Request Death and Fetal Death Certificates

The Division of Vital Records' lobby is open to service all customers by appointment only.

Certificates may also be ordered by mail (see below) or at some local health departments. Please click here to get more information on the location closest to you.

The Division of Vital Records (DVR) of the Maryland Department of Health (MDH) issues certified copies of death certificates for individuals who died in Maryland in 2012 or later. For copies of records for deaths that occurred prior to 2012, contact the Maryland State Archives. If a record cannot be located, the certificate fee is not refunded and a Certification of Record Search will be provided.

The Following Persons May Apply:

Surviving relative or authorized representative of the deceased
Funeral director who was in charge of the final disposition of the body of the deceased. Funeral directors can click here for information on online ordering.

Click below to learn more about:

Order Certificate

To Order Online:

To order online, visit www.vitalchek.com.

For your convenience, you can process online requests through an independent company that we have partnered with to provide you this service, VitalChek Network, Inc. An additional fee is charged by VitalChek for using this service, and all major credit cards are accepted, including American Express®, Discover®, MasterCard® or Visa®.

Neither our office nor VitalChek have control over the services and fees other Internet vendors offer and charge, nor can we guarantee the confidentiality of any vital record data provided to vendors other than VitalChek.

To Order by Mail:

Download an application for a copy of a Death Certificate:

Death Certificate (PDF) (requires Adobe Reader - free download)

Descargue el formulario bilingüe (Inglés / Español) (necesita Adobe Reader - descárgelo gratis)

Fetal death certificate (PDF) (requires Adobe Reader - free download)

Please mail the application, photocopies of required identification, entitlement documentation, fee (check or money order only, made payable to the Division of Vital Records), and a self-addressed, stamped envelope to the Division of Vital Records, P.O. Box 68760, Baltimore, MD 21215-0036. (Note that expedited shipping is not available when ordering by mail.)

Funeral facilities may continue to request certificates via the funeral facility portal or by mail.