How to Get a Death Certificate in Illinois

How to get a death certificate in Illinois requires patience if you use the state office, and a different plan if you need the certificate quickly. The state mail route takes about three months, while the county office where the death occurred is usually far faster. Illinois also restricts who can order, more tightly than many states. This guide sets out both routes and the eligibility rule, so you do not waste a season waiting on an application that cannot be granted.

How to get a death certificate in Illinois from the state

The state route runs through the Illinois Department of Public Health, Division of Vital Records, which accepts requests by regular mail. The department’s published processing time is about 12 weeks from the time your paperwork is received, and it states plainly that you will not receive an update during that processing time. That means no status calls and no tracking: you send a complete application and wait. If your application is incomplete, the delay is longer, since the office must write back for the missing pieces.

One practical warning: the Springfield office moved in September 2026. The Division’s office at 925 East Ridgley Avenue closed permanently on September 9, 2026, and the new office opened at 110 W Lawrence Avenue on September 14, 2026. Confirm the current mailing address on the department site before you send anything, since mail sent to a closed office will not reach the right desk. The department also lists an email address for questions during office closures, which is worth using if you are unsure where to send your request.

Ordering from the county

For most families, the county office is the better route. The county where the death occurred keeps its own death records and can issue certified copies directly, usually in days or weeks rather than months. Evanston’s city clerk, for example, issues death certificates for $17 for the first copy and $6 for each additional copy of the same record, and notes that a new vital record typically takes one to three weeks to be certified and registered. McLean County charges $35 for the first certified copy and $10 for each additional copy ordered at the same time, and holds death certificates for people who died in McLean County from 1878 onward. County fees and times vary, so check the county clerk or health department site for the county of death before you choose between county and state.

Note the limit on county orders: a county can only issue records for deaths in that county. If the death occurred elsewhere in Illinois, the county office will direct you to the county of death or to the state Division of Vital Records, whose phone line for record questions is listed on the department site.

Who can order

Illinois death records are not public records. They are available only to people who have a personal or property right interest in the record. A property right is defined as something owned and tangible, such as a car title or a property deed. Relatives of the person who died qualify on personal interest. If you are not a relative, a letter or document from the office or agency that needs the death certificate must accompany your request, showing why that office needs it. Bring valid government photo ID: county offices state that requests without a readable, unexpired ID will not be processed. If your ID is expired or unreadable, renew or replace it before applying, since the application will otherwise stall.

Certified or uncertified

Illinois offers two kinds of copy, and only one works for legal purposes. A certified copy is used for all legal purposes: settling an estate, claiming a will, or filing an insurance claim. An uncertified copy is a plain paper copy, often used for genealogy or research, and it is for informational use only. It cannot be used for legal purposes. If you are handling accounts, property, or benefits, order certified copies. If you are tracing family history, an uncertified copy will do, and it may be simpler to obtain.

The fee question

Unlike most states in this guide, Illinois does not publish its state fee on the official Division of Vital Records page used here, and this guide will not quote a fee from a secondary site as if it were official. Confirm the current state fee on the department site or by contacting the Division before sending payment, and remember that county fees differ from the state fee and from each other. The county examples above, Evanston at $17 and McLean County at $35 for a first copy, show how wide that range runs. Budget for the county fee if you use the county route, and do not assume the state fee matches it.