1853 to 1896 and June 1912 to the present. Every certified copy costs $15, and the fee is not refunded if no record is found.

• Online: Apply, pay by card and upload your ID through VDH's online application. VDH pages give different times: three pages say 2 weeks, one says 5 business days. Plan on up to about 2 weeks plus mail time. Certificates go by regular USPS mail without tracking.
• Mail: Send the signed Application for Certification of a Death Record (VS6D), a legible copy of your ID and a check or money order to VDH, Office of Vital Records, P.O. Box 1000, Richmond, VA 23218-1000. VDH pages say 8 business days to 4 weeks after it arrives, plus mail time. Peak season is February through September.
• In person: The customer service lobby is at 8701 Park Central Drive, Suite 100, Richmond, VA 23227, open Monday to Friday, 7:00am to 4:00pm, with no appointment needed. You can also drop off a request and pick it up the same day if it arrives by 2:00pm, or have it mailed. In person, VDH takes check, money order, major credit cards or cash. Closed on state holidays.
• Express (online or phone): VDH partners with VitalChek for delivery in 2 to 5 days. Order at VDH's VitalChek page or call 1-877-572-6333. VDH's VitalChek page says press option 1 to order, while its FAQ says option 2. VitalChek adds its own service fee and optional UPS shipping. Its listed prices predate the July 2026 fee change, so check the current total before you pay.

Questions: VDH Customer Care Center, 804-662-6200, Monday to Friday, 8:00am to 4:30pm.

• The application. At VDH, use form VS6D. At DMV, use form DL 82. Online, you fill out the application on screen and sign electronically.
• Your ID. Everyone must show ID in person or send a legible photocopy. Bring one document from VDH's primary list or two from its secondary list. See VDH's ID requirements for what counts.
• Proof of your role, if you are applying as a legal representative.
• Payment: $15 per copy at VDH and health departments, $17 per copy at DMV. A $50 charge applies to returned checks.

Making a false application for a vital record is a felony under state and federal law.

Virginia offers two certified products on the same application, and both cost $15:

• Certificate of Death: the full death certificate. Only eligible requesters (family, grandchildren and great-grandchildren, the funeral home and legal representatives) can get it.
• Verification of Death: shows only the deceased's name, date of death, place of death, date of birth and the last four digits of the Social Security number. Non-family members with a direct and tangible interest can get it.

Banks, courts and insurers settling an estate usually ask for the full certified death certificate.

Virginia certified copies issued since February 1, 2001 do not have a raised seal. VDH says the paper meets state law, and it offers a letter for agencies that question it.

The funeral home (the licensed funeral director who first takes custody of the body) completes the death certificate. It gathers personal details, usually from the family, gets the cause of death from the doctor, and files the certificate electronically with the state.

By law, the doctor or nurse practitioner must file the cause of death within 24 hours, unless the Medical Examiner investigates. The full certificate must be filed within 3 days after the death and before burial or removal of the body from Virginia (Code of Virginia 32.1-263).

VDH does not give a statewide number of days before you can order. It warns that some certificates have not reached its office when people apply, which can delay a request. Deaths under Medical Examiner investigation can take longer.

The funeral home can also order certified copies. Ask yours whether it will order your first copies. For a veteran, the funeral home can get one free certified copy for service-connected benefits at the surviving spouse's request.

Many banks, insurers and agencies want their own certified copy, and some keep it. Because Virginia charges the same $15 for every copy, there is no savings in ordering extras at once, but ordering a few together saves trips. See our guide on how many copies to estimate your number.

Only the VDH Office of Vital Records in Richmond can change a death certificate. Local health departments and DMV cannot.

The immediate family, the informant, the funeral service licensee or a legal representative can ask for a change. For most errors, send a written request that lists the item to be fixed and the correct information, along with a copy of your ID and the fee. Court-ordered changes need a certified copy of the court order.

On cost, official sources differ. The application form lists a $15 fee for an amendment request. VDH's FAQ says that if you want a copy of the amended certificate, the total is $25. Call 804-662-6200 to confirm the amount before you send payment.

Mail requests to Office of Vital Records, Attn: Special Services Department, P.O. Box 1000, Richmond, VA 23218. VDH says to allow up to 6 weeks for records that need amendments. See the VDH FAQ for details.

Order Virginia death certificates only through official channels:

• Local health departments and DMV customer service centers (walk-in locations)
• The VDH Office of Vital Records, in person, by mail or through its online application
• VitalChek, VDH's contracted express partner, reached through VDH's VitalChek page

Websites that are not run by VDH or its partner may offer to submit the application for you and add their own fees. Watch for look-alike addresses: the official partner is spelled VitalChek, so reach it through VDH's link above rather than a search result.