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A certified copy of a vital record (birth, death,
marriage, or divorce certificate) is issued only to an applicant who
has a direct and tangible interest in the record. The following persons
are considered to have such an interest:
- the registrant (the person whom the record is concerned with);
- the registrant’s spouse;
- the registrant’s parent(s);
- a descendant of the registrant (e.g., a child or grandchild);
- a person having a common ancestor with the registrant (e.g., a
sibling, grandparent, aunt/uncle, or cousin);
- a legal guardian of the registrant;
- a person or agency acting on behalf of the registrant;
- a personal representative of the registrant’s estate;
- a person whose right to obtain a copy of the record is established
by an order of a court of competent jurisdiction;
- adoptive parents who have filed a petition for adoption and need to
determine the death of one or more of the prospective adopted
child’s natural or legal parents;
- a person who needs to determine the marital status of a former
spouse in order to determine the payment of alimony;
- a person who needs to determine the death of a nonrelated co-owner
of property purchased under a joint tenancy agreement; and
- a person who needs a death certificate for the determination of
payments under a credit insurance policy.
If you are not able to establish a direct and
tangible interest in the record, you are ineligible and will not be
issued a certified copy of the record.
Upon request, a letter of verification attesting to
the existence of a requested record on file with the Department of
Health may be issued. Instructions for applying for letters of
verification are included in the next section and immediately follow
the set of instructions on applying for certified copies. The same
eligibility requirements apply for both ceritified copies and
verification letters.
A search of the records on file with the Department
of Health will only be conducted to process an application requesting
either a certified copy or a letter of verification. If the search
establishes that the requested record is not on file, you will be
notified that no record has been found. No searches of the records on
file with the Department of Health will be conducted prior to or
outside of the receipt of an application and payment of fees.
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