How to Fill Out and Submit the Texas Death Certificate Application (VS-142)

To order a certified Texas death certificate, complete form VS-142 from the Department of State Health Services (DSHS), sign it before a notary, attach a copy of your ID and payment, and mail it to Texas Vital Statistics in Austin. The first certified copy costs $20 and each additional copy ordered at the same time costs $3. The Texas death certificate application (VS-142) can also be filed online, which skips the notary requirement because identity verification happens electronically.

Who Is Allowed to File VS-142

For 25 years after the date of death, Texas limits death certificates to a “properly qualified applicant.” Under the Texas Administrative Code, that means the deceased’s immediate family by blood, marriage, or adoption, along with guardians, legal agents, and legal representatives.¹ Government agencies and other people can qualify by showing a direct, tangible interest, such as a statutory duty or a legal property right.

DSHS treats the following relatives as immediate family: the surviving spouse, a child, parent, sibling, or grandparent.² Grandchildren are specifically excluded. If you fall outside the immediate-family list, attach legal proof of your interest — a guardianship order, an insurance policy naming you as beneficiary, or similar documentation.³

One boundary worth knowing: a death verification letter is a different, simpler document that only confirms a death record is on file. It is not a legal substitute for a certified copy, and many banks, insurers, and courts will reject it.³ Confirm which document the institution wants before you order.

What to Have Ready Before You Start

VS-142 asks for specifics that DSHS uses to distinguish between people with similar names. Missing or wrong entries in these fields cause delays and outright denials.⁴ Have these ready:

Full legal name of the deceased, as it appears on the record
Date of death and date of birth
Sex of the deceased
Social Security number of the deceased
City or town and Texas county where the death occurred
Both parents’ full names, including each parent’s maiden last name (the surname before a first marriage)

How to Fill Out Form VS-142

VS-142 is a PDF on the DSHS website. It must be submitted as an original with an original signature. Photocopies get rejected, and any cross-outs or white-out corrections will also get the application thrown back.⁴

Step 1: Your Information and Shipping

Enter your full name, street address, email, and daytime phone. Select your relationship to the deceased from the options listed (child, spouse, parent, sibling, grandparent, funeral home, or other). If the certificate should be mailed somewhere other than your own address, fill in the alternate recipient’s name and address. Then mark the reason for the request: records, estate, insurance, or other.

Step 2: Information About the Deceased

Fill in the full name of the deceased, date of death, date of birth, sex, Social Security number, place of death (city and Texas county), and both parents’ full names including maiden names. This is the section where guesses backfire; leave a field blank rather than write something you are unsure of.

Step 3: Copies and Fees

Indicate whether you want a death certificate or a death verification, list the number of copies, and total the fees. Check the box for expedited processing if you need faster turnaround. Fees are not refundable if DSHS cannot locate the record.

Step 4: Notary Affidavit

If you are requesting a death certificate, you must sign the form in front of a notary public. Notarization is required for every mail-in certificate request. A Texas notary can charge up to $10 for the acknowledgment.⁵ Death verification requests, by contrast, do not need notarization.

A falsified application is a Texas felony punishable by two to ten years in prison and a fine of up to $10,000.⁴

Identification You Must Attach

Every application, online or mailed, requires a copy of your ID. DSHS groups acceptable IDs into three tiers, and the combination you send depends on what you have.⁶

Option 1: one Group A document. Current U.S. driver’s license, federal or state ID card, military ID, U.S. passport, license to carry a handgun, or pilot’s license. USCIS documents like a permanent resident card or employment authorization card also qualify.
Option 2: two Group B documents. Current student ID, signed Social Security card, DD-214, Medicaid or Medicare card, veterans affairs card, medical insurance card, or a certified U.S. Department of State birth certificate.
Option 3: one Group B plus two Group C documents. Group C includes a recent utility or cell phone bill showing your current address, a paycheck stub, a signed voter registration card, a bank statement, an automobile insurance card, or a lease.

Two traps to avoid. A voter registration card looks like a secondary ID but sits in Group C, so it cannot count as one of your two Group B documents. And expiration downgrades a card: an expired Group A drops to Group B, and an expired Group B drops to Group C.

Where to Send It and What It Costs

Attach the completed VS-142, a copy of your ID, and payment. Make checks or money orders payable to “DSHS – Vital Statistics.” Fees are set by rule and are not refundable if the record cannot be found.⁷

First certified death certificate: $20.00
Each additional copy in the same order: $3.00
Death verification letter: $20.00
Expedited processing: $25.00
Overnight return shipping (FedEx/UPS within the U.S.): $16.00
USPS Express return shipping (P.O. Box only): $22.95

For standard processing, mail everything to:

Texas Vital Statistics
Department of State Health Services
P.O. Box 12040
Austin, TX 78711-2040⁸

Expedited requests have to travel by an overnight carrier (FedEx, Lone Star, or UPS) to the physical address, because the P.O. Box does not accept overnight deliveries:

Texas Vital Statistics
MC 2096
Department of State Health Services
1100 W. 49th Street
Austin, TX 78756⁸

You can pay for overnight return shipping without paying for expedited processing; the order stays in the regular queue but ships back faster. If you do pay for expedited processing, DSHS requires you to also select an expedited return shipping method.⁹

Standard mail-in orders take about 25 to 30 business days.¹⁰ The $25 expedited fee brings the estimate to roughly four weeks, and DSHS prioritizes overnight-mailed expedited applications above all other orders.⁴ If you are settling an estate or filing insurance claims, order extra copies with the first request; each additional copy is only $3, far cheaper and faster than placing a second order later.

Local registrars in the county where the death occurred also accept requests in person and can often issue a certified copy more quickly than a state-level mail order. Call the county clerk’s office for hours and any local requirements.

Filing Online Instead

The fastest way to start an order is the DSHS portal at ovra.txapps.texas.gov. You select the state that issued your driver’s license or ID, indicate your relationship to the deceased, and enter the date of death.¹¹ The system runs digital identity verification and takes payment through a secure gateway. Because verification happens electronically, online orders do not require notarization.

Fixing an Error After the Certificate Is Filed

Corrections use a different form, VS-172, and a narrower list of eligible filers. Only the funeral director named on the certificate, the informant named on the certificate, or the surviving spouse or parent named on the certificate may apply.¹² Siblings, children, and grandparents cannot file a correction even though they can order a copy.

The correction form has to be an original — no photocopies, strike-throughs, or write-overs. Every signer must sign before a notary and attach a photo ID. Supporting documentation such as certified court records or a marriage certificate may be required depending on the field being changed. If a field has already been amended once, a court order is required to change it again.

The correction fee is $15. A certified corrected certificate costs the same as any other: $20 for the first copy and $3 for each additional. Standard mail corrections go to P.O. Box 12040 and take about six to eight weeks.¹³ Expedited correction processing is $25, must go by overnight mail to 1100 W. 49th Street, and takes an estimated 20 to 25 business days.¹²

1
Legal Information Institute. 25 Texas Administrative Code 181.1 – Definitions
2
Texas.gov. Death Info
3
Texas Department of State Health Services. Death Record FAQs
4
Texas Department of State Health Services. Mail Application for Death Record
5
Texas Secretary of State. Notary Public Educational Information
6
Texas Department of State Health Services. Acceptable Identification (ID)
7
Legal Information Institute. 25 Texas Administrative Code 181.22 – Fees Charged for Vital Records Services
8
Texas Department of State Health Services. Vital Statistics Mailing Addresses
9
Texas Department of State Health Services. Costs and Fees
10
Texas Department of State Health Services. Processing Times
11
Texas.gov. Order a Death Certificate
12
Texas Department of State Health Services. Correcting a Death Certificate
13
Texas Department of State Health Services. Correcting a Death Certificate