In the state of New York , the Department of Health does not keep file of and do not issue death certificates. Instead, recorded deaths which took place in any of the five boroughs of New York City (i.e. Kings, Queens, Manhattan , Brooklyn, and Richmond ) are kept in the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene.

What you can get from the New York Department of Health are death certificates of someone who died outside New York City but within the State of New York . Those who can make this request are the parent, child, or spouse of the deceased and those who have legal or other interest in the acquisition of such document.

Applicants must provide either one copy of a valid photo-ID (driver's license, state-issued photo ID, passport, US military issued ID) or one copy each of two documents showing the applicant's name and address (bills, letter from a government agency dated six months ago). Failure to provide any of these documents will be grounds for rejecting the application. For an easier access, fill the form at the top or bottom of this page to perform a preliminary search of our database.

"Looking for Public Death Records in New York?"

"Why not save some time by searching billions of public records? Make things a lot faster by starting your preliminary search at the top or bottom of this page to see if there's a record available for your query."

Mail-in requests are addressed to a specific address, depending upon the order type. If you're requesting with priority handling, send it to:

New York State Department of Health
Vital Records Section
Certification Unit
800 North Pearl Street
Menands , NY 12204

But if you're requesting for regular handling, send it to:

New York State Department of Health
Vital Records Section
Certification Unit
P.O. Box 2602
Albany, NY 12220-2602

Internet applications are handled by filling the form at the top or bottom of this website.

Death certificates cost $30 each, but there will be an additional fee of $15 if applied for with priority handling. The same goes for internet and telephone orders, except that you have to pay by credit card and you pay an additional $7.25 vendor processing fee. If you are using mail-in applications, make sure the check or money order is payable to New York State Department of Health.

Internet or telephone requests take around 5-7 business days after receipt. If you want to get it overnight, you can pay for UPS overnight delivery at the cost of $12. Mail-in requests with priority handling take 2-3 weeks and 6-8 weeks when made on a regular order.

"Looking for Public Death Records in New York?"

"Why not save some time by searching billions of public records? Make things a lot faster by starting your preliminary search at the top or bottom of this page to see if there's a record available for your query."