West Virginia Death Records Search
In West Virginia, the Vital Registration Office of the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources maintains and issues the records of all deaths that occur in the state of West Virginia. The Vital Registration Office maintains death records of 1917-present. The Vital Registration Office will make certified West Virginia death records available to only the following people.
Who Can Request West Virginia Death Certificates
- Parents of the deceased
- Siblings of the deceased
- Grandparents
- Adult children
- Adult grandchildren
- Spouse
- Person with a tangle interest in the certificate
- An authorized legal representative of the deceased or his/her family
- The funeral director
To obtain West Virginia Death records, you need to provide a considerable amount of information including the name of the deceased, the place, and date of death, the gender of the deceased, your relationship to the deceased, and reason for requesting the record. There are a number of ways to request for and obtain the death record you need including in person, by mail, by fax, by phone and online. Let’s take a brief look at how you can obtain the death record you need through each method.
How to Get a Copy of a West Virginia Death Certificate
The first way for you to make a request for and obtain the death record you need is in person. To make an in person request for the death record you need, visit the local Vital Registration Office, complete and submit the Application for Copy of West Virginia Death Certificate, present a copy of your valid photo ID and pay the $12 fee.
How to Get West Virginia Death Records By Mail
Another way to make a request for and obtain the death record you need is by mail. To make a mail request for the death record you need, complete and mail the aforementioned application along with a copy of your valid photo ID and a pay order or check for the fee to:
Vital Registration Room 165 350 Capitol Street Charleston, WV 25301-3701
How to Get West Virginia Death Records By Mail By Phone
The West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources has partnered with VitalCheck, an independent company, to process requests for death records over the phone, by fax and online. To make a phone request for the death record you need, call VitalCheck at 877-448-3953.
How to Get West Virginia Death Records By Mail By Fax
As mentioned above, fax requests for West Virginia Death Records are processed by VitalCheck. You can make a fax request for the death record you need by faxing your request to VitalCheck at 866-870-8723.
How to Get West Virginia Death Records By Mail Online
The final way for you to make a request for and obtain West Virginia Death Records is online. To make an online request for the death record you need, visit the website of VitalCheck, follow the instructions given there, and pay the required fee.
In addition to the aforementioned ways, you can obtain West Virginia Death Records online through public databases. To find out more, call the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources at 304-558-2931.
Margery McCormick passed on June 10, 2020. The funeral home ordered and I paid for 5 death certificates that were to come from the Charleston office in 7 to 10 days. It has been 30 days and I have not received them . Can you advise when these will be delivered to me.
Edwin, since you ordered a copy of a West Virginia death certificate from the Charleston Department of Health a month ago and you still not received them you should call them directly @ 304-348-6494 to inquire about your death certificates. It’s possible there are some delays because of Covid19 and limited resources that would result in delays but it’s best to call them directly. We do not have any affiliation with this WV department so we cannot lookup your request diretly.