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The End of Life Plannerby Valoren

General information · not a substitute for the advice of an attorney.

Free · general informationDistrict of Columbia

Death certificates in the District of Columbia

What a certified copy of the death certificate costs in the District of Columbia and how one is ordered, in the official words. No figure on this page is ours; each is the office’s or the statute’s, with the date it was checked.

  • Every fact dated, in the official words
  • Each state’s own law

Every quotation checked October 24, 2026

The free first-week checklist

Pages taken from the planner, by email: who to phone first, and a blank records sheet.

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Every quotation on this page is the official body’s own words, as they stood on the day we read them. The date is beside each one.

Filing the report of death: who files it, how soon, and the medical certification

The funeral director who first assumes custody of a dead body shall electronically submit a report of death to the Registrar within 5 days after date of death and before the final disposition of the body.

Within 48 hours after death, the physician in charge of a patient's care for the condition which resulted in death shall complete, sign, and return the medical certification portion of the certificate of death to the funeral director

District of Columbia · general information · checked October 24, 2026 · D.C. Code §7-231.12(a), (f)

What a certified copy costs, and the added fee for ordering by mail, phone or online

Standard to all remote ordering services: DC Certificate Fees = $23 (birth) or $18 (death)

Mail = $6.00; Phone = $15.95; Online = $15.95

District of Columbia · general information · checked October 24, 2026 · DC Health, Vital Records Division

Who is entitled to a certified copy, and who else may show a need for one, in the statute’s words

The only applicants entitled to receive a certified copy of a death record are the informant, the decedent's spouse, domestic partner, child, parent, next of kin as specified by probate or other law, sibling, grandparent, grandchild, the individual with rights to control the final disposition of the decedent's body, the decedent's legal guardian immediately prior to death, the decedent's legal representative.

An applicant may also obtain a certified copy of a death record by demonstrating that the record is needed for determining or protecting any individual or property rights.

District of Columbia · general information · checked October 24, 2026 · D.C. Code §7-231.25(e)(3)

Who may not order a copy, the proof of interest, and when death records become public

By law, cousins, nephews/nieces, aunts/uncles, friends, neighbors, and those without a specific interest are NOT allowed to order an individual’s death certificate.

You need proof of tangible interest (that the need for the certificate is related to personal or property rights) or legal need (court, insurance, or estate settlement documents).

Death records become public after 75 years.

District of Columbia · general information · checked October 24, 2026 · DC Health, Vital Records Division

The ways to order a death certificate

For your convenience, there are several ways of ordering death certificates: online, by phone, by mail, and in-person via automated kiosks.

District of Columbia · general information · checked October 24, 2026 · DC Health, Vital Records Division

Remote ordering, and same-day walk-up service

DCVRD does not directly provide remote ordering and application processing.

With walk-up services, residents can often retrieve a vital record (such as a birth or death certificate) the same day.

District of Columbia · general information · checked October 24, 2026 · DC Health, Vital Records Division

The same page for other states

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FAQ

Common questions

Standard to all remote ordering services: DC Certificate Fees = $23 (birth) or $18 (death)

Mail = $6.00; Phone = $15.95; Online = $15.95

District of Columbia · general information · checked October 24, 2026 · DC Health, Vital Records Division

The only applicants entitled to receive a certified copy of a death record are the informant, the decedent's spouse, domestic partner, child, parent, next of kin as specified by probate or other law, sibling, grandparent, grandchild, the individual with rights to control the final disposition of the decedent's body, the decedent's legal guardian immediately prior to death, the decedent's legal representative.

An applicant may also obtain a certified copy of a death record by demonstrating that the record is needed for determining or protecting any individual or property rights.

District of Columbia · general information · checked October 24, 2026 · D.C. Code §7-231.25(e)(3)

By law, cousins, nephews/nieces, aunts/uncles, friends, neighbors, and those without a specific interest are NOT allowed to order an individual’s death certificate.

You need proof of tangible interest (that the need for the certificate is related to personal or property rights) or legal need (court, insurance, or estate settlement documents).

Death records become public after 75 years.

District of Columbia · general information · checked October 24, 2026 · DC Health, Vital Records Division

By law, cousins, nephews/nieces, aunts/uncles, friends, neighbors, and those without a specific interest are NOT allowed to order an individual’s death certificate.

You need proof of tangible interest (that the need for the certificate is related to personal or property rights) or legal need (court, insurance, or estate settlement documents).

Death records become public after 75 years.

District of Columbia · general information · checked October 24, 2026 · DC Health, Vital Records Division

For your convenience, there are several ways of ordering death certificates: online, by phone, by mail, and in-person via automated kiosks.

District of Columbia · general information · checked October 24, 2026 · DC Health, Vital Records Division

DCVRD does not directly provide remote ordering and application processing.

With walk-up services, residents can often retrieve a vital record (such as a birth or death certificate) the same day.

District of Columbia · general information · checked October 24, 2026 · DC Health, Vital Records Division

DCVRD does not directly provide remote ordering and application processing.

With walk-up services, residents can often retrieve a vital record (such as a birth or death certificate) the same day.

District of Columbia · general information · checked October 24, 2026 · DC Health, Vital Records Division

The funeral director who first assumes custody of a dead body shall electronically submit a report of death to the Registrar within 5 days after date of death and before the final disposition of the body.

Within 48 hours after death, the physician in charge of a patient's care for the condition which resulted in death shall complete, sign, and return the medical certification portion of the certificate of death to the funeral director

District of Columbia · general information · checked October 24, 2026 · D.C. Code §7-231.12(a), (f)

For anyone who would rather their family found it all in one place than went looking.

A couple. A parent. An adult child and a parent, doing it together. One sitting starts it; keep it current, and tell someone where it is.

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