How to Get a Death Certificate in Delaware
From Everendium · Last reviewed October 15, 2026
This guide covers Delaware. For the general overview, see Getting Death Certificates: How Many You'll Need and Why.
Quick answer
In Delaware, certified death certificates are issued by the Delaware Division of Public Health's Office of Vital Statistics, which has branch offices in each county. Delaware charges a flat $25 for each certificate, with no lower price for additional copies. A portion of each fee goes to the state's distressed cemetery fund, and if the record can't be found the fee is kept for the search.
Getting a death certificate is one of the first practical steps after a death in Delaware, and the details of who issues it and what it costs are specific to Delaware.
Who issues death certificates in Delaware?
Certified copies come from the Delaware Division of Public Health’s Office of Vital Statistics, which has branch offices in each county. In practice, the funeral home usually files the certificate and orders an initial batch of certified copies for you.
How much does a certified copy cost in Delaware?
Delaware charges a flat $25 for each certificate, with no lower price for additional copies. A portion of each fee goes to the state’s distressed cemetery fund, and if the record can’t be found the fee is kept for the search.
Who can order a copy in Delaware?
The application asks you to check your relationship to the person, and a valid photo ID (a driver’s license, state ID, or work ID) is required. The office may ask for additional documentation. Knowingly making a false statement or unlawfully obtaining a death certificate is a felony under 16 Del. C. § 3111.
How do I order more copies in Delaware?
- In person: at one of three offices: Dover (Jesse S. Cooper Building, 417 Federal Street, (302) 744-4549), Newark (Chopin Building, 258 Chapman Road, (302) 283-7130), or Georgetown (Thurman Adams State Service Center, 546 S. Bedford Street, (302) 856-5495).
- Online: through GoCertificates or VitalChek.
- By mail: with the completed application, a copy of your photo ID, and a check or money order payable as the current form directs.
What else should I know before I order?
Because every copy costs the same, there is no savings from ordering them together, so you can order a few now and more later.
What should I do next?
Confirm with the funeral home how many copies it is ordering for you, then decide how many more you need; see how many death certificates you need in Delaware and our general guide to death certificates.
Add this to your Final Day Plan: your Social Security number, birthplace, and parents’ full names - the death certificate application asks for these, and they’re often surprisingly hard for a family to track down under pressure.
Fees and rules change - confirm current details with the Delaware Office of Vital Statistics before you send payment.
Sources
About this review
Everendium Editorial Team · last reviewed October 15, 2026.
Fees, eligibility rules, and ordering options were checked on October 15, 2026 against the state's own published fee information, application forms, and county government pages listed in the sources. Death certificate fees change often, and some official pages were read only as search extracts, so the current fee should be confirmed on the agency's page before paying. Recommended for periodic re-verification. This is general information, not legal advice
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