How to Get a Death Certificate in California: Copies, Fees, and Filing

To get a death certificate in California, file Form VS 112 with either the California Department of Public Health – Vital Records (CDPH-VR) or the county vital records office where the death occurred, and pay $26 for each certified copy.¹ Whether you receive a copy you can actually use to settle the estate, or one stamped “informational” and useless for legal purposes, depends on your relationship to the deceased and whether you include a notarized sworn statement with the application.

Authorized Copy or Informational Copy

California Health and Safety Code Section 103526 splits requesters into two groups. An authorized certified copy carries full legal weight for closing bank accounts, claiming life insurance, transferring title, and probate. An informational copy looks similar but is stamped “INFORMATIONAL, NOT A VALID DOCUMENT TO ESTABLISH IDENTITY” and is only useful for genealogy or personal records.²

You qualify for an authorized copy if you are:

A close family member: spouse, domestic partner, parent, legal guardian, child, grandparent, grandchild, or sibling of the deceased.
A legal representative, meaning an attorney for the deceased or the estate, a court-appointed representative, or someone empowered by statute to act on behalf of the estate.
A law enforcement officer or government agent conducting official business authorized by law.
A funeral director ordering copies on behalf of one of the family members or legal representatives above.

Anyone outside those categories can still order a copy and will receive the informational version. No sworn statement is required for an informational copy.²

How Many Copies to Order

Order more than you think you need. Every life insurance company, bank, brokerage, pension administrator, and government agency handling the deceased’s affairs will want its own certified copy, and many will not return them. Funeral professionals typically recommend between 8 and 12 certified copies, depending on the size of the estate. If the deceased held multiple bank accounts, retirement plans, or insurance policies, lean toward the higher end. Ordering extra upfront is cheaper and faster than mailing in a second request weeks later.

What the Application Requires

The form is the Application for Certified Copy of Death Record, VS 112, available as a PDF on the CDPH website and at county vital records offices.³ You will fill in:

The deceased’s full legal name
Date of birth and date of death
Place of death (city and county)
Social Security number, if known
Parents’ names, which helps locate the record faster

For an authorized copy, you also need a valid government-issued photo ID such as a driver’s license or passport. Proof of your relationship to the deceased, such as a birth or marriage certificate, may be required.

The step people miss is the notarized sworn statement on page 5 of the VS 112. You sign it under penalty of perjury declaring that you are legally authorized to receive the certified copy, and a notary public must notarize your signature. California caps notary fees at $15 per signature. Law enforcement, government agencies, and funeral directors are exempt from the notary requirement but still must complete and sign the sworn statement.²

If you skip the notarization on an authorized copy request, CDPH-VR will reject the application rather than downgrade it to informational. Get it notarized before you mail.

Where and How to Apply

By Mail to CDPH-VR

Send the completed VS 112, your notarized sworn statement (for authorized copies), a photocopy of your ID, and a check or money order payable to “CDPH-VR” to:

California Department of Public Health
Vital Records – MS 5103
P.O. Box 997410
Sacramento, CA 95899-7410⁴

CDPH-VR has no public counter and does not accept walk-ins.⁵ Mail is the only route to the state office.

In Person at a County Office

You can also request copies from the county recorder or county vital records office where the death was registered. County offices accept walk-ins, and some can issue copies the same day depending on how busy they are. Bring your photo ID and be ready to sign the sworn statement in front of staff if you need an authorized copy. County fees may differ slightly from the state fee.

Online Through VitalChek

CDPH-VR partners with VitalChek, a third-party vendor, for online orders. You fill out a form, upload identification, and pay by credit or debit card. VitalChek adds its own processing fee on top of the $26 state fee, so the total runs higher than a mail-in order. The tradeoff is speed: online orders are typically processed faster than mailing directly to CDPH-VR.

Fees and Processing Times

The state fee is $26 per certified copy, authorized or informational.¹ Mail-in payments must be by check or money order made out to “CDPH-VR.” County offices usually accept cash, debit, and credit cards as well, though some add a small convenience fee for card payments.

CDPH-VR’s average processing time for mail-in requests is 5 to 7 weeks from the date the office receives your application.⁶ That timeline assumes your paperwork is complete. Missing information, a forgotten notarization, or an illegible form pushes it out further. If you need certificates quickly, order in person at the county office or use VitalChek online. Funeral homes can also order on your behalf, though turnaround through that route typically takes a few weeks.

Correcting an Error on the Certificate

A misspelled name, wrong date of birth, or missing detail can create real problems when you try to use the certificate for legal purposes. California handles corrections through an amendment process managed by CDPH-VR.⁷

For personal information such as the deceased’s name or date of birth, you file Form VS 24, Affidavit to Amend a Death Record. Two people must sign, and the form goes to CDPH-VR at the amendments address (MS 5105, same P.O. Box as copy requests). If you file within one year of the death, there is no processing fee for the amendment itself, though you still pay $26 for any new certified copies. After one year, CDPH-VR adds a filing fee. Once the amendment is processed, the corrected information is attached to the original certificate, and both documents must stay together for the certified copy to be valid.

Cause of death and other medical details can only be amended by the certifying physician or coroner, not by a family member.

Using a California Death Certificate Abroad

If you need to use the certificate in a country that is party to the 1961 Hague Convention, you will need an apostille from the California Secretary of State, which verifies the signature on the certificate.⁸ The fee is $20 per apostille by mail; in-person requests carry an additional $6 special handling fee for each different official’s signature being authenticated.⁹

One catch trips people up. The Secretary of State can only apostille certificates signed by a county clerk, county recorder, or the State Registrar (CDPH). If your certificate was issued by a local agency and signed by a health officer or local registrar, you may need to have it re-certified by the county clerk or obtain a fresh copy from CDPH before the apostille can be issued.

1
California Department of Public Health. Vital Records Fees
2
California Department of Public Health. Application for Certified Copy of Death Record VS 112
3
California Department of Public Health. Forms – Birth Death Marriage Certificates
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California Department of Public Health. Vital Records Obtaining Certified Copies of Death Records
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California Department of Public Health. Vital Records Frequently Asked Questions
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California Department of Public Health. Vital Records Processing Times
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California Department of Public Health. Amending a California Death or Fetal Death Record
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USAGov. Authenticate an Official Document for Use Outside the U.S.
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California Secretary of State. Apostille Frequently Asked Questions