How to Get an Illinois Death Certificate (2026)

You get an Illinois death certificate by requesting a certified copy from the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) Division of Vital Records or from the county clerk in the county where the death occurred. Records are not public, so a certified copy goes only to someone with a genealogical, personal, or property right interest, or to a court or government agency that requests one. The first copy costs $19.

How Do You Get a Death Certificate in Illinois?

You get an Illinois death certificate by submitting a completed application and a valid photo ID to the IDPH Division of Vital Records or to the county clerk in the county where the death occurred. Both offices issue certified copies.

The state office handles requests by mail, fax, in person, and online. IDPH has announced that its Springfield Division of Vital Records office at 925 E. Ridgely Avenue closes permanently on September 9, 2026, and that a new office at 110 W. Lawrence Avenue in Springfield opens on September 14, 2026.

IDPH was still publishing 925 E. Ridgely Avenue, Springfield, Illinois 62702-2737 as the mailing address as of early September 2026. Confirm the current address on the IDPH death certificate page before you mail a request or drive to the office.

There are four common ways to request a copy:

• By mail. Mail the completed Application for Search of Death Record Files with a copy of your photo ID and a check or money order payable to IDPH.
• In person. Visit the state Division of Vital Records office in Springfield or your local county clerk during business hours. Check the IDPH page for the current Springfield address first, because the office relocates to 110 W. Lawrence Avenue on September 14, 2026.
• Online. Order through VitalChek, the state-authorized vendor, which adds a handling fee and shipping charge.
• County clerk. Contact the clerk in the county where the death occurred; counties issue local certified copies.

You must include a legible, unexpired government-issued photo ID with every request. Without acceptable ID, the office cannot release a certified copy.

Who Is Eligible to Request an Illinois Death Certificate?

You are eligible to request a certified Illinois death certificate if you have a genealogical, personal, or property right interest in the record. Illinois death records are not public records, so the office limits who may obtain a certified copy.

Under 410 ILCS 535/25(4), the custodian also issues a certified copy on the order of a court of competent jurisdiction, on the written request of a department of the State, a municipal corporation, or the federal government, and on the request of a State's Attorney for a criminal prosecution.

A personal interest generally means a close family relationship, such as a surviving spouse, parent, child, or sibling. A property right interest means you need the record to handle something tangible that is owned, such as a car title, a property deed, or an insurance or estate matter tied to the deceased.

If you do not have a direct family relationship, you must include a letter or document from the office or agency that needs the death certificate. That paperwork shows the lawful interest that supports your request.

Legal representatives, such as an attorney or the administrator of the estate, may also qualify by documenting their authority. A genealogical interest is a qualifying basis on its own, but only for deaths that occurred at least 20 years before the request, and those records are stamped FOR GENEALOGICAL PURPOSES ONLY.

Illinois Death Certificate Cost and Processing Time

An Illinois death certificate costs $19 for the first certified copy and $4 for each additional copy ordered at the same time. Fees are set by the state and are payable by check or money order to IDPH.

Genealogical records, available for deaths that occurred at least 20 years ago, are priced as an index search rather than as a flat copy fee. Under 410 ILCS 535/25, a genealogical search costs $10 per name for a 5-year search, plus $1 for each additional year searched, and if the record is found one uncertified copy is issued at no additional charge. The IDPH fee table lists $2 for each additional genealogical copy.

Online orders through VitalChek add a handling fee and a shipping charge on top of the certificate cost.

Processing time depends on how you order. Standard mail requests to the state office can take roughly 12 weeks. Expedited, overnight, and in-person requests are generally processed in about 5 to 7 business days.

If your need is urgent, send the request by an overnight delivery service with proof of immediate need and a prepaid overnight return envelope. County clerks may process local requests faster than the state office.

Certified vs Informational Copy in Illinois

A certified copy is the official, legally valid version of the Illinois death certificate. It is the document you need for estate settlement, insurance claims, closing financial accounts, transferring property, and most government business.

Illinois does not offer a separate plain informational copy of a recent death record the way some states do. Instead, the alternative to a certified copy is the genealogical copy, an uncertified record available for deaths that occurred at least 20 years ago.

The genealogical copy is intended for family history research, not legal use. It is marked so it cannot serve as proof of death for official purposes.

For any legal or financial matter, request the full certified copy. Order the genealogical copy only when you are researching ancestry and the death is old enough to qualify.

How to Get Additional or Replacement Copies

You get additional or replacement Illinois death certificates by submitting another application to the same office that issued the original. There is no separate replacement process; you simply order more certified copies.

When you order, request all the copies you need at once. The first copy is $19 and each additional copy ordered in the same request is only $4, so ordering together saves money.

If you need replacements later, repeat the application with a new photo ID copy and payment. The county clerk where the death occurred is often the fastest source for additional certified copies.

Keep at least one certified copy in a safe place. Banks, insurers, and courts each may require their own copy, so estates frequently need several.

Disclaimer: This page is general information, not legal advice. Vital records fees, eligibility rules, and processing times change. Always confirm current requirements with the IDPH Division of Vital Records or the county clerk before submitting a request.

Sources

This page draws on 410 ILCS 535/25 and the Illinois Department of Public Health Division of Vital Records death record and fee pages.

Related: Illinois Death Records and Death Records by State.