How to Get a Kansas Death Certificate (2026)

You get a Kansas death certificate from the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) Office of Vital Statistics in Topeka. A certified copy costs $20, which pays for a five-year record search and is retained even if no record is found. Copies go to the person named, a legal representative, anyone with a proven direct interest, and a published list of relatives that runs from parents and a current spouse out to grandparents, siblings, aunts and uncles, and nieces and nephews.

How Do You Get a Death Certificate in Kansas?

You get a Kansas death certificate from the KDHE Office of Vital Statistics, the state agency that holds all Kansas death records filed since July 1, 1911. Kansas is a centralized state, so the state office handles requests rather than individual counties.

There are four main ways to request a certified copy. Each requires payment of the $20 fee and proof that you are an eligible applicant.

Online

The only way to make an internet request is through VitalChek, the credit card service that the KDHE office contracts with. An expedited service fee of $15 applies in addition to the $20 copy fee.

By Phone

You can order by credit card 24 hours a day by calling 877-305-8315. Telephone orders are processed through VitalChek and add the $15 expedited service fee.

By Mail

Mail your completed application, a photocopy of your government-issued photo ID, and a check or money order for $20 (payable to Kansas Vital Statistics) to:

Office of Vital Statistics, Curtis State Office Building, 1000 SW Jackson, Suite 120, Topeka, KS 66612-2221.

In Person

The walk-in Customer Service Lobby is open to the public from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekdays, excluding holidays, at the address above. A mobile option through the IKAN app is also available for a smaller processing fee.

Who Is Eligible to Request a Kansas Death Certificate?

Kansas death records are not public records, so eligibility is restricted. Certified copies are released to the person named on the record, a qualifying family member, a legal representative, or anyone who can prove a direct interest.

The family route is wider than a spouse-and-children reading suggests. KDHE's own application, form VS-236, names the relatives it treats as eligible to obtain most certificates: parents, a current spouse, adult children, grandparents, siblings, aunts and uncles, and nieces and nephews. The requestor must be age 18 or older. If legal guardianship was established through the courts, submit a copy of the guardianship papers with the application. A grandparent, sibling, aunt, uncle, niece, or nephew is on the state's published list and does not have to start by assembling separate proof of a legal interest.

A direct interest means the record is necessary for the determination of personal or property rights, the standard set by K.S.A. 65-2422d. Examples include a named beneficiary or someone who jointly owns property with the deceased.

If you are not named on the record and not on that relative list, you must provide proof of legal representation, proof of your direct interest, or written authorization, along with proper identification. Include a copy of both sides of a current, government-issued photo ID. If you do not have one, KDHE accepts photocopies of any two documents from its alternative list, and each carries conditions:

• A Social Security card signed by the cardholder. The card itself is required, not just the number.
• A bank statement showing the requestor's current address.
• A car registration or title showing the requestor's current address.
• A utility bill showing the requestor's current address, on company letterhead with the company name and address, and not handwritten.
• A current pay stub showing your name, Social Security number, and the name and address of the business, and not handwritten.

Every photocopy must be of the complete document, legible, and in the requestor's own name. KDHE returns a request that does not meet these conditions.

Kansas Death Certificate Cost and Processing Time

A certified copy of a Kansas death certificate costs $20. Under K.A.R. 28-17-6 that fee is a five-year record search fee, so it covers a search of the year indicated plus two years before and two years after, or a consecutive five-year period you specify. Each additional copy is also $20, and each extra five-year span you ask the office to search costs another $20.

Because it buys a search rather than a document, the money is at risk. KDHE states on the application that if the certificate is not located, the $20 fee is retained by the department for the record search. In that case you receive a letter explaining the search that was conducted instead of a certificate. If you are not certain the death was registered in Kansas, confirm that before you pay. Fees expire 12 months from the date of the request.

Processing time depends on how you order. Walk-in requests are usually filled in 15 to 20 minutes. Online and telephone orders through VitalChek take about 3 to 5 business days. Mail requests take roughly 7 to 10 business days.

For faster mail service, you may send your request using any priority mail carrier (UPS, FedEx, or Express Mail) and include your own prepaid return priority envelope. The office cannot pay for return priority shipping.

Certified vs Informational Copy in Kansas

A certified copy is the official document used for legal and administrative tasks. It carries the state seal and is what you need to settle an estate, claim life insurance, close financial accounts, or transfer property. This is the copy the $20 fee provides to eligible applicants.

Kansas also handles genealogy requests for older records. These copies are intended for family history research and are released under separate genealogy rules tied to how long ago the death occurred and your relationship to the person named. If your purpose is settling affairs after a death, request a standard certified copy through the regular process rather than a genealogy request.

How to Get Additional or Replacement Copies

To get additional or replacement copies of a Kansas death certificate, submit a new request to the Office of Vital Statistics and pay $20 for each copy. There is no separate discounted rate for additional copies ordered at the same time; each certified copy is $20.

If you order several copies in one request, the single five-year search applies, but the per-copy fee still attaches to each certified document. You will need to provide your identification and eligibility documentation again for any later request, just as you did the first time.

Disclaimer: This page provides general information, not legal advice. Fees, processing times, and eligibility rules change. Always verify the current details directly with the KDHE Office of Vital Statistics before submitting a request.

Sources

This page draws on the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) Office of Vital Statistics, which sets the fees, eligibility rules, and ordering methods for Kansas death certificates.

Related: Kansas Death Records and Death Records by State.