Death Certificates
Agencies will only accept certified copies of death certificates and not photocopies. Copies of certified death certificates can be obtained by local Registrar or the Pennsylvania Department of Vital Statistics.
- Certified copies are $20.00 each and only available locally up until 90 days from the date of death.
- After 90 days the certificate is filed with the state of Pennsylvania and certified copies may take four to six weeks to obtain. Certified copies may be purchased by:
Visiting www.vitalcheck.com or by phone at 866.712.8238 (credit cards are accepted and a credit card fee will be charged).
You may order in person at a Pennsylvania Vital Records branch office in Erie, Harrisburg, New Castle, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh or
Scranton. Delivery ranges from same day to five days based on public office processing time.
You may order by mail: Send application, identification and payment to:
Department of Health
Division of Vital Records
P.O. Box 1528
New Castle, PA 16103
*Applications are available upon request at the funeral home.
Before the business and legal affairs of the estate can be pursued, it will be necessary to obtain death certificates. If a military discharge is provided to the funeral home, a veteran, their spouse, or dependent children are eligible for free death certificates from the state. It is always better to order a few more death certificates than you think you need.
ORGANIZATIONS REQUIRING A LEGAL COPY OF THE DEATH CERTIFICATE.
- Bank accounts
- Certificates of Deposit
- Credit Unions
- Executor/Executrix of the estate to probate the will
- Federal, State and Estate Tax Returns
- Fraternal Organizations Burial Benefits
- Life Insurance Policies
- Motor Vehicle Bureau(MV-39 Notification of Assignment/Correction of vehicle title upon death of owner can be obtained by the funeral home and used in place of a certified death certificate.)
- Preneed Trust
- Pension Plans or IRA Funds
- Sale of jointly owned property
- Stocks, Bonds and Government Bonds
- Union Benefit Plans
- Veteran’s Benefits