How to Get a Georgia Death Certificate (2026)

You get a Georgia death certificate from the Georgia Department of Public Health Office of Vital Records. Order online through ROVER, by mail, or at a county vital records office. A certified copy costs $25 (plus an $8 processing fee when you order online through ROVER), and family members or those with a tangible interest may request one.

How Do You Get a Death Certificate in Georgia?

You get a Georgia death certificate from the Georgia Department of Public Health (DPH) Office of Vital Records, which holds death records for deaths in Georgia from January 1919 to the present.

The state office is located at 1680 Phoenix Boulevard, Suite 100, Atlanta, GA 30349. You do not have to visit in person, because Georgia offers several request methods.

There are three main ways to order a Georgia death certificate.

Order Online (ROVER)

The fastest option is to order online through ROVER, the official ordering system operated by the Georgia Technology Authority and the Georgia Department of Public Health.

ROVER lets you request certified copies and pay by card. Once your order is processed, the certificate is mailed directly from the Office of Vital Records.

Order by Mail

To order by mail, complete Form 3912 (Request for Search of Death) and mail it to the Office of Vital Records with payment and a copy of your acceptable identification.

Mail-in requests are handled by the state office only. You must include the county in which the death occurred.

Order in Person at a County Office

Many Georgia counties maintain their own vital records offices and can issue certified death certificates for deaths registered in the state.

Visiting a local county vital records office is often the quickest way to get a copy the same day. Some counties also hold older death records in their files.

Who Is Eligible to Request a Georgia Death Certificate?

A certified Georgia death certificate is limited to people with a direct and tangible interest in the decedent, including primary family members and legal representatives.

Eligible requesters generally include a legal spouse, adult children, parents, adult siblings, grandparents, and grandchildren. Legal representatives acting on behalf of the estate may also qualify.

Members of the public who are not immediate family can still order a record. In that case, you receive a plain paper copy with the Social Security number and cause of death redacted rather than a certified copy.

To prove your identity, you must provide a valid physical government-issued photo ID when you order. Georgia's list of acceptable identification includes a Georgia driver's license or state ID (unexpired or expired less than one year), an unexpired U.S. or foreign passport, an unexpired U.S. military or veteran ID, an unexpired weapons carry license, and a current school or college ID showing an ID number and signature. Electronic or digital forms of identification are not accepted.

Georgia Death Certificate Cost and Processing Time

A certified Georgia death certificate costs $25. Online orders through ROVER add an $8 nonrefundable processing fee. Each additional copy ordered at the same time is $5.

Records are sent by first-class mail unless you request expedited shipping. Expedited FedEx shipping, available for online orders, costs an extra $16 per order.

Processing times for mail-in requests run 8 to 10 weeks at the state office. Ordering in person at a county office or using expedited online shipping is generally faster.

Fees are nonrefundable even if no record is found, so confirm the spelling of the name and the county of death before you submit.

Certified vs Informational Copy in Georgia

A certified copy is an official document with the registrar's seal that is accepted for legal purposes such as settling an estate, claiming life insurance, closing accounts, and Social Security matters.

An informational (plain paper) copy is not certified and has the Social Security number and cause of death redacted. It cannot be used for most legal or financial transactions.

If you have a direct and tangible interest in the decedent, request the certified copy. If you only need the information, the plain copy is available to any member of the public.

For deaths handled through a funeral home, the funeral director often orders the initial certified copies on the family's behalf.

How to Get Additional or Replacement Copies

To get additional or replacement Georgia death certificates, place a new order through ROVER, by mail with Form 3912, or in person at a county vital records office.

Each additional certified copy ordered in the same request is $5, which is cheaper than placing separate orders later. If you expect to need several copies for banks, insurers, and the estate, order them together.

Replacement copies follow the same process as the first request. The same eligibility rules and identification requirements apply each time you order.

There is no separate "replacement" form. A replacement is simply a new certified-copy order for the same record.

Disclaimer: This page provides general information and is not legal advice. Fees, forms, and rules can change. Always verify current requirements with the Georgia Office of Vital Records before ordering.

For the broader rules on open and closed death records in the state, see Georgia Death Records. To compare other states, visit the Death Records by State hub.

Sources

This article is based on the Georgia Department of Public Health Office of Vital Records and Georgia.gov official guidance on ordering death certificates.