Records for Dead People

NYC DOH and Deceased People’s Records

All of my family records, if they’re not in Italy, they’re in New York City. The boroughs of Manhattan and Brooklyn are where it all went down and while getting documents from NYC is significantly easier than the rest of New York State, it still requires some finesse.

The criteria for requesting a deceased person’s NYC Birth Record:

• Individual must be born 1910 or later
• Deceased individual must be in your direct family line (so no requesting your aunt’s cousin’s birth certificate)

Can I order a dead person’s birth certificate through Vitalchek?

The short answer is technically yes but ordering through Vitalchek does not allow you to skip sending in the notarized application, family tree, or official death certificate. It can confuse DOH, though, and they may cancel it, and then you’ve paid $8.30 for basically nothing.

Birth certificate number

If you can, I would suggest using one of the NYC birth indices to find the certificate number for your deceased relative prior to ordering.

NYC 1910–1965 is available through Ancestry (you most likely can access Ancestry for free through your public library): https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/61457/

NYC 1849–1909 is available through Family Search (great for ordering through Municipal Archives): https://www.familysearch.org/search/collection/2240282

I looked up the birth certificate numbers for what I’ve ordered because I know all these women changed or tweaked their names.

Pro Tip: Treat NYC DOH like they are not remotely invested in figuring out whether or not you’re related to this person or whether these names could possibly be the same person. You’re not writing Jessica Fletcher to solve a mystery.

Assembling an application packet

When I submitted requests for a deceased person’s Birth Certificate, I worked backwards in my family tree. For a request for my Grandmother’s birth certificate I included:

• The NYC DOH Application for a deceased person’s Birth Certificate (Notarized)
• The NYC DOH Family Tree document
• State/City issued death certificate
• A Cover Letter with a table explaining my GM’s birth certificate name, her anglicized name, and her married name; my Great grandparents’ anglicized and actual names (because I have no idea what they put on the BC under parents’ names).
• Supporting documents (NJ notaries allow for notarized copies of originals so these are all also notarized):
• 1. my birth certificate & my mom’s birth certificate to show that I am related to my GM;
• 2. my GM’s marriage certificate to my Grandfather to show her married name change.
• A prepaid envelope for returning the death certificate to me.

When I ordered her death certificate from the state of NJ, I also had to include all this supporting paperwork to the state to prove we were related. And this is why working backwards is super helpful.

Do I have to include all that supporting documentation?

Honestly, I’ve requested 3 BCs and I always included it so maybe not and your mileage most certainly may vary. Given that the wait time for a 1910–1919 Birth certificate can be 9 months, I prefer to go in with more than less and support that I am eligible to get what I am requesting.

How Long do I have to wait for these documents?

As of 1/2022, if it was issued between 1910 and 1919 you’re probably looking at 9 months. If it was issued later, I would anticipate 3–4 months. So don’t leave this until 2 weeks before you need it.

You Need a Letter of Exemplification

This is a second piece of paper that comes with your certificate. You need it. Make sure you check it off on the application, then make sure they send you one because I have had them forget to include it. Without that letter, you cannot get an apostille on the document.