How to Get an Oregon Death Certificate (2026)

You get a certified Oregon death certificate from the Oregon Center for Health Statistics (Oregon Vital Records), part of the Oregon Health Authority. Each certified copy costs $25, including the record search. Only eligible family members and people with a direct interest may order a certified copy of a death from the last 50 years, and older records are open to anyone who applies with proof of identity.

How Do You Get a Death Certificate in Oregon?

You get an Oregon death certificate from the Oregon Center for Health Statistics, the state office also known as Oregon Vital Records. It maintains death records from 1903 to the present. A county vital records office can also issue a record for about six months following the date of death.

The state offers four main ways to order a certified copy.

Order Online or by Phone

The fastest options use the state's authorized vendor, VitalChek. Online orders are placed at vitalchek.com, and phone orders go through 1-888-896-4988. These orders are expedited and processed in about three working days, plus shipping time and added vendor and shipping fees.

Order by Mail

Mail a completed application, a copy of your ID, and a check or money order to Oregon Vital Records, PO Box 14050, Portland OR 97293. Mail orders cost $25 per copy with no vendor fee, but they take longer to process.

Order in Person or by Drop Box

You can book an in-person appointment in Portland, or use the secure drop box at 800 NE Oregon Street, Portland. In-person service returns your record the same visit in most cases, while drop-box orders take several weeks.

Who Is Eligible to Request an Oregon Death Certificate?

Only people with a qualifying relationship or interest may order a certified Oregon death certificate. Oregon restricts access to protect the family and prevent identity misuse.

That restriction runs for 50 years after the date of death. Under ORS 432.380(3), once 50 years have elapsed after a death occurring after 1964, the state registrar may issue a certified copy to any person who applies with proof of identity. The relationship rules below therefore apply to deaths within roughly the last half century.

Eligible requesters generally include:

• Immediate family such as a spouse or registered domestic partner, parent, child, or sibling
• Grandparents, grandchildren, and next of kin
• Legal representatives, guardians, and authorized agents acting for an eligible person
• Funeral service practitioners and the person in charge of disposition
• People with a documented property right, such as a life insurance beneficiary, joint account holder, or title holder

Stepparents are not named in the statutory list at ORS 432.380(2)(c)(B)(iii). The Oregon Health Authority allows one narrow exception: if the decedent was under 18 and you are still married to the parent named on the certificate, you may order using a state-issued marriage or domestic partnership certificate plus another recent document naming both spouses and dated within 30 days of your application. Otherwise a stepparent must qualify as an authorized representative or through a property right.

You must show valid identification with every order. Oregon accepts one current government photo ID, such as a driver license, passport, tribal ID, or military ID. If you do not have a photo ID, you may submit three documents, at least one of which shows your current address.

Oregon Death Certificate Cost and Processing Time

A certified copy of an Oregon death certificate costs $25, and that fee is the same for the first copy and each additional copy ordered together. The $25 includes the record search and is kept even if no matching record is found.

Mail orders are processed in roughly three to five weeks. In-person appointments usually return the record the same day, while drop-box requests can take eight to ten weeks during busy periods.

Online and phone orders add fees on top of the $25 certificate. These include a state expedite fee and a separate vendor fee charged by VitalChek, plus shipping if you choose next-day delivery. Always confirm the current totals on the Oregon Center for Health Statistics website before paying.

Certified vs. Informational Copy in Oregon

Oregon issues certified copies only. Unlike some states, it does not sell a separate informational or non-certified death certificate.

A certified copy is the official legal document. It carries the state seal and is accepted for settling estates, claiming life insurance, closing financial accounts, and transferring property.

Oregon offers the certified copy in two forms at the same $25 price, and you choose which one to order. The short form omits the cause, manner, and time of death and is available for deaths from 1978 to the present. The long form contains that medical information and is available for deaths from 1903 to the present.

Under ORS 432.380(8)(a), any person qualified to receive a death record, including a spouse or registered domestic partner, child, parent, sibling, grandparent, grandchild, or next of kin, may obtain the long form by specifically requesting it. A documented legal need and a court order are separate routes under subsections (8)(b) and (8)(c), not extra conditions placed on family members.

The short-form limit applies to property-right requesters. Oregon issues only short-form certificates to a joint account holder, joint mortgage holder, or title agent unless the property right itself requires cause-of-death information, as it does for a life insurance beneficiary.

How to Get Additional or Replacement Copies

To get additional or replacement copies, you order them the same way as a first copy and pay $25 for each. There is no discount for ordering several at once, so request the number you expect to need up front.

Families often need multiple certified copies because banks, insurers, and government agencies each ask for an original. If you lose a certified copy later or need more, simply place a new order with the Oregon Center for Health Statistics and confirm you still meet the eligibility rules.

Disclaimer: This page is general information, not legal advice. Vital records fees, processing times, and eligibility rules change. Always verify the current details with the Oregon Center for Health Statistics before ordering.

For more on access rules and the records system, see the parent overview, Oregon Death Records, or browse the hub, Death Records by State.

Sources

This guide is based on official information from the Oregon Center for Health Statistics and the Oregon Health Authority Vital Records program.