Death Certificates

A Certified Death Certificate is necessary before anything can be done. A death certificate can be obtained through a Funeral Director.  It is a good idea to obtain multiple copies of a death certificate as most agencies require a certified certificate and not a photocopy.  

Below you will find the Process for obtaining a Death Certificate from the City of Boston:

Please note that a death certificate is filed and certified within the town or city in which your loved one had passed away (ex: One could have lived in Milton, MA but passed away in Brockton, MA. The death certificate for this deceased would be retrieved from City of Brockton, MA).

Step 1: Prepare Your Request

• Complete and print out a death certificate request form.

• Certificates cost $14 per copy. If you are requesting a copy dated before 1870, include an additional $10 research fee. Pay by check or money order payable to the City of Boston.

• Please also include a self-addressed stamped envelope so we can mail the copy back to you.

Step 2: Mail Your Request

Mail your completed form, payment, and self-addressed stamped envelope to the Registry Division listed below.

You will receive the death certificate in about two weeks. If you are looking for a certificate dated before 1870, please allow additional time. 

Pending Death Records

If the final results of a Medical Examiner’s autopsy haven’t been determined, the death record is considered pending. Some insurance and banking companies won’t accept a death certificate if it is still pending. If you mail your request, you can check a box on the form to let us know that you don’t want a certificate while the death is pending.

Online Registration

The Registry of Vital Records (RVRS) preserves Massachusetts vital records for documentation and research. You can request certified copies of birth, death, marriage, and divorce records that are open to the public.

Please feel free to use this online site to order a certified Death Certificate: https://www.vitalrecordsonline.com/death/apply

You will need the following information to complete the request or the application:

Information about the decedent

1. Do you know the exact date when the death occurred?
2. Year of death
3. Decedent first name?
4. Decedent middle name?
5. Decedent last name?
6. Gender?
7. Has the decedent ever changed his/her name due to a marriage??
8. Date of birth
9. State of death?
10. City of death?

Your Name and Contact Information

1. First name?
2. Middle name?
3. Last name?
4. Email address?
5. Confirm email address?
6. Phone number?

Relationship with the decedent

1. What is your relationship with the person on the certificate?
2. Why are you applying for a death certificate? (Amendment to Vital Record, Estate/ Probate)