Other Family Issues Article


How to Get a Certified Copy of a Death Certificate

A certified copy of a death certificate can be used to obtain beneficiary death benefits, claim beneficiary insurance proceeds, notify social security, and other legal purposes.

In Arizona only the following people can get a certified copy of a death certificate.

  • Funeral director,
  • Spouse,
  • Parent,
  • Grandparent,
  • Adult Child,
  • Grandchild,
  • Brother or sister,
  • Person designated as Power of Attorney,
  • Person responsible for final disposition,
  • Person names as executor or beneficiary of the deceased’s individual estate,
  • Beneficiary of the deceased’s life insurance policy,
  • Person named in a court order,
  • Person authorized by an eligible person,
  • Insurance company or financial institution,
  • Hospital or healthcare institution,
  • Person with a court order having a claim against the deceased’s individual estate, and
  • Attorney representing a person eligible to receive a certified copy of a death certificate.

    Only persons over 18 may obtain a certified copy of a death certificate.

    To Apply In Person:

    The Arizona Department of Health Services does not provide same day walk in service.  The local county health department Vital Records office may provide same day walk in service.  Here is a link to each Arizona county’s local health department where you can find information about how to obtain a certified copy of a birth certificate from the specific counties - http://azdhs.gov//licensing/vital-records/index.php#fees-home

    To Apply By Mail:

    To apply by mail to the Arizona Department of Health Services for a certified copy of a death certificate, one must submit the following:

  •  A completed Application for Certified Copy of Death Certificate
  •  A copy of the front and back of your valid government-issued picture identification which bears your signature or have your signature notarized.
  •  Proof of eligibility. This means you will have to submit information showing you are a person listed above eligible to get a certified copy of a death certificate eligible to
  •  A self-addressed stamped envelope with your request.
  •  Appropriate fee, according to this fee schedule. Acceptable payment methods are: cashier's checks, money orders, Visa, or MasterCard. PLEASE DO NOT SEND CASH. Cashier's checks and money orders must be for the exact amount and made payable to Office of Vital Records. If you pay by credit/debit card, you must include the full card number and expiration date on your application.


    Mail all this information to: Bureau of Vital Records, PO Box 6018, Phoenix, AZ, 85005.
    You should receive the certified death certificate within 7-10 business days after mailing the request.

    For More Information:

    Here is a link to the Arizona Department of Health Service’s web page explaining how to apply for a death certificate - http://www.azdhs.org/licensing/vital-records/index.php#death-certificates-apply

    Stillborn or fetal death certificate

    The Arizona Department of Health Services also provides copies of a stillborn or fetal death certificate. Like birth and death certificates only certain people may obtain this stillborn or fetal death certificate and there is an application process. 
    Information about getting this stillborn or fetal death certificate is here: http://www.azdhs.org/licensing/vital-records/index.php#death-certificates-who-can-obtain-stillbirth-fetal


    • Comments:

    QUESTIONS

    • How do I as a surviving sibling get my sister to give copies of my parents will? They are both deceased and the property is over $600,000
    • I am going to take my children to San Diego for a couple of days. Do I have to ask their mother/ for permission. We reside in AZ and we have joint legal custody but I am the primary custodian with her visitations only being every other weekend and tuesdays and thursdays 3.30pm-7.30pm. This trip will not interfere with her visitation nor does it say anywhere on the decree about vacations Her visitation schedule does not change during breaks either. It is same all year round. Please advise. Thanks.
    • I have lived with my boyfriend for 2 years. We were evicted from our home for nonpayment and put all of our possessions in storage. We owe a large bill for the storage of our belonings to the moving company. I will be paying the bill and moving into an apartment without my boyfriend. Since I need to take everything out of storage to avoid further bills, can I keep my boyfriend's possessions as well as mine? I don't want to have to pay to store his stuff.
    • My son purchased a home for me. I have lived in it for 16 months. Now he wants me out of the house. Everyone knows the House was given to me. My other son lives with me. When he closed on the Home he put it in an LLC. Not sure if my name is on the LLC or not. I honestly did not think about it at time of closing. It’s a townhome in Scottsdale. I’m on SS and have limited income. My son was diagnosed with mental disorders recently
    • My daughter's father and I have child support and visitation established, the court has left the visitation under our discussion, he and I decided on ones week him and one week for myself. I have enrolled our 4 year old in a preschool and I pay the full amount for our child to attend. Before I enrolled her I asked him if he would be willing to take her and pick her up from school. He agreed and now her wants me to take her out of school because he states it is not convenient for him to drive her back and forth to school, what are my legal rights and can he force me to pull her out of school?
    • I want a divorce, husband doesn't. He is the cause of the divorce. When I talk about it he gets mad, makes accusations and threats. He does not get physically violent, but he has told me things like I cannot leave (or takes my keys or phone so I can't), or I cannot take the kids from the house, or says he will take the kids. He is very possessive and becomes a bully when divorce is brought up. On multiple occasions he has driven off aggressively saying his life is over without me and the kids. I feel like the kids and I need somewhere else to stay while I file to avoid more detriment. Can I?
    • I am going through a child paternity, custody, visitation, and child support case. I left arizona due to a domestic violence situation with my daughters father. I am in need of legal help and have tried yuma community legal services. He has paid for a really good lawyer which I have no money to afford one at all. He keeps doing things that I had no clue you could do and am terrified of losing my daughter to him because of this. He is not interested in the child for the right reasons. And the child would be in danger in his care. I am completly broke, any thing i can do to get legal help?
    • I Am 16 years old and i have a job at bojangles. My parents is in charge of my bank account so they have access to my money at will. When i get into trouble they empty out my bank account without me knowing and sometimes they dont even tell me. Is that legal for them to take my money that i have worked hard for.
    • I have Durable Power of Attorney for my mother who is in a nursing home. Does this obligate me for her debts?
    • my son died 10/22 he's never married and had no children. What form do I need to fill out to assume/satisfy his auto loan. The value is 22,998.00 with 17,200.00 still owing on the finance contract. He owned nothing else of any value. Will a notarized affidavit for collection of all personal property suffice and if so do I need to provide it to the court as well as the finance company? Thank you

    STORIES

    LegalLEARN

    FIND LEGAL HELP

    • Please select your county of residence below.

      County:
       

    OTHER LEGAL RESOURCES

    • State Bar of Arizona
      www.azbar.org
    • Maricopa County Bar
      www.maricopabar.org
      Referral number 602-257-4434
    • Pima County Bar
      www.pimacountybar.org
      Referral number 520-623-4625
    • National Domestic Violence Hotline
      800-799-7233
    • Bankruptcy Court Self Help Center
      866-553-0893
    • Certified Legal Document Preparer Program
      Link

    ORGANIZATIONS

    Documents

    .pdf  Order of Protection Flowchart ReadSpeaker

    .pdf  Divorce/Legal Separation Flowchart ReadSpeaker

    .pdf  Arizona Orden de Proteccion Diagrama de flujo ReadSpeaker

    .pdf  Divorcio y Separacion Legal de Arizona Diagrama de flujo ReadSpeaker

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    LINKS

    Arizona Housing Information

    Arizona Supreme Court Programs Unit

    DES Division of Child Support Enforcement

    Maricopa County Judicial Branch

    Maricopa County Judicial Branch Self-Service Center Online

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