You can apply for a British Columbia Death Certificate if you are:

• Anybody with a valid reason.

Before applying, find out the type and format of the document required by contacting the organization to which you must submit it.

Documents:

Large Death Certificate (21.6 x 17.8 cm):

The Large Death Certificate contains the individual’s full name, gender, date of death, place of death, place of birth, resident province, state or country, registration number, and date of registration.

Registration Photocopy:

Registration photocopies are rarely needed by citizens and are not required for court purposes. Registration photocopies contain all the information about the event as recorded at the time, and are rarely needed for reasons other than personal records.

Please Note: Legislation requires an application and/or certificate, along with a fee, for Vital Statistics to search records. A death certificate provides confirmation that the person died in British Columbia. If no death record is found, you will receive a letter advising you that a record is not available.

Regular Service

15 business days – does not include delivery times (delivery times depends on your location)

Rush Service

5-7 business – does not include delivery times (delivery times depends on your location)
(Canada Post – 2-5 days delivery in Canada, 4-7 days delivery in the USA)

Please Note:
Courier delivery is not made to post office boxes, apartment complexes, homes that use Super Box mailboxes, or basement suites. Instead, ad delivery notice with instructions is left at the mailing address and the envelope is delivered to the nearest postal outlet. ID and signature are required upon pick up.

Fees listed above are inclusive of taxes and shipping costs. Delivery times are approximate and cannot be guaranteed. Applications may be delayed or rejected if inadequate information is provided or if there is a discrepancy between information provided and the government records. If no record of the death is found by British Columbia Vital Statistics, fees will be applied to the search cost and will not be refunded.

If you have not received your Death Certificate within the expected timeframe, you may contact the British Columbia Vital Statistics Agency to check the status of your application.

Toll Free: 1-800-663-8328 (BC only)
Telephone: 250-952-2681