Ordering West Virginia Death Certificates Online
Order
Death Certificates Here
General Information on Ordering West Virginia Death Certificates
Since all but five of West Virginia's counties were formed before
20 June 1863, when Congress officially admitted it as a sovereign
state, counties in existence prior to statehood were governed by
the same laws as other Virginia counties, including the requirement
to register births and marriages beginning in 1853. State registration
began 1 January 1917, although fire destroyed many 1917-21 records.
For birth records from 1 January 1920, certificates are available
from the West Virginia Department of Health Division of Vital Statistics.
For records prior, refer to the West
Virginia State Archives.
Certificates will only be issued to the next of kin or to persons
with a legal right to the certificate. If you have questions concerning
the right to obtain a copy of a death certificate, please contact
the Vital Registration Program at (304) 558-2931.
Once the death certificate has been completed by a physician or
other authorized individual, and submitted and processed by the
Vital Registration Program, the following turnaround times can be
expected. The completion and submission of the actual death certificate
forms to the Vital Registration Program is usually handled by the
funeral home. The funeral home will usually provide the family with
some certified copies of death certificates as part of their fee.
Subsequent requests should be directed to the Vital Registration
Program.
Information for Genealogists
For assistance with your family history research, please do not
contact the State of West Virginia. Instead please refer to the following
websites for help:
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