How to Get or Replace an Ontario Death Certificate After Someone Dies

When can you order an Ontario death certificate?

You can apply for an Ontario death certificate at any time after someone dies, but the certificate cannot be issued until the death has been registered in Ontario.

Registration and ordering a certificate are separate processes. After a death, the Medical Certificate of Death is completed by the appropriate medical professional. A Statement of Death is also completed using information about the deceased. When a funeral service provider is involved, the funeral director normally handles submission of the registration documents to the municipal clerk. Ontario also provides a process for a family member to register the death when no funeral service provider is used.

Ontario currently advises that death registrations are taking up to 16 weeks to process after the Office of the Registrar General receives the forms. This registration period is separate from the processing time for a certificate order.

Death certificate or certified copy: which document do you need?

A standard Ontario death certificate contains details of a death that occurred in Ontario. It may be needed for estate administration, insurance and accessing or cancelling government services.

A funeral director can also provide proof-of-death documents that may be accepted for some purposes. However, some organizations specifically require the official provincial death certificate issued through the Office of the Registrar General.

Ontario also offers a certified copy of the death registration. This is a different document and may be required for purposes such as settling an estate outside Canada, certain pension matters outside Canada or insurance. Before ordering, ask the organization requesting proof of death exactly which document it requires.

If you are administering the estate, you may also need to obtain a CRA clearance certificate before final estate distribution and file the deceased person's final Canadian tax return, depending on the circumstances.

Who can order a death certificate?

Anyone may apply for a standard Ontario death certificate. Ontario states that there are no restrictions on who can apply and no restriction on the number of certificates that can be ordered. This means a person who is not related to the deceased can order a standard death certificate or request a death search.

The rules are different for a certified copy of the death registration. Access is generally limited to next of kin or an authorized representative. Authorized representatives may have to provide evidence showing their authority to act.

What information do you need to apply online?

For an online certificate order, ServiceOntario asks for information about the person who died, including:

• first, middle and last name, or single name;
• sex;
• date of birth;
• date of death;
• city or town where the death occurred;
• parental information; and
• spouse or partner information, if applicable.

If you do not know the exact date of death, Ontario provides a separate death-search service that can confirm whether a death matching the supplied information is registered.

How do you order the certificate?

Online

The standard certificate and a certified copy of the death registration can be ordered through Ontario's online certificate service. An online application can be tracked beginning one business day after submission.

In person

You can complete the Request for Death Certificate application and submit it at the designated ServiceOntario locations listed by the province. Ontario currently lists locations at 47 Sheppard Avenue East in Toronto and 110 Laurier Avenue West in Ottawa for this service.

By mail

You can complete the Request for Death Certificate application and mail it to ServiceOntario, Office of the Registrar General, at the Thunder Bay mailing address shown on the official application instructions.

How much does an Ontario death certificate cost?

A standard death certificate costs $15 for regular service. Regular online service is estimated at 15 business days plus delivery by Canada Post.

Premium online service for a death certificate costs $45 and is estimated at 5 business days including courier delivery.

A certified copy of the death registration costs $22 for regular service or $52 for premium service. Because the standard certificate and certified registration are different products, confirm which one is required before paying for an order.

These certificate-processing estimates apply once the death is registered. They should not be confused with Ontario's current warning that registration itself may take up to 16 weeks.

How do you replace a lost, stolen or damaged death certificate?

You do not need a separate replacement procedure. Order another death certificate through Ontario's certificate service. You can use the online application, or complete the Request for Death Certificate application for an in-person or mail submission.

What if you need the cause of death?

A certified copy of the death registration with cause-of-death information is subject to different ordering rules. Ontario states that this version is not currently available through regular or premium online service. It can be requested by mail, and qualifying urgent requests can be submitted through the province's emergency process.

Do not assume that an ordinary death certificate includes all medical information. Ask the organization requesting the document whether it needs a standard certificate, a certified registration without cause of death, or a certified registration that includes cause-of-death information.

Can you get a death certificate urgently?

Ontario offers emergency certificate service at the ServiceOntario location at 47 Sheppard Avenue East in Toronto. Proof of urgency is required. For a standard death certificate, emergency service costs $45 and Ontario lists delivery within 5 business days if the death is already registered. Ontario states that no service guarantee applies.

What if you do not know the exact date of death?

You can request a death search letter. The search verifies whether a death matching the information supplied has taken place and is registered in Ontario. Ontario charges $15 for each five-year period searched.

For deaths before 1991, Ontario warns that records may not be immediately available and obtaining the registration can add 6 to 8 weeks.

What if information on the death certificate is wrong?

A replacement certificate does not itself correct the underlying registration. To change or correct registered information, request a registration amendment application form from the Office of the Registrar General. The death must already be registered in Ontario. Once an amendment is accepted, the change will appear on certificates or certified copies ordered afterward.

What happens after you receive the certificate?

Keep the certificate available for the organizations handling the deceased person's estate, insurance, pension or government records. Different organizations can require different forms of proof of death, so confirm their requirements before ordering multiple copies.

Where applicable, estate administration may also involve a CPP death benefit application, a CPP survivor's pension application, or other steps that depend on the deceased person's circumstances.