Order a Missouri (MO) Death Certificate Copy

How To Get A Missouri Death Certificate

To request a death certificate copy online in Missouri, you must: Complete the online application form. Make a photocopy of your photo ID. Prepare payment for the state fee and processing.

To prove your identity, include a copy of your driver’s license or State ID issued by Missouri or any other U.S. state, jurisdiction, or territory. Passports are also accepted as valid ID. Once your application is ready, bring it to a vital records office in person, or send it by mail to:

Missouri Department of Health & Senior Services
Bureau of Vital Records
930 Wildwood Drive
Jefferson City, MO 65109

Who Can Request a Missouri Death Certificate

Missouri death records are restricted by state laws. Only people who can show a direct and tangible interest in the record can get certified copies. This includes:

• Spouse, parent, or step-parent

• Child, stepchild, sibling, or half-sibling

• Grandparent, great-grandparent, grandchild, or great-grandchild

• Legal representative, Power of Attorney, or estate executor

• Someone with a direct financial interest or from a government office managing the estate

This restriction applies to both long and short form certificates. All applications need to be notarized.

Other people may also be eligible to request a person’s MO death certificate, for example, an ex-spouse, as long as they have a reasonable legal interest in acquiring the document. This could include a personal or property right connected to the death record.

All applicants must identify at least one parent named on the record (the mother or father of the deceased person). This requirement does not apply to death records more than 50 years old, which are treated as public record.

Types Of Missouri Death Certificate

Missouri offers short form and long form death certificate copies through the state Bureau of Vital Records. The same privacy rules apply to both types of records, so you must be eligible to order a copy.

The table below shows the differences between MO long and short form death records:

Both long and short form death records issued in Missouri are usually accepted for legal and official processes. If you’re applying for copies for a specific reason, check the type of document that’s required.

Many local vital records offices can issue short form death certificates for 1980 to present. Long form certificates are only available online and in person by appointment in Jefferson City.

Missouri Death Certificate Cost

The Missouri state fee for a certified death certificate includes a search of up to 5 years of records and one certified copy if the record is found.

• $13 for the first certified copy

• $11.00 for each additional copy ordered at the same time

You can apply for free if you qualify under the U.S. Armed Forces fee waiver. In all other cases, payment must accompany the request in the form of a check or money order. Make the amount payable to "Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services".

Missouri Death Certificate Processing Times

Mail-in requests to the Missouri Bureau of Vital Records typically take about 2-4 weeks, depending on the volume of orders.

Missouri does not offer a rush service for mail orders. If you need a copy urgently, call your nearest vital records office to ask for their current wait time. It’s not necessary to go to the county clerk’s office where the death was registered, as all records are held statewide.