Delaware Death Certificate: Who Can Order, Cost, and Denials

To get a Delaware death certificate, order a certified copy from the Delaware Office of Vital Statistics online through VitalChek, by phone, or by mail. The fee is capped at $25 per copy¹, and the office handles deaths recorded in Delaware from 1986 to the present. Only certain people qualify to request a copy, so the fastest path to the document is confirming you’re eligible and gathering your proof before you apply.

Who Can Request a Copy

Delaware treats death certificates as confidential. The State Registrar will issue a certified copy to the deceased person’s spouse, children, parents, or guardian, or to an authorized representative acting for one of those people.² An authorized representative includes attorneys, estate executors, and anyone formally designated to act for an eligible family member.

People outside that circle can still qualify by showing the record is needed to determine or protect a personal or property right, or for genealogical research.² Insurance companies processing a claim and banks holding the deceased’s accounts generally fit here because they have a concrete financial stake. If you don’t fit any of these categories, you’ll need a court order.

How to Order

For deaths from 1986 onward, every request goes through the Office of Vital Statistics.³ You have three ways to submit it:

Online. Delaware partners with VitalChek. You’ll pay the state fee plus a VitalChek processing fee and shipping. This is the fastest option.
By phone. Call the Office of Vital Statistics at (302) 744-4549.⁴
By mail. Send a completed application with payment and supporting documents to the Office of Vital Statistics, Division of Public Health, 417 Federal Street, Dover, DE 19901.⁴

If the death occurred in 1985 or earlier, the Office of Vital Statistics doesn’t have the record. Those certificates are held by the Delaware Public Archives, which you can reach at (302) 744-5000 or through its online contact form.³

Order more copies than you think you need. Each insurer, bank, pension administrator, and government agency involved in the deceased’s affairs will want its own certified copy. Most families find that eight to twelve copies cover everything without a second order.

What to Send With Your Application

Every request needs a valid government-issued photo ID, such as a driver’s license or passport. If the address on your ID doesn’t match your current one, include a recent utility bill or bank statement with your name and address.

You also need to prove your connection to the deceased. A spouse can submit a marriage certificate. A child or parent can include a birth certificate showing the relationship. An estate executor should include letters of administration or letters testamentary issued by the Register of Wills. An attorney acting as an authorized representative should provide a signed letter on firm letterhead identifying the client and the purpose of the request.

The application asks for the deceased’s full legal name, date of death, and place of death. Any mistake in these fields is one of the most common reasons requests stall, so verify them before you submit.

Cost and Processing Time

Delaware law caps the fee at $25 per certified copy, with the exact amount set by the State Board of Health to reflect the office’s actual costs.¹ The same fee applies whether you receive a certified copy, a noncertified copy, or a search that turns up no matching record. Online orders through VitalChek add a processing fee and shipping charge on top of the state fee.

There’s one fee exception. A relative of a veteran can receive one free certified copy of the veteran’s death certificate when the copy is needed to settle the veteran’s affairs. Every additional copy costs the standard fee.¹

Standard mail-in requests typically take two to five weeks. The Office of Vital Statistics doesn’t offer a rush service, so if you’re working against a tight deadline, VitalChek is your fastest option.

Why Requests Get Denied

Inaccurate information on the application is the leading cause of rejection. The office needs the deceased’s full legal name, exact date of death, and place of death to locate the record. A misspelled name or wrong date is enough to trigger a denial, and the office won’t guess at what you meant.

Failing to prove eligibility is the other common problem. If your documents don’t clearly establish your relationship to the deceased, the request won’t be approved. An executor who sends a copy of the will instead of court-issued letters of administration hasn’t shown legal authority. A distant relative who doesn’t explain a direct personal or property interest will be turned away.

Payment errors derail requests too. Sending the wrong amount, using a method the office doesn’t accept, or submitting a check that bounces will stop everything. If you’re ordering by mail, confirm accepted payment methods with the office before sending your application.

Fixing an Error on a Certificate

Errors show up more often than people expect, and Delaware has a formal process for correcting them. For most corrections, the next of kin, the informant listed on the certificate, or the funeral director who originally filed it can submit an amendment request to the Office of Vital Statistics.⁵

A standard amendment requires two things: a sworn affidavit identifying the certificate, the incorrect information, and the correct information; and documentary evidence supporting the change. That evidence must have been created at least five years before your amendment application or within seven years of the date of death.⁵ The State Registrar reviews the evidence independently and can reject the amendment if the documentation seems inadequate.

Cause-of-death amendments work differently. Only the physician or medical examiner who originally certified the cause of death can authorize that change, through a signed statement or approved electronic notification.⁵ If the original physician is unavailable, an associate physician, the chief medical officer of the facility where the death occurred, or a medical examiner taking over the case can step in, provided they have access to the medical history. Family members can’t initiate this type of amendment on their own. If a medical professional won’t cooperate, a court order is the only remaining route.

Using the Certificate Outside the U.S.

If you need to use a Delaware death certificate in another country, foreign authorities will almost always require additional authentication. For countries that are party to the 1961 Hague Convention, you need an apostille. For non-member countries, you need an authentication certificate.⁶

Delaware’s Secretary of State issues both through the Division of Corporations. You can submit your request by mail to 401 Federal Street, Suite 4, Dover, DE 19901, or schedule an in-person appointment by calling (302) 739-3077. The fee is $30 for personal-use documents, and that flat rate covers all documents submitted at the same time, so bundle everything you need authenticated together. Include a note stating the destination country, since that determines whether the office issues an apostille or an authentication certificate. Requests are typically processed the same business day.⁷

1
Justia. Delaware Code Title 16 Section 3132 – Fee for Issuance of Certificates and Searches
2
Delaware General Assembly. Delaware Code Title 16 3110 – Disclosure of Records
3
State of Delaware. Certificates – Guides to Services
4
CDC. Where to Write for Vital Records – Delaware
5
Delaware Regulations. Delaware Administrative Code Title 16 4205 – Vital Statistics
6
USAGov. Authenticate an Official Document for Use Outside the U.S.
7
Delaware Division of Corporations. Submitting Non-Commercial Documents for Apostille or Authentication