Frequently Asked Questions

We are a professional document preparation service. We identify the correct vital records office for your state and county, prepare the required application documents, advance the official government fees, submit the application, and deliver the certified copies to you. You fill out one form on our site; we handle everything from there.

No. We are an independent professional document preparation service. We are not affiliated with any federal, state, or local government agency. The certified copies you receive are issued by the government vital records office - we simply manage the process on your behalf. You can always contact the vital records office directly, but our service handles all the complexity and paperwork.

Most states restrict access to immediate family members (spouse, parent, child, sibling, grandparent), legal representatives of the estate, attorneys, and funeral directors. As an authorized service acting on your behalf, we submit the request with your name and relationship to the deceased. You may be asked to provide identification documentation for certain states.

Vital records are restricted documents. You must have a qualified relationship to the deceased (family member, legal representative, or documented legal need). If you have a legal need but are not a family member, please contact us at [email protected] to discuss your specific situation.

After placing your order, you will receive a confirmation email with your order ID. You can reference this ID if you need to contact us for a status update. The vital records office processes requests in the order received. There is typically no way to check status directly with the government office for individual mail requests.

Our service fee is $45 per certified copy. This includes all official state government filing fees, preparation, submission, and delivery. There are no additional charges unless you select expedited processing (+$25 flat fee).

Payment is collected when you submit your order form. We accept major credit cards and debit cards. We advance the official government fees on your behalf immediately so your request can be submitted promptly.

If we cannot fulfill your order for any reason within our control, we issue a full refund. Refund requests must be made before your application is submitted to the vital records office, as official government fees are non-refundable once paid. Contact [email protected] for refund requests.

Yes. Our flat $45 fee covers everything including the government's per-copy fee (which ranges from $6 to $34 depending on state).

Standard processing takes 3-4 weeks from order submission. Processing times vary by state - some states process in 2-3 weeks, while others (California, New York, Illinois) may take 6-10 weeks. Expedited service reduces this to approximately 1-2 weeks where available.

Certified copies are mailed to your delivery address via USPS. You will receive a shipping notification with tracking information when your certificates are on the way.

Yes. We can ship to any valid U.S. mailing address including P.O. Boxes.

In the rare event that certified copies are lost in transit, contact us immediately. We will work with you to obtain replacement copies from the vital records office. Additional government fees may apply for replacements.

A certified death certificate is an official copy issued by the government vital records office, bearing the official state registrar's seal (raised or ink stamp) and a registrar's signature. This is legally distinct from a photocopy or uncertified copy. Most legal, financial, and insurance institutions require certified copies only.

Yes. The certified copies you receive are issued directly by the government vital records office and are identical to those you would receive if you submitted the request yourself. We are simply the intermediary that manages the process.

Most estates require 10-15 certified copies. Each bank, insurance company, pension administrator, and government agency typically requires its own original certified copy. We recommend ordering at least 12 copies to avoid a second order later. Ordering extra copies now is significantly less expensive than placing a second order.

Most states maintain records for deaths occurring from the late 1800s or early 1900s onward. Very old records may only be available through local county offices or state archives. We can handle requests for deaths that occurred years or decades ago.

All data is transmitted via 256-bit SSL encryption. We do not sell or share personal information with third parties beyond what is necessary to fulfill your order (i.e., submitting to the vital records office). Our full privacy policy is available at /privacy/.

We store only the information necessary to process your order and provide customer service. We do not store full credit card numbers (handled by our payment processor). Personal information is retained for 7 years for record-keeping purposes and then securely deleted.