Registry of Vital Records Massachusetts: Death Certificates, Costs, and How to Order

The Massachusetts Registry of Vital Records and Statistics (RVRS) is the state agency responsible for maintaining permanent records of every birth, death, marriage, and divorce that occurs in the Commonwealth. For anyone settling a Massachusetts estate, the RVRS is the first institution you will need to deal with — because nothing else can happen until you have certified death certificates in hand.

Here is what the RVRS handles, what it costs to order certified copies, and how to get them as efficiently as possible.

What the Registry of Vital Records Handles

The RVRS maintains statewide vital records under M.G.L. c. 46. Its primary functions for families after a death are:

• Certified death certificates — the official, raised-seal documents that banks, courts, insurance companies, and the RMV require before taking any action on behalf of a deceased person's estate
• Birth certificates — sometimes needed to establish identity or prove relationship to the deceased for probate purposes
• Marriage certificates — used to establish spousal rights in the probate process, survivor benefit applications, and Social Security claims
• Divorce decrees — relevant for intestate succession cases where the existence or dissolution of a prior marriage affects who inherits

For estate settlement specifically, certified death certificates are what you need. The RVRS and the city or town clerk where the death occurred are the two sources for these documents.

How Many Certified Copies Do You Need?

This is the most common mistake families make: ordering too few. At $20 to $54 per copy depending on how you order, people understandably try to minimize the number. But running out means a separate trip back to a government office during one of the most difficult periods of your life.

Most Massachusetts estates require between five and twelve original certified copies. Here is where they typically go:

• Probate and Family Court — one to two originals for the probate petition
• Registry of Deeds — one original to record a death certificate for jointly owned real estate (required with a $105 recording fee) or alongside an affidavit releasing an estate tax lien
• Massachusetts RMV — one original to transfer a vehicle title using the Affidavit of Surviving Spouse
• Banks and brokerage accounts — one per institution for accounts in the deceased's name alone
• Life insurance companies — one per policy (most estates have one to three policies)
• Social Security Administration — one for benefit notification and survivor claim
• Retirement account custodians — one per account (IRA, 401k, pension)
• MassHealth or other government agencies — one if the estate involves Medicaid recovery

If there is real estate that needs to go through probate, keep a few extra copies on hand. The Registry of Deeds, land title companies, and out-of-state institutions you may not anticipate will each need originals.

A practical baseline for a moderate estate: order ten copies. It costs more upfront but saves weeks of follow-up.

Where to Order and What It Costs

The RVRS offers three ordering methods at different price points:

In Person at the RVRS Office

The most economical option. Walk-in requests cost $20 per certified copy. The RVRS is located at 150 Mount Vernon Street in Dorchester (Boston).

Hours and wait times can vary, so check the current schedule at mass.gov before making the trip. You will need to bring valid photo identification and know the deceased's full legal name, date of death, and city or town of death.

By Mail

Standard mail requests cost $32 per certified copy. You submit the Vital Records Mail Order Form (available at mass.gov) with a check or money order made payable to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

Allow two to three weeks for processing. This is not a good option if you need certificates urgently for funeral planning, probate filings, or time-sensitive agency notifications.

Online or by Phone via VitalChek

The most expensive but fastest option. VitalChek is the third-party service contracted by Massachusetts to handle electronic and phone orders.

• First copy: $54
• Each additional copy: $42

Orders placed online or by phone typically ship within five to seven business days with standard delivery. Expedited shipping is available for an additional fee. Credit card payment is accepted. You can access VitalChek orders through the RVRS page on mass.gov.

From the City or Town Clerk

As an alternative to the RVRS, you can order certified death certificates from the city or town clerk where the death occurred or where the decedent was a resident. Local clerk fees are typically lower than VitalChek rates and may allow same-day or next-day service.

The tradeoff is that local clerks may have limited stock or hours. If you need more than a few copies quickly, the RVRS may be more reliable for larger orders.

What the Death Certificate Contains

A certified Massachusetts death certificate includes: the deceased's full legal name, date and place of death, age, cause of death (as certified by the attending physician or medical examiner), place of burial or cremation, and the decedent's residence. It also includes the decedent's Social Security number.

The document will have the official seal of the Commonwealth. For purposes of legal proceedings — probate, property transfers, insurance claims — only certified copies with this seal are accepted. Plain photocopies are not sufficient for most institutions.

Amending a Death Certificate

If there is an error on the death certificate — a misspelled name, incorrect date, or wrong cause of death — you need to request an amendment through the RVRS or the local clerk before using that document for legal purposes. Courts and financial institutions will reject death certificates where the name does not exactly match other documents in the estate.

Amendment requests require completing specific forms and providing supporting documentation. The process takes time, so if an error is spotted early, initiate the correction as soon as possible to avoid delays downstream.

Death Certificates and Estate Settlement: The Sequencing Issue

One practical issue that catches families off guard: death certificates cannot always be ordered immediately. The attending physician or medical examiner must certify the cause of death before the RVRS can issue certified copies. In cases involving an autopsy, unexpected death, or investigation by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, this process can take several days to a few weeks. During this window, you cannot take any legal action that requires a death certificate.

This delay has downstream effects. You cannot open probate, transfer vehicle titles, file insurance claims, or close bank accounts until certified copies are in hand. If you are planning timelines for settling the estate, build in at least a week from the date of death before certificates are available, and longer if the cause of death is under investigation.

For the complete estate settlement process — from ordering death certificates through final asset distribution — the Massachusetts Estate Settlement Guide covers every step in chronological order, including which agencies to notify first and which deadlines can permanently bar you from certain actions if missed.

Death Records Older Than 50 Years

For genealogical research or probate involving older estates, the RVRS maintains records of Massachusetts deaths going back to the mid-1800s. Records older than 50 years are generally available to the public without restriction. More recent records require proof of a direct and tangible interest — which surviving family members, personal representatives, and attorneys of record satisfy.

Key Contacts

• RVRS Office: 150 Mount Vernon Street, Dorchester, MA 02125
• Mass.gov death certificate page: mass.gov/obtaining-a-death-certificate
• VitalChek online ordering: accessible through mass.gov
• Local city/town clerk: find at mass.gov/town-clerk-directory

Having the right number of certified death certificates from the start is not a minor administrative detail — it is the bottleneck that controls every other step in settling a Massachusetts estate.

See more Massachusetts guides →