Missouri Death Certificate PDF: Application, Fees, and Corrections

The Missouri death certificate application is a free PDF from the Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS). Fill it out, attach a copy of your photo ID, and submit it with payment by mail to the Bureau of Vital Records, in person at a local county or city health department, or online through VitalChek. A certified copy costs $14 for the first copy and $11 for each additional copy ordered at the same time.¹

Who Can Request the Record

Missouri only issues certified death certificates to people with a “direct and tangible interest” in the record, a limit set by RSMo 193.255.² Death records have broader eligibility than birth records. Under 19 CSR 10-10.090, all family members, genealogists representing a family member, and professionally recognized genealogists can receive copies. “Immediate family” covers relatives and in-laws in the direct line of descent, up to but not including cousins. Attorneys, funeral directors, and other authorized agents also qualify, though a non-family agent needs a signed authorization from a family member.³

If you fall outside those categories, you can still qualify by showing the record is needed to determine or protect a personal or property right. Insurance companies processing a claim and creditors settling estate obligations typically fit here. Expect the registrar to ask for documentation if your relationship or legal need isn’t obvious on the face of the application.

Short Form or Long Form

The application asks which version you want. The short form lists basic identifying information: name, date of death, and place of death. The long form includes everything on the short form plus the cause of death and contributing medical conditions.⁴

Most transactions accept the short form. Life insurance companies almost always require the long form because they need cause-of-death information to process a claim. Probate courts and attorneys handling contested estates sometimes want it too. Both versions cost the same, so decide before you submit.

What the Application Asks For

Download the PDF from the DHSS vital records page. The form requests the following about the deceased:¹

Full legal name as it appears on the original certificate
Date of death
Date of birth
Sex
Place of death (city, county, state)
Full name of spouse
Parent names, including last names before first marriage

You’ll also give your own contact information, your relationship to the deceased, and the reason you need the certificate (probate, insurance claim, Social Security, and so on). The form includes a declaration under penalty of perjury that you’re eligible to receive the record. Legal representatives should indicate that role and may need to attach supporting documentation such as letters of administration or a power of attorney.

Every application requires a copy of your valid government-issued photo ID, like a driver’s license or passport. For mail-in requests, the application must also be notarized, and you need to include a self-addressed stamped return envelope.¹ Missing any of these pieces will delay processing or get the packet returned.

How to Submit It

By Mail

Send the notarized application, ID copy, self-addressed stamped envelope, and payment to the state office in Jefferson City. The Bureau holds death records from 1910 to the present and can issue both short and long form copies.⁴ The address is:

Bureau of Vital Records
Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services
930 Wildwood Drive
Jefferson City, MO 65109

Pay by check or money order made out to the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services. Processing doesn’t begin until the office receives and verifies the complete packet, so allow several weeks.

In Person at a Local Health Department

County and city health departments across Missouri issue death certificates in person, often the same day. Local offices carry records from 1980 to the present, and only in short form. For a long form, or for a death before 1980, you have to go through the state office.⁴ Bring your photo ID and payment. Fees match the state office. Some local offices accept cash and cards on top of checks and money orders, but payment options vary.

Online Through VitalChek

Missouri partners with VitalChek to accept online orders. You can order through VitalChek from the state office or from several local agencies.⁵ Placing the order takes about five to ten minutes, and VitalChek accepts credit and debit cards. You’ll pay VitalChek’s processing fee on top of the state fee, plus shipping, so the total runs noticeably higher than ordering directly from the state.

Fees and How Long It Takes

The state charges $14 for the first certified copy and $11 for each additional copy ordered at the same time.¹ Ordering several at once is worth thinking about. Banks, insurance companies, probate courts, and government agencies each tend to want their own copy, and the discounted rate on additional copies beats coming back later.

In-person requests at local health departments typically produce a certificate the same day. Mail-in processing depends on volume, but plan for at least a couple of weeks after your packet arrives. VitalChek adds its own processing time before the state’s portion even starts. If you need the certificate quickly, walking into a local health department is almost always the fastest route.

Older Death Records

The state Bureau holds records back to 1910. Local health departments only have records from 1980 forward. For deaths more than 50 years ago, the Missouri Secretary of State’s Digital Heritage website offers a searchable database of historical death certificates.⁴ Those older records are useful for genealogy but generally aren’t accepted as legal documents for estate settlement or other official purposes.

Fixing an Error on a Certificate

Mistakes on a death certificate are common, since the original information often gets provided during a difficult time. Missouri allows corrections through a notarized affidavit for most items on the record. Who can file depends on what needs to change.⁶

The informant who originally provided the information, or the funeral director, can correct items like the decedent’s name, sex, date of death, Social Security number, marital status, occupation, residence, and parent names by submitting a notarized affidavit with supporting documentation. Correcting a last name or date of birth needs at least one supporting document beyond an insurance policy that shows the correct information.

Medical information, including cause of death, can only be corrected by the medical certifier, coroner, or medical examiner who originally certified it. Family members cannot change medical fields on their own, regardless of disagreement with what was recorded. For major deficiencies, the state requires a court order rather than a simple affidavit.⁶

Using the Certificate Abroad

If the certificate will be used in another country, it usually needs an apostille or certificate of authentication from the Missouri Secretary of State. The fee is $10 per document.⁷ Start with a certified copy from the Bureau of Vital Records, then send that copy with a cover letter and payment to the Secretary of State’s office at 600 West Main, Room 322, Jefferson City, MO 65101. Countries in the Hague Apostille Convention accept the apostille directly. For countries outside it, additional authentication from the U.S. Department of State may be needed after the Missouri step.

1
Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services. Application for Missouri Vital Record – Birth/Death
2
Missouri Revisor of Statutes. Missouri Code 193.255 – Certified Copies of Vital Records, Issuance
3
Legal Information Institute. Missouri Code 19 CSR 10-10.090 – Access to Vital Records
4
Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services. Order a Copy of a Vital Record
5
VitalChek. Missouri (MO) Vital Records
6
Legal Information Institute. Missouri Code 19 CSR 10-10.110 – Amending or Correcting Vital Records
7
Missouri Secretary of State. Certification, Authentication, and Apostilles