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Public 0Free Death Records Online

By Claire Dowell


If you are looking for vital records such as the New York death records, it pays to know where you can find the information you need. This is not only efficient but also cost effective and a time saver as you can get the details you need without going around wasting time and energy. With that said, death records in New York are stored into two different places. Death records of people who died before 1949 are located at the New York Municipal Archives whereas records that date after the said year can be found at the New York Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. All records are available for the public.

To be able to obtain these records, one must be qualified under the following circumstances - (1) relative of the deceased, (2) those who have legal rights, (3) obtained court order and those (4) who require the death records for medical purposes. Access for dead records outside the city can be gained from the clerk of the county where the event occurred.

For family history or genealogical purposes, researchers can get copies of death records that happened prior to 1949 from the NY Municipal Archives. Getting the information is relatively easy as individuals can order through online, walk in or mail. The Municipal office does not accept any phone in requests. Each record costs about $15 and individuals who walk in can obtain a copy for $11. Additional fees are charged: (a) $2 for each borough for one year (b) $2 each borough for a year (c) $5 for "letter of exemplification" which will be appended in the certified copy and (d) $10 for each additional copy.

For death records starting from 1949, the applicants can request the information from the NY Department of Health. To request, applicants must submit a copy of their identification card with photo or utility statement with their name and full address. Passport copy is included if the request is made from a country which requires a valid US passport for travelling.

Each death record costs about $30 and can be requested via phone and mail. Those who request via the two options will be processed as priority handling. Additional charges of $15 are added to the total bill as well as $8 for vendor processing fee. Processing takes about 5 days to a week depending on the bulk of orders being processed. For those who want the records faster, they can avail of the UPS overnight express delivery with charges of $15.50.

To make the request faster and easier, the Office works with VitalChek network. All death records as well as other public records requests are handled by VitalChek as the Office does not accept credit card and online orders. For those who are interested in checking death records or death notices and want to do it free or pay a minimal amount, there are online sites that offer such services. It is faster and more convenient especially for those who only require minimal data or information.




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