How to Get a Death Certificate in New Jersey

Getting a death certificate is one of the first practical steps after a death in New Jersey, and the details of who issues it and what it costs are specific to New Jersey.

Who issues death certificates in New Jersey?

Certified copies come from the New Jersey Department of Health’s Office of Vital Statistics and Registry in Trenton and the municipal registrars of vital statistics. 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 New Jersey?

The state charges $25 for the initial search and one certified copy (or a no-record statement), and $2 for each additional copy of the same record ordered at the same time. Orders through VitalChek add a processing fee, and optional UPS tracking costs $18. Fees at local registrars vary by municipality, though the local offices checked here also charge $25 and $2.

Who can order a copy in New Jersey?

Certified copies go to eligible people, including the person’s spouse or civil union partner, child, grandchild, or sibling of legal age, a parent, a legal guardian, or a legal representative. A court order, or a bank, title, or insurance company requesting a copy for official business, also qualifies. A parent or sibling must provide their own birth certificate to show the relationship, and someone helping an eligible person needs a notarized release or a written release with that person’s photo ID.

How do I order more copies in New Jersey?

• At a municipal registrar of vital statistics: the local office in the town where the death occurred can issue copies in person. Fees vary by municipality.
• By mail to the state: New Jersey Department of Health, Vital Statistics and Registry, PO Box 370, Trenton, NJ 08625-0370, with the signed application, valid ID, and a check or money order payable to “Treasurer, State of New Jersey.”
• Online: through VitalChek, with a processing fee and optional UPS delivery.

What else should I know before I order?

New Jersey treats death records more than 40 years old as genealogical records, which have different rules.

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 New Jersey 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 New Jersey Office of Vital Statistics or your local registrar before you send payment.