Order an Ontario
Death Certificate Online.

Apply online now to order Ontario Death Certificates in minutes, without going to the Ontario Vital Statistics Agency in person.

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Why Order a Death Certificate in Ontario with Us

Our user-friendly platform and secure processing ensure a fast and hassle-free experience. This service is available for use by the public and legal profession to obtain government-approved and official vital certificates.

Why You Need a Death Certificate

Claiming Life Insurance Benefits

Settling Estates & Wills

Notifying Social Security

Transferring Property Titles

Other Legal Purposes

Ontario Death Certificate & Payment Information

Payment can be made by Visa or MasterCard, cheque or money order. Please make the cheque or money order payable to Vital Certificate Processing Services.

Fees include all taxes, search, shipping and processing charges.

If no record of the death is found by the Ontario Vital Statistics Agency, fees will be applied to the search cost and will not be refunded by the Agency.

If you are applying for an Ontario Death Certificate to support a separate application, such as Estate Settlement, Immigration or Native Status, it is important to check with the organization requesting the document to ensure you obtain the correct document type. Changes cannot be made once an order has been placed.

Ontario Death Certificate

$65 each

Rush $100 each

An Ontario Death Certificate is an extract of the information recorded on the death registration, containing basic details such as the name, date, and place of death.

Ontario Certified Copy of Death Registration

$75 each

Rush $110 each

An Ontario Certified Copy of Death Registration is a certified copy of the actual registration. This copy is certified as a true copy of the original. If applying online for a Certified Copy of Death Registration via ServiceOntario, it will not include the medical cause of death information. In order to obtain a Certified Copy of Death Registration with cause of death, you must apply in person or by mail.

NOTE: A Certified Copy of Death Registration can be used in certain situations, like settling an estate outside Ontario.

Death Search Letter

$65 each

$15 extra for each additional 5-year search

A death search letter provides the date of death when unknown.

Fees & Processing Times

Regular Service: average 15 to 20 business days

Rush Service: average 5 to 7 business days. Requests for rush service will be processed within 2 business days and will be couriered to you.

Search Letters: average 5 to 8 business days

Service times listed above are approximations and are not guaranteed. Incomplete or inaccurate applications will significantly delay processing time.

All death certificates in Ontario are mailed or couriered directly from the Ontario Vital Statistics Agency.

Who Can Apply for a Death Certificate?

  • Anyone can apply for a Death Certificate in Ontario
  • Only the next of kin or an authorized representative may apply for a Certified Copy of Death Registration

Ontario Death Certificate

An Ontario Death Certificate is an extract of the information provided on the registration containing basic information such as, name, date and place of death.

Ontario Certified Copy of Statement of Death

An Ontario Certified Copy of Statement of Death is a certified copy of the actual registration. This copy is certified as a true copy of the original.

NOTE: Certified copies are rarely needed by citizens and are, by law, for restricted use only. They are generally only required for court or consulate purposes. They are not recommended for use as identification.

Ontario Death Certificate FAQs

How do I order an Ontario death certificate online?

Download the PDF application right from this page and fill in the details of the death, including the name, date, and place. Submit it along with payment by Visa, Mastercard, cheque, or money order (made payable to Vital Certificate Processing Services), and our team reviews it for accuracy before sending it to the Ontario Vital Statistics Agency. From there, your certificate is mailed or couriered directly to you.

Who can request an Ontario death certificate?

Anyone with a valid reason can apply for a standard Death Certificate, so you don't need to be next of kin to request one. A Certified Copy of Statement of Death is more restricted though, and only next of kin can request that version. If you're ordering to support another application, such as probate, immigration or Native Status, check with the organization first to make sure you're requesting the right document type, since orders can't be changed once submitted.

What documents and information do I need to get a death certificate?

You'll need the full name of the deceased, along with the date and place of death, plus your payment details. Getting these details right matters more than usual here, since contradicting or incomplete information can hold up the probate process along with your certificate order. Take a few extra minutes to ensure the information about the deceased and other details required in the death certificate application form are correct. Any incomplete or incorrect information can delay the processing and delivery of your death certificate.

When do you need a death certificate for estate settlement?

A death certificate is one of the first things an executor needs, and probate can't proceed without it. You'll present it to the court alongside the original will when applying for a Certificate of Appointment of Estate Trustee, and banks and financial institutions will ask to see it before releasing funds or closing accounts. It also comes into play for claiming life insurance benefits, transferring property titles, and notifying government programs. Given that the full probate and estate settlement process in Ontario often takes several months, ordering your certificate right away helps prevent stalling.

What's the difference between a death registration and a death certificate?

When someone dies in Ontario, an attending physician or coroner completes a Medical Certificate of Death and passes it along to the funeral director. From there, a family member (the informant) works with the funeral director to fill out the Statement of Death, and the funeral director delivers both documents to the local municipal clerk's office, which forwards everything to the Office of the Registrar General. That process officially registers the death, and it can take up to 16 weeks after they receive the forms. Until that step is done, there's no death registration on file for a certificate to draw from.

A death certificate is what you order afterward, once the death registration is on file. A death certificate pulls basic details like name, date and place of death from that registration into an official extract you can use for legal and administrative purposes. If the funeral home gave you a Statement of Death, keep in mind that's a limited-use document for their own records and isn't a substitute for the death certificate itself.

How long does an Ontario death certificate take to arrive?

Regular service takes 15 to 20 business days from processing to delivery. If you're on a tighter timeline, rush service cuts that down to 5 to 7 business days, with your request processed within 2 business days and couriered out from there. Search Letters, which help locate a date of death when you don't have one on hand, run 5 to 8 business days. These are estimates, and any application with missing or incorrect details will delay the process.

Is Vital Certificates a government agency?

No, we're a private service, not a government office. We give the public and legal professionals a faster way to request official vital records without the trip to a government counter, handling the review and secure processing on our end. The certificate itself is still issued and mailed directly by the Ontario Vital Statistics Agency.

Disclaimer

Our online service provides convenient access to official vital records for both the public and legal professionals. While you may obtain these records directly from government agencies, our platform offers a faster, more convenient alternative, eliminating the need for in-person visits. Our fees cover secure online ordering, expert assistance, and a thorough review to ensure compliance with all regulations.

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