New Jersey Death Certificate

Qualifications

The following people may request death certificates from the state of New Jersey:

• Parent
• Legal guardian or legal representative
• Spouse, civil union partner, or domestic partner
• Child
• Grandchild
• Sibling
• A state or federal agency for official purposes
• Pursuant to a court order
• A bank, title or insurance company requesting a copy of a death certificate for official business

Applicants must provide proof of relationship to the deceased. Applications filed in person will require the applicant to provide the original documents of proof, and applications filed by mail will require the applicant to provide copies of the documents of proof. Documents of proof may take the following forms:

• If you are requesting your parent or sibling’s vital record, you must provide a copy of your birth certificate.
• If you are requesting your grandparent’s vital record, you must establish that you are the person’s grandchild by providing proof that links the name on your ID to the name of the grandparent. (For example, if you changed your last name after marriage/civil union and want a grandparent’s vital record, you must provide your marriage/civil union certificate to show your name at birth, provide your birth certificate to identify your parent, and provide the parent’s birth certificate to identify the grandparent.)
• If you are an attorney who is executor of an estate, you must supply proof of appointment as the executor.
• If you are an attorney who is the legal representative of the executor of an estate, you must supply proof of legal retainer by the executor and proof of the appointment of the individual as the executor.
• If you are an attorney who is the legal representative of an individual that is eligible to receive a certified copy of a vital record, you must supply proof of legal retainer by the eligible individual and their proof of relationship.
• If you are an attorney who needs a certified copy of a vital record and you are not the legal representative of an eligible person, you must obtain a court order directing the State Registrar to issue a certified copy of the record. A subpoena is not sufficient to issue a copy of a vital record.
• If you are not a person qualified to get a certified copy of a record but you are helping a person receive a certified copy of a vital record they are eligible to receive, you must show your valid ID and a notarized, written release authorizing you to get the record on that person’s behalf, or you can supply a written release from the person you are helping along with a copy of that person’s valid photo ID.

Cost

The fee to search for a death certificate from the State Bureau of Vital Statistics and Registration is $25.00, which includes one certified copy of the death certificate or a No Record Statement. For each additional copy of the certificate ordered at the same time, the fee is $2.00. Checks or money orders should be made payable to "Treasurer, State of New Jersey." Cash is not accepted. Fees are not refundable.

If the request will be filed with the municipality in which the death occurred, checks or money orders should be made payable to the municipality. Fees may vary based on municipality, so contact the municipality for information on their fees. For a list of municipal New Jersey Vital Statistics Registrars, click here.

Required Information

• Your name
• Your relationship to the deceased
• Proof of your relationship to the deceased
• Reason for request
• Your mailing address (must match address on ID)
• Your phone number
• Name of the deceased
• Social security number
• Number of copies you're requesting
• Date of death
• Place of death
• Mother's name
• Father's name
• Photocopy of current, government-issued photo ID

Submitting Your Request

By Mail:
Send the completed application and the appropriate fee to:

New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services
Vital Statistics and Registration
P.O. Box 370
Trenton, NJ 08625-0370

You may also send your request to the municipality in which the death occurred. For a list of municipal New Jersey Vital Statistics Registrars, click here.

In Person:
You may apply in person at the Bureau of Vital Statistics and Registration, located at:

140 East Front Street
Trenton, NJ 08608

The office is open from 8:30 am until 4:00 pm, Monday through Friday, excluding State holidays. For same-day service you must submit your application by 3:30 pm.

Download the Application

Click here to download the application for a certified New Jersey death certificate.

See our complete list of resources for New Jersey.