Alberta Vital Statistics maintains a record (registration) of all deaths that occur in Alberta and can only issue certificates/documents for events that occurred in Alberta. Death certificates are issued by using the information from the original Registration of Death, completed at the time of death. If a record cannot be found, a search for a three-year period is carried out automatically and the applicant will be notified.
All death records are confidential, therefore only certain people can order the certificate. You must be one of the below to obtain a death certificate:
- Any adult next of kin of the deceased person
- A guardian, trustee or person with power or attorney for the deceased person whose death is registered by court documents(proof is required)
- Any person with written authorization from the person who is an adult next of kin to the deceased person
- The legal representative for an eligible applicant or a leagal representative who requires it for official duties(proof is required)
- The executor of the deceased persons estate
- A funeral home representative who is making or had made arrangements for the deceased person
If you are one of the above, you may come in and order the death certificate. You will require your drivers licence or passport to order the certificate along with any supplementary documentation as listed above. When you come in, you will fill out an application form and submit it to the registry agents. Once you have submitted the application, you will be asked how soon you need the certificate. You can order the certificate and have it sent to you by mail within 7-10 days, couriered to us within 2-3 business days depending on the time of day you ordered the certificate, or you can go down the Alberta government offices and pick it up yourself 2 business days later.
There are two types of death certificates that you can order:
Certified Large Death Certificate
This certificate contains the name of the deceased, sex, age, date of death, place of death, marital status, usual
residence, registration date, registration number and date of issue.
*** This is the most commonly used certificate.
Photocopy of Registration of Death
This registration is only used for restricted purposes such as immigration or consular affairs. It contains the same information as the large death certificate, and more.
Once you have submitted the application, you will be asked how soon you need the certificate. You can order the certificate and have it sent to you by mail within 7-10 days, couriered to us within 3 business days, or depending on the time of day you have ordered the certificate, you can go down the Alberta government offices and pick it up the next business day.
