Maine editionIn your inbox within a minute30-day money-back promise
The End of Life Plannerby Valoren

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

Free · general informationMaine

Death certificates in Maine

What a certified copy of the death certificate costs in Maine 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.

We use your email address to send the checklist and those emails, and for nothing else. We do not sell it. We first send one email asking you to confirm your address. Privacy notice

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 death certificate: who files it, where, and how the deadline is set

The funeral director or other authorized person in charge of the disposition of the dead human body or its removal from the State is responsible for filing the certificate.

Except as authorized by the department, a certificate of each death that occurs in this State must be filed with the State Registrar of Vital Statistics or clerk of the municipality where death occurred within a reasonable period of time, as specified by department rule, after the day on which death occurred and prior to the removal of the body from the State.

Maine · general information · checked October 24, 2026 · 22 M.R.S. §2842

What a certified copy costs, each additional copy, the search fee, and the online vendor’s charge

$15.00 per certificate, $6.00 for each additional copy ordered at the same time.

Vital Chek Processing Charge Per Order $15.50

$15.00 - Fee for record search of files for a time period of 1 year before and 1 year after the stated date of the event and one certified copy of the record if located. This fee is for each search conducted regardless of whether or not the record is located.

Data, Research, and Vital Statistics (DRVS) does not have the authority to waive fees.

Maine · general information · checked October 24, 2026 · Maine CDC, Data, Research and Vital Statistics

Who may order a copy in a closed record state, and what someone not named on the record must show

Maine is a closed record State. This means that vital records are not public records.

Applicants who are not listed on a vital record may obtain a certified copy of the record upon application, identification, the required fee, as well as demonstrate their direct and legitimate interest in the record by providing documentation.

Maine · general information · checked October 24, 2026 · Maine CDC, Data, Research and Vital Statistics

Ordering in person in Augusta, by mail or online: the one online vendor, and how long mail takes

Data, Research, and Vital Statistics (DRVS) is located at 220 Capitol Street in Augusta, Maine. Walk-ins are welcome between the hours of 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Note: The average processing time for applications submitted through the mail is 5-7 business days from the date the application is received by Vital Records.

Applicants may submit an online request through an independent company that DRVS has partnered with to provide an online service; VitalChek.

Data, Research, and Vital Statistics (DRVS) does not endorse any other internet ordering service.

Maine · general information · checked October 24, 2026 · Maine CDC, Data, Research and Vital Statistics

When anyone may obtain a noncertified copy of an older death record

after 25 years from the date of death for death certificates … any person may obtain noncertified copies of these vital records in accordance with the department's rules.

Maine · general information · checked October 24, 2026 · 22 M.R.S. §2706(7)

The same page for other states

A family roasting marshmallows round a backyard fire pit at night
A family on a boat dock in Florida: a grandfather fishing, a girl pointing at a heron
Three generations peeling potatoes at a kitchen table while snow falls outside
FAQ

Common questions

$15.00 per certificate, $6.00 for each additional copy ordered at the same time.

Vital Chek Processing Charge Per Order $15.50

$15.00 - Fee for record search of files for a time period of 1 year before and 1 year after the stated date of the event and one certified copy of the record if located. This fee is for each search conducted regardless of whether or not the record is located.

Data, Research, and Vital Statistics (DRVS) does not have the authority to waive fees.

Maine · general information · checked October 24, 2026 · Maine CDC, Data, Research and Vital Statistics

Maine is a closed record State. This means that vital records are not public records.

Applicants who are not listed on a vital record may obtain a certified copy of the record upon application, identification, the required fee, as well as demonstrate their direct and legitimate interest in the record by providing documentation.

Maine · general information · checked October 24, 2026 · Maine CDC, Data, Research and Vital Statistics

after 25 years from the date of death for death certificates … any person may obtain noncertified copies of these vital records in accordance with the department's rules.

Maine · general information · checked October 24, 2026 · 22 M.R.S. §2706(7)

Data, Research, and Vital Statistics (DRVS) is located at 220 Capitol Street in Augusta, Maine. Walk-ins are welcome between the hours of 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Note: The average processing time for applications submitted through the mail is 5-7 business days from the date the application is received by Vital Records.

Applicants may submit an online request through an independent company that DRVS has partnered with to provide an online service; VitalChek.

Data, Research, and Vital Statistics (DRVS) does not endorse any other internet ordering service.

Maine · general information · checked October 24, 2026 · Maine CDC, Data, Research and Vital Statistics

Data, Research, and Vital Statistics (DRVS) is located at 220 Capitol Street in Augusta, Maine. Walk-ins are welcome between the hours of 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Note: The average processing time for applications submitted through the mail is 5-7 business days from the date the application is received by Vital Records.

Applicants may submit an online request through an independent company that DRVS has partnered with to provide an online service; VitalChek.

Data, Research, and Vital Statistics (DRVS) does not endorse any other internet ordering service.

Maine · general information · checked October 24, 2026 · Maine CDC, Data, Research and Vital Statistics

The funeral director or other authorized person in charge of the disposition of the dead human body or its removal from the State is responsible for filing the certificate.

Except as authorized by the department, a certificate of each death that occurs in this State must be filed with the State Registrar of Vital Statistics or clerk of the municipality where death occurred within a reasonable period of time, as specified by department rule, after the day on which death occurred and prior to the removal of the body from the State.

Maine · general information · checked October 24, 2026 · 22 M.R.S. §2842

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.

A man on the telephone with the planner's pages open on the table