How to Order a Death Certificate in Georgia

You can order a Georgia death certificate online through ROVER, by mail, or in person at the State Office of Vital Records or a County Vital Records Office. The State Office charges $25.00, and in-person visits offer same-day service. Birth certificates come from the same state office, while some marriage records are held by county probate courts. You can take this one step at a time.

The quick facts below cover what most families need to know before ordering a Georgia death certificate.

• Where to order: The Georgia Department of Public Health, State Office of Vital Records, which maintains Georgia's birth and death certificates.
• Order online: Yes, through ROVER, run by the Georgia Technology Authority and the Georgia Department of Public Health: services.georgia.gov/gta/rover (opens in a new tab).
• Cost: $25.00, plus $5.00 for additional copies, from the State Office. Online orders through ROVER are $25 per certified copy plus $8 for processing.
• How long it takes: Online, up to 10 weeks. By mail, 8 to 10 weeks. In person, same day.
• Who can order: A legal spouse, adult children, adult siblings, parents, grandparents, grandchildren, and people with a tangible interest, such as a beneficiary or an insurance company.
• Records held: The State Office has death records from January 1919 to the present for deaths that occurred in Georgia.
• Official site: dph.georgia.gov/ways-request-vital-record/death (opens in a new tab)

ROVER is the state's own online ordering service, run by the Georgia Technology Authority and the Georgia Department of Public Health. The official ROVER link is services.georgia.gov/gta/rover (opens in a new tab).

The first step is registration of the death with the state. Your funeral director can explain how registration works.

Certified copies cannot be issued until the death is registered.

Ask your funeral director whether they can order copies for you. Your funeral director can tell you how they handle these orders. For registration timing, the State Office page at dph.georgia.gov/ways-request-vital-record/death (opens in a new tab) is the official place to check.

After the death is registered, more copies can be ordered from the State Office or a County Vital Records Office.

Yes, Georgia takes online orders through ROVER, the state's own ordering service. Here is how it goes:

1. Open ROVER at services.georgia.gov/gta/rover (opens in a new tab) and choose the death certificate.
2. Have a current state-issued driver's license or ID card ready. Other acceptable proof is listed at georgia.gov/birth-certificate-information-and-eligibility (opens in a new tab).
3. Pay the nonrefundable fee of $25 per certified copy plus $8 for processing.
4. If you want faster delivery, expedited shipping through FedEx is available for an extra $16 per order.

Processing may take up to 10 weeks. If a bank or insurer is waiting on the certificate, the in-person route below is quicker.

You can order by mail with a paper form, or in person for same-day service. Both routes use the State Office of Vital Records.

By mail:

1. Complete Form 3912 (Request for Search of Death). Mail-in details are listed at dph.georgia.gov/ways-request-vital-record/death (opens in a new tab).
2. Include a U.S. Money Order or certified check payable to the State Office of Vital Records. The amount follows the State Office fee of $25.00, plus $5.00 for each additional copy; check the current fee page at dph.georgia.gov/ways-request-vital-record/fees (opens in a new tab) before you write it.
3. Mail it to: State Office of Vital Records, 1680 Phoenix Blvd., Suite 100, Atlanta, GA 30349.

In person: Visit the State Office at the same address, 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM, Monday to Friday except state holidays. You can also go in person to any County Vital Records Office; the official page at dph.georgia.gov/ways-request-vital-record/death (opens in a new tab) is the place to start.

If you are unsure where to start, your funeral director can tell you whether they can order copies for you.

From the State Office, a Georgia death certificate costs $25.00, plus $5.00 for additional copies. The $25.00 fee includes a 3-year search and a certified copy if the record is found on file. The search fee is non-refundable.

Online through ROVER, the cost is $25 per certified copy plus $8 for processing. Expedited FedEx shipping is an extra $16 per order.

So the same certificate can total differently depending on the route you choose. Fees can change; the current list is at dph.georgia.gov/ways-request-vital-record/fees (opens in a new tab).

In person is the fastest route, with same-day service at the State Office or a County Vital Records Office. Online orders through ROVER may take up to 10 weeks. Mail-in requests to the State Office take 8 to 10 weeks.

Certified copies cannot be issued until the death is registered. If paperwork is waiting on a certificate, ordering in person will save the most time.

A legal spouse, adult children, adult siblings, parents, grandparents and grandchildren can order a Georgia death certificate. People with a tangible interest, such as a beneficiary or an insurance company, may also order.

Members of the public may order plain paper copies with the Social Security number redacted. Online orders need a current state-issued driver's license or ID card. Other proof is listed at georgia.gov/birth-certificate-information-and-eligibility (opens in a new tab).

Georgia birth certificates are maintained by the same office as death certificates, the Georgia Department of Public Health, State Office of Vital Records.

Eligibility and ID rules are on the state's page at georgia.gov/birth-certificate-information-and-eligibility (opens in a new tab). The death certificate fees and times in this article apply to death records only. Birth certificate costs and processing times are listed on the state's fee page at dph.georgia.gov/ways-request-vital-record/fees (opens in a new tab).

For many marriage records, you start with the probate court in the county where the marriage was held. Records from before 1952 or after 1996 are held by that court, not the State Office.

Rules and fees can change, so confirm the current cost with that county's probate court before sending payment.

This short list can help you get the order right the first time.

1. Confirm the record type: birth, death or marriage.
2. Confirm who holds it: the State Office of Vital Records or the county probate court.
3. Have your ID ready, and confirm you are an eligible requester.
4. Choose your route: funeral director, online, mail or in person.
5. Check the current fee page before paying.

Fees can change. The current list is at dph.georgia.gov/ways-request-vital-record/fees (opens in a new tab).

What if the death happened in another state?

The Georgia State Office holds records for deaths that occurred in the State of Georgia. If the death happened elsewhere, the vital records office of that state is the place to check. The funeral director handling arrangements can tell you where to order the first copies.

How many certified copies of a death certificate might a family need?

The number depends on how many places ask for a certified copy, such as banks, insurers and government offices. It can help to make a list of those places first, then order. Extra copies ordered from the State Office are $5.00 each.

What if I don't have a Georgia driver's license or state ID to order online?

The online service asks for a current state-issued driver's license or ID card. The state's ID page lists other acceptable proof, at georgia.gov/birth-certificate-information-and-eligibility (opens in a new tab). For the mail and in-person routes, the State Office death page at dph.georgia.gov/ways-request-vital-record/death (opens in a new tab) lists how to order.

Can I order a death certificate for a death before 1919?

The State Office has death records from January 1919 to the present. Some counties may have older death records. The State Office page at dph.georgia.gov/ways-request-vital-record/death (opens in a new tab) lists the records the State Office holds.

What if the State Office can't find the record?

The $25.00 fee covers a 3-year search, and a certified copy is issued if the record is found on file. The search fee is non-refundable, so it is worth checking the name, date and place of death before you apply. If you are unsure of the date, the funeral director may be able to confirm the details.

Can an executor or insurance company order a copy?

An insurance company is listed among those with a tangible interest, as is a beneficiary. An executor is not named in Georgia's list, so the state's eligibility page is the place to see whether your role qualifies. If you do not qualify, members of the public may order a plain paper copy with the Social Security number redacted.