Field guides
Before you order
Short pages for the questions that waste a week: how many copies, who may request, and which office actually has the record.
How many certified copies you actually need
Banks, insurers, and title offices rarely share. Count the desks, then add two.
4 min
Certified copy vs informational copy
One of these will close a bank account. The other will not. California makes this expensive to learn the hard way.
3 min
Who is allowed to order a copy
Not every relative qualifies. Bring ID. If you are the executor, bring the paper that says so.
3 min
If the funeral home already ordered copies
Ask how many they filed, who they were for, and whether any are still in the folder before you pay the state again.
3 min
The death was in another state
You order from the state where the person died, not the state where they lived, and not the state where they will be buried.
3 min
Copies for a life insurance claim
One certified copy per company. Ask if they return it. Many still do not.
3 min
Retitling a car after a death
The DMV wants a certified copy, the title, and whatever heirship paper your state uses. Photocopies bounce.
4 min
Social Security, and when you can skip a copy
If the funeral home already reported the death, you may not need to mail SSA anything.
3 min