How to Get a Death Certificate in Mississippi: Forms and Fees

To get a death certificate in Mississippi, submit Application Form 523 to the Bureau of Vital Records at the Mississippi State Department of Health, along with proof of your identity and your relationship to the deceased, and pay $17 for the first certified copy plus $6 for each additional copy ordered at the same time.¹ You can file by mail, in person at the Jackson office, or online through VitalChek. Each route has a different price and different turnaround, and the right choice depends on how quickly you need the copies.

Who Can Request the Record

Mississippi does not release death certificates to the general public. State law limits access to people with a “legitimate and tangible interest” in the record.² The Bureau interprets that as the deceased’s spouse, parent, grandparent, sibling, child, grandchild, guardian, or legal representative.¹ The informant listed on the original death certificate also qualifies.³

Be ready to prove the connection. A birth certificate or marriage license covers family ties. A court order or power of attorney establishes legal authority. Attorneys applying on behalf of a client submit a request on firm letterhead explaining the representation.

What to Gather Before You Apply

Download Form 523, the Application for Certified Mississippi Death Certificate, from the Mississippi State Department of Health website, or pick one up at a local health department.³ You’ll need the deceased’s full legal name, exact date of death, and the county where the death occurred. Including the Social Security number helps staff locate the record faster if the name is common.

You also have to verify your own identity. The state accepts one primary photo ID: a driver’s license, state-issued photo ID, U.S. passport, military ID, tribal ID, employment ID, school or university ID, or an alien registration or permanent resident card.¹ If you don’t have any of those, submit two secondary documents instead. Acceptable secondary items include a Social Security card, a utility bill showing your address, a Medicaid card, a SNAP/EBT card with your address, a work ID, or a Veteran Universal Access ID card.³

Check every field before submitting. Incomplete or illegible applications get sent back, and the waiting period starts over.

How Many Copies to Order

Families routinely underestimate this. Banks, life insurance companies, retirement plan administrators, brokerage firms, and the probate court handling the estate each usually require their own certified copy. Social Security will review a certified copy and return it, but most other institutions keep what you send. Each life insurance policy generally needs a separate certified copy, even multiple policies with the same company.

Five to ten copies is a reasonable starting point for most families. If the deceased owned real property, held several financial accounts, or carried multiple insurance policies, order more. Extras added to your initial order are $6 each. A second order later costs $17 for the first copy, so bulk on the front end saves real money.

Three Ways to Submit

By Mail

Send Form 523, a copy of your photo ID (or two secondary IDs), and payment to:

Vital Records
State Department of Health
P.O. Box 1700
Jackson, MS 39215-1700⁴

Mail requests are processed in 7 to 10 business days after the Bureau receives payment and a complete application.⁵ That timeline can stretch during high-volume periods. Use a secure envelope, since you’re sending copies of personal ID, and write a clear return address.

In Person

The Bureau of Vital Records office in Jackson is open Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.⁵ Staff can review your application and ID at the counter, which eliminates the risk of paperwork being returned for errors. You will not walk out with the certified copy the same day, though. In-person requests still follow the same 7-to-10-business-day processing window, after which the copy is mailed to you.

Online or by Phone Through VitalChek

Mississippi partners with VitalChek, a private vendor, for online and phone orders. Order through the VitalChek website or call the MSDH Vital Records Office at 601-206-8200.⁶ VitalChek accepts American Express, Discover, MasterCard, and Visa, and offers an express shipping option.

Convenience adds cost. VitalChek charges its own service fee on top of the state’s $17. The MSDH site doesn’t publish VitalChek’s exact fees, so expect the total to run noticeably higher than a mail-in order. If price matters more than speed, mail wins.

Fees

The state charges $17 for the first certified copy and $6 for each additional copy in the same order.¹ The $17 is technically a non-refundable search fee, which means you pay it even if the Bureau cannot locate the record.³ Five copies ordered together cost $41. Five copies ordered one at a time cost $85.

Let the Funeral Director Handle It If You Can

In most cases the funeral director has already filed the original death certificate before the family ever needs a copy. The funeral director gathers the deceased’s personal information, obtains cause-of-death certification from the attending physician or medical examiner, and files the completed certificate with the registration office.⁷ Many funeral homes will also order the first batch of certified copies for the family as part of their services. If yours offers this, it is usually the quickest way to get copies in hand, since they are already inside the registration process.

Correcting an Error

Mistakes happen. A misspelled name, a wrong date of birth, or an incorrect cause of death all need to be fixed before the record is used to close accounts. To request a correction, contact the Bureau of Vital Records directly by calling 601-206-8200 or emailing VRInfo@msdh.ms.gov.⁸ Staff will tell you what documentation your specific correction requires. Hold off on ordering multiple certified copies until you’ve confirmed the record is accurate; otherwise you may pay a second time for corrected versions.

If the Certificate Is Going Overseas

A Mississippi death certificate used in another country generally needs an apostille or an authentication certificate on top of the certified copy itself. For Hague Convention countries, the apostille comes from the Mississippi Secretary of State (not the federal government), costs $5 per document, and requires the original certified copy.⁹¹⁰ For non-Hague countries, the Secretary of State authenticates the certificate first, and then you submit it with Form DS-4194 to the U.S. Department of State Office of Authentications.¹¹ One warning: do not have the original death certificate notarized. Notarizing a government-issued vital record can invalidate it for authentication.

1
Mississippi State Department of Health. Death Certificate Application Instructions
2
Justia. Mississippi Code 41-57-2 – Certain Persons Not Entitled to Access to Records
3
Mississippi State Department of Health. Application for Certified Mississippi Death Certificate
4
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Where to Write for Vital Records – Mississippi
5
Mississippi State Department of Health. Questions and Answers About Vital Records
6
Mississippi State Department of Health. Order Birth, Death or Marriage Records Online or by Phone
7
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Funeral Directors Handbook on Death Registration and Fetal Death Reporting
8
Mississippi State Department of Health. Death Certificates
9
Mississippi Secretary of State. Apostilles and Authentications
10
USAGov. Authenticate an Official Document for Use Outside the U.S.
11
U.S. Department of State. Preparing a Document for an Authentication Certificate