Death Certificates

A death certificate is a record of the death of a person. Information in this record:

• Includes circumstances and cause of death.
• Serves several important legal and statistical uses. By law, a death certificate serves as the State's legal record and is prima facie evidence in all courts.

The Office of Vital Records and Statistics (OVRS) provides death certificates from 1993 to present. There are two types of death certificates:

1. Authorized Certified Copy – only provided to Authorized Individuals. You must have a notarized Sworn Statement.
2. Informational Certified Copy – provided to all other individuals. You do not need a Sworn Statement.

A certified copy of a death certificate costs $24.00.

• This fee is set by the State.
• The cost for finding a record is NOT refundable if the record is not found.

See below, or click the following links, to learn more:

You cannot get a birth certificate by email. Call the office at (619) 692-5733 if you have questions. English, Spanish, and Tagalog are spoken.

Request a Death Certificate

In-Person

1. OVRS is open Monday through Friday 9:00 am – 5:00 pm.

2. Have these ready:

• Decedent’s (person who died) full name,
• Decedent’s date of death,
• Decedent’s place of death, and
• A valid government issued picture ID.

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3. Complete payment of $24.00 per copy. There are two ways to pay:

• Debit card, credit card, tap to pay; or
• Check, or money order, payable to County of San Diego.

Online

VitalChek is a third-party website that processes requests online for the Office of Vital Records and Statistics.

2. Go to "Order Certificate", then choose "Death Certificates."

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3. Fill out the online application.

4. Complete payment with credit card, debit card or electronic check.

• Certificate fee is $24.00 per copy.
• VitalChek processing fee is $12.95.
• Shipping fee is no cost for regular mail, or $19.00 for Express UPS.

For more information, visit VitalChek online , or call 1-877-459-1061.