Florida Death Certificate

Below is the information you'll need in order to obtain a death certificate in Florida, including qualifications, cost, required information, where to submit your application, and a link to the application you'll need to fill out.

Qualifications

For certified death certificates without the cause of death information: Any person of legal age (18) may be issued a certified copy of a death record without the cause of death.

For certified death certificates with the cause of death information: Cause of death for any record over 50 years old may be issued to any applicant. Death records less than 50 years old with the cause of death information included may only be issued to the following people:

Spouse or parent
Child, grandchild or sibling, if of legal age
Any person who provides a will, insurance policy, or other document that demonstrates his or her interest in the estate of the decedent
Any person who provides documentation that he or she is acting on behalf of any of the above named persons

All requests for certification of a death certificate that includes the cause of death information must state the qualifying eligibility, or a notarized Affidavit to Release Cause of Death Information (DH Form 1959).

A funeral director or attorney representing an eligible person must include their professional license number, and the name and relationship of the person they are representing, if requesting cause of death. If not representing someone identified above as eligible to receive cause of death information, then a completed Affidavit to Release Cause of Death Information (DH Form 1959) must accompany this request.

Cost

The fee to search for a death certificate is $5.00, which includes one certified copy of the death certificate or a "Not Found" statement in the event that no death certificate could be found. For each additional copy of the certificate ordered at the same time, the fee is $4.00. When the year of death is not known, there is a $2.00 fee for every year searched, with a maximum fee of $50.00 (regardless of the total number of years to be searched). Rush orders are an additional $10.00 and are only available to applications submitted through the mail. Personal checks or money orders should be made payable to "Vital Statistics." Cash is not accepted. Fees are not refundable, except in the case when no record is found when a refund will be granted upon written request.

Required Information

Name of the deceased
Date of death
State file number (if known)
Sex
Place of death (city or town)
Place of death (county)
Name of surviving spouse
Social security number
Funeral home name
Applicant's name
Relationship to the deceased
Phone number
Mailing address

Submitting Your Request

By Mail:
Send the completed application and the appropriate fee to:
State Office of Vital Statistics
Attn: Client Services
P.O. Box 210
Jacksonville, FL 32231

In Person:
You may apply in person at the State Office of Vital Statistics located at:
1217 N. Pearl Street
Jacksonville, FL 32202

The office is open from 8:00 am until 4:30 pm, Monday through Friday. Orders prepaid before noon may be picked up after 3:30 pm. Orders prepaid after noon may be picked up after 10:00 am the next weekday.