Get or replace an Ontario death certificate

What you need to know

Death registration

In the event of a death, the attending physician or coroner completes the Medical Certificate of Death and gives it to the funeral director with the body of the deceased.

To register a death, an informant, usually a family member, and the funeral director must complete the Statement of Death with information about the deceased.

Once completed, the Medical Certificate of Death and the Statement of Death are submitted to the local municipal clerk’s office by the funeral director. It may take up to 12 weeks for a death to be registered in Ontario.

Death certificate

The funeral director will issue copies of proof of death that you can use in certain situations. There are some organizations, however, that may require an official death certificate from the Province of Ontario that can only be obtained by applying online, by mail or in-person.

You may need a death certificate for:

• settling an estate
• some insurance purposes
• access to/termination of government services, for example, health card, pension, voters' list
• genealogy searches

Certified copy of death registration

You may need a certified copy of death registration without cause of death information for: 

• settling an estate outside the country
• pension purposes outside the country
• some insurance policies 

If applying online, the certified copy of death registration does not include medical cause of death.

A certified copy of death registration with cause of death information can only be obtained by applying by mail or in person. Download and complete the Request for Death Certificate application. If you require a certified copy of death registration with cause of death information urgently, please submit an urgent request.

You may need a certified copy of death registration with cause of death information for:

• settling an estate outside the country
• pension purposes outside the country
• some insurance policies

If you are unsure if you need a death certificate or certified copy of death registration with or without cause of death information, please check with the Ministry, government agency, or person requesting the document before you order.

Order a death certificate

Online

To order a death certificate, or a certified copy of death registration, you need the following information about the deceased (person who died):

• first, middle and last name or single name
• sex
• date of birth
• date of death
• name of city or town in which the death took place
• parental information
• spouse or partner information, if applicable

If you do not know the exact date of death, you can order a death search letter.

Order a death certificate online

Note: You can check the status of your online application 1 business day after you submit it.

In person

Download and complete the Request for Death Certificate application and submit it in person at the following ServiceOntario centres:

Toronto                   
47 Sheppard Avenue East, unit 417, 4^th Floor                   
Toronto, ON
M2N 5N1

Ottawa                   
110 Laurier Avenue West, 1^st Floor                   
Ottawa, ON
K1P 1J1

Mail

Download and complete the Request for Death Certificate application and mail it to:                   
ServiceOntario
P.O. Box 4600     
189 Red River Road 
Thunder Bay, ON
P7B 6L8

Cost and delivery

Payment

Online

Visa, Visa Debit, Mastercard or Debit Mastercard

In-person or mail

Cheque, money order, Visa, or Mastercard

Note: personal cheque payments are no longer accepted at our retail locations for any vital events transactions, including regular, emergency and expedited services.

Death certificate

Certified copy of death registration

Certified copy of death registration with cause of death information

Death search letter

Replace a lost, stolen or damaged death certificate

To replace a lost, stolen or damaged death certificate you can use the online application to order a replacement death certificate.

Download and complete the Request for Death Certificate application to submit it in-person or by mail.

Change or correct information on a death registration or certificate

You can send a request to the Office of the Registrar General for a registration amendment application form to change information on a death registration. The amended change will be reflected on any death certificate or certified copy of the death registration you apply for in the future. The death must be currently registered in Ontario to make a change.

You can submit a request for a registration amendment form online or by phone and the form will be mailed to you.

Who can apply for a death certificate

There are no restrictions on who can apply for a death certificate and no restriction on the number of death certificates you can apply for and receive. If you are not related to the deceased, you can order a death certificate or a death search. 

The deceased’s next of kin or their authorized representative may apply for a certified copy of death registration. Authorized representatives (for example, estate administrator, executor or administrator, or a person with legal guardianship acting on behalf of the deceased or an entitled individual) will be required to provide proof of authorization.                   

Next of kin are:

• parents
• spouse or common-law partner
• children
• siblings

If all the next of kin are deceased, extended next of kin or their authorized representative may apply.

Extended next of kin are:

• aunts
• uncles
• first cousins
• grandchildren
• grandparents
• nephews
• nieces

You can request a search if you do not know the exact date of death.

A search will verify that the death has taken place and has been registered with the province of Ontario.

You will receive a letter in the mail giving you information that matches the criteria within the years you searched. If no information is found, you will still receive a letter stating that no information was found.

Applicants can provide a range of years to be searched or a specific year. If a specific year is provided, a 5-year search will be conducted – 2 years prior and 2 years after the year specified. Applicants may request searches for longer periods of time at an additional fee of $15 for every 5-year interval searched.

Note: There are no fees if applying for death searches to locate death records or death registrations, for children who attended Indian Residential Schools. Learn how to submit your request for locating these death records or death registrations.

Online

1. Go to the Online Certificate Application.
2. Select the death search letter option .
3. Indicate a specific year or range of years you would like to search.
4. Enter the required information and complete payment.

Order a death search letter online

Note: The online service guarantee for a certificate is not offered for a search and there is no emergency service offered for a search.

In-person

Download and complete the Request for Death Certificate application, indicate how many years to search and submit it in person at one of the following ServiceOntario centres:

Toronto                   
47 Sheppard Avenue East, unit 417, 4^th Floor                   
Toronto, ON
M2N 5N1

Ottawa                   
110 Laurier Avenue West, 1^st Floor                   
Ottawa, ON
K1P 1J1

Older Events

Older events, such as deaths prior to 1991, may not be immediately available.

When applying for a death certificate prior to 1991, it can take up to an extra 6 to 8 weeks for the registration to be made available.

Registrations that are not immediately available are not included in the service guarantee.

Locating death records for Indian Residential Schools

Indigenous communities, organizations or family members trying to locate death records, or registrations of deaths, for children who attended Indian Residential Schools can request a search for a death record for no fee.

Important: To help navigate the application process, please review the supporting fact sheet before completing your application.

You can apply for a Search for Death Records online, by mail or by fax. A search will be conducted from the information provided. Upon completion of the request, the applicant will receive documents indicating whether the requested record was or was not found.

• If no record is found: A Search Letter will be issued indicating that a record was not located based on the information provided
• If a record is found in the last 70 years: A Death Certificate will be issued 

Online

• complete and save the Search for Death Records application
• upload your completed application online through a Request certificate services (without payment).

By mail

You can submit your completed Search for Death Records application by mail to:

ServiceOntario, Office of the Registrar General
Attention: Service Delivery Manager

P.O. Box 4600     
189 Red River Road, 
Thunder Bay, Ontario
P7B 6L8

By fax

You can fax your completed Search for Death Records application to the Office of the Registrar General at 807-343-7411. Please include a cover letter to your fax addressed to “Attention: Service Delivery Manager”

Check your order status

The status of your online application becomes available 1 business day after you submit it.

To check the status online, you need:

• to indicate the type of certificate you requested (birth, death or marriage)
• applicant’s name and telephone number
• name of the subject (the person to be listed on the certificate)
• date of the event
• order or file number, if available

Check the status of your online application

If you are unsure that your online application was successfully submitted or did not receive a receipt, please contact ServiceOntario on the next business day.

Emergency service

The only ServiceOntario centre that accepts in-person emergency services applications is located at:

47 Sheppard Avenue East, unit 417, 4^th Floor       
Toronto, ON
M2N 5N1

For this, you will also need to bring:

• proof of urgency
• an additional $30 per document.

Delivery

Certificates are delivered within 5 business days, if the event is registered.

Payment

Cash, money order, Visa, Visa Debit, Mastercard, or Debit Mastercard

Note: personal cheque payments are no longer accepted at our retail locations for any vital events transactions, including regular, emergency and expedited services.

Apply in person or by mail

Download and complete the Request for Death Certificate application.

In-person

Go to one of the following ServiceOntario centres:

Toronto

47 Sheppard Avenue East, unit 417, 4^th Floor                   
Toronto, ON
M2N 5N1

Ottawa

110 Laurier Avenue West, 1^st Floor                   
Ottawa, ON
K1P 1J1

Mail

Completed applications can be mailed to:

ServiceOntario
P.O. Box 4600     
189 Red River Road 
Thunder Bay, ON
P7B 6L8

Delivery

6 to 8 weeks

Payment

Cheque, money order, Visa, Mastercard

Note: personal cheque payments are no longer accepted at our retail locations for any vital events transactions, including regular, emergency and expedited services.

Proof of urgency

To qualify for an emergency or expedited death certificate or certified copy of death registration, the death must be registered in Ontario and you must provide proof of urgency along with your complete and correct form, documents and fee.

Proof of urgency may include:

• travel reservations including airline tickets, reservations or travel itinerary
• other situations, subject to review

To submit an urgent request for a death certificate, you can:

1. Download and complete a Request for death certificate application. 
2. Complete and submit a Request for certificate services with payment (Download as PDF).
3. Attach the following:
   • your completed Request for death certificate application
   • your proof of urgency documents
   • your supporting documents (for example, court documents) if applicable
4. Submit your payment.

Note: Do not include credit card information in your application form. Once you have completed your form, you will be directed to a payment page where you can submit your payment information and complete your request. 

This service is only available for urgent requests.

If your request is not urgent, you may order a death certificate through the online certificate application or submit your application by mail.