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DEATH CERTIFICATES Before the business and legal issues of the estate can be pursued, it will be necessary to obtain certified copies of the death certificate. You can order them from the Funeral Director or directly from the Registrar of Vital Statistics in your area. It is always better to order a few more than what you think you will need. Most agencies will only accept certified death certificates and not photocopies.
In some cases, there may be a need to obtain a certified copy of the death certificate without a cause of death. These certificates are needed to transfer the title on a house, mobile home, and automobile or in some cases for court procedures. You should make this request when ordering the certified copies.
Death Certificates
Independence Health Department
515 S. Liberty Street
P.O. Box 1019
Independence, MO 64051
Phone: (816) 325-7185
Fax: (816) 325-7098
Office hours: Monday through Friday (except holidays), 8 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
You can request a Missouri death certificate from the Independence Health Department by mail or in person at 515 S. Liberty St. Independence, MO.
Who may request and receive copies of vital records?
- The primary person named on the vital records.
- A member of the immediate family, which includes wife, husband, son, daughter, mother, father, brother, sister, grandmother, grandfather, grandchild, aunt, uncle, niece, nephew and in-law. This does not include cousins.
- Others: guardian who shows guardian paperwork, foster parent who furnishes custody papers, step-parent and attorney acting on behalf of the registrant or family.
Requests by mail
Please complete the application/request form for birth or death certification and forward with check or money order in the appropriate amount to the Independence Health Department, P.O. Box 1019, Independence, MO 64051.
- For a Missouri certified death certificate, you need the deceased's name, date of death, place of death and your relationship to the person named on the certificate. Certificates for deaths within the state of Missouri starting in 1980, are $13.00 for the first copy and $10.00 for each additional copy.
- Please also enclose a stamped, self-addressed envelope, a copy of your driver's license or other ID and a check or money order payable to the City of Independence. All requests are sent out in about two days unless a problem occurs.
Death Certificate Request Form
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