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.
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 (proof of relationship required)
- A person who was, immediately before the deceased's death, a guardian of, or trustee for the deceased (proof is required)
- Former spouse or former adult interdependent partner (a term that carries legal meaning similar to common law, but not the same) of the deceased (proof of relationship required)
- A relative of the deceased person when there are no living next-of-kin (proof of relationship required)
- The legal representative for an eligible applicant or a legal 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 (proof of occupation equired)
- A person who was a joint tenant (per a Land Title) with the deceased immediately before the deceased�s death (a certified copy of the property title showing joint tenancy required)
- A person with an order from the court that states they are eligible (the order must be issued by a court in Alberta; the applicant must be authorized to make the application in the court order; the applicant must be authorized to make the application in the court order; a copy of the order must be attached to the application)
- Organization or company that has a particular interest in the deceased (a letter from the company explaining their interest is required)
If you are one of the above, you may come in and order the death certificate. You will require your valid photo ID 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 three types of death certificates that you can order:
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, registration date and date of issue.
*** This is the most commonly used certificate.
Certified copy of a Registration of Death
This certificate contains the name of the deceased, sex, age, date of death, place of death, marital status, usual residence, registration date, registration number, registration date, date of issue and disposition information (such as burial, cremation)
* The registration of Death is generally used for genealogical purposes.
Certified copy of a Medical Certificate of Death
This certificate contains the name of the deceased, sex, age, date of death, place of death, medical cause of death, name of attending physician or medical examiner who completed the Medical Certificate of Death, registration number.
* This document contains the medical information related to the medical cause of death.
