Fillable Death Certificate Application Form - Oklahoma

Death Application Instruction Sheet

ELIGIBILTY

By state law, death records filed with this office are not open for public inspection. The person requesting the certificate must be

acting in the decedent’s best interest:

(1) A surviving spouse, parent, child, grandparent, sibling, ex-spouse or legal guardian;

(2) Legal representative of the estate of the deceased as documented by an order from a court of competent jurisdiction;

(3) An individual who can establish a familial relationship with the deceased demonstrated through certified copies of birth,

death and/or marriage certificates;

(4) Law enforcement or government officials in the capacity of official governmental business;

(5) Funeral director of record or agent thereto, working in the capacity of their official business;

(6) Person with a court order from a court of competent jurisdiction;

(7) A person who was a co-owner or a joint tenant on real or personal property of the decedent; or

(8) A person listed in a will of the decedent, provided the will is in probate;

By signing the request, you are indicating that you are working in the best interest of the subject of record. Additional

documentation will be required to demonstrate the applicant’s eligibility.

For a complete list, go to

Effective N ov 1, 2014, records of deaths occurring at least 75 years ago are open record and do not require proof of eligibility.

ACCEPTABLE PHOTO IDs

Note: Send a photocopy. Do not send your original ID. Photocopies must be legible and cannot be expired.

 U.S. Issued Driver’s license or Identification card

 Resident Alien Card (Form I-551)

 U.S. Passport

 Employment Authorization Card (Form I-766)

 Foreign Issued Passport with Visa (I-94)

 Employment Authorization Card (Form I-688A)

 Government issued Military photo ID

 Temporary Resident Card (Form I-688)

 Tribal Photo ID Card containing the bearer’s signature

 Oklahoma Dept of Corrections Consolidated Record Card (CRC)

 Ok Self-Defense Act (SDA) License or Concealed Carry permit

For a complete list, go to

FEES: A record search is $15 and includes the issuance of one certified copy if the record is found; additional copies are $15

each. If no record is found; the search fee will not be refunded. The fee to amend a record is $35 ($20 processing fee + $15 for

one certified copy). Should you receive a request for more information, please respond promptly as all fees and files will expire

one year after the date paid.

RECORD SEARCHES

REQUIRED INFORMATION

Certain information is required in order for to us to be able to process your request in an expedient manner and to prevent

unnecessary delays. Incorrect information will delay the search and may result in your document not being located. You can be

assured that every attempt will be made to locate the record you have requested. The minimum facts required include: 1) the full

name of the decedent at the time of death, 2) the date of death, and 3) the place of death.

OPTIONAL INFORMATION

Any additional information you may have can assist us in our search such as nicknames, a husband’s name of a married female,

whether the deceased was an infant, or the name of the funeral director in charge of the decedent. You can be assured that every

attempt is made to locate the record you have requested.

HOW RECORDS ARE SEARCHED

When an application is submitted (Example: William Thomas Public-March 25, 1932-Tulsa County), we will search for the proper

name, as well as other variations of the name (Example: Will, W.T. Bill, Billy, Willy). We also conduct a generalized search over a

span of years (Example: 1930-1940) as well as in surrounding counties (Example: Washington, Muskogee, Wagoner etc.) Please

be aware that these generalized searches may not result in a record being found if the name is common. In that case, more

specific information will be required.

AVAILABLE RECORDS

Oklahoma began filing death records in October of 1908; however filing did not become mandatory until 1917. Prior to 1940 filing

continued to be somewhat sporadic, which may prove problematic for families who may need proof of death for the settlement of

death claims or to obtain entitled benefits.

RESPONSIBILITY FOR FILING DEATH CERTIFICATES

It is the responsibility of the funeral director in charge of the decedent at the time of death to properly obtain the information

needed from an immediate family member, obtain the physician’s signature and cause of death information, and then file the

certificate in a timely manner.

QUESTIONS

If you have any questions, visit our official website or call our office at (405) 271-4040.

Death Certificate Application Form - Oklahoma - Yellow Page 2

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