Agencies
Services
Correct Death Certificate
What You Will Need to Provide
Death certificates can be corrected under certain circumstances prescribed by the Vital Records Act (410 ILCS 535) and 77 Ill. Adm. Code Part 500 (see LAWS & RULES to the right). Every request is unique.
Every person entitled to request a correction, must complete an Affidavit and Certificate of Correction Request (see FORMS in the right-hand column). Because each request is different, additional documentation will be required and may vary, according to the type of correction requested.
In order to request a correction to a death certificate you must complete the Affidavit and Certificate of Correction Request (see FORMS in the right-hand column)in its entirety and submit it along with the following information:
A valid government issued photo identification (ID) that must be readable and is not expired/out of date (if an ID is not provided, unreadable, or expired, the request will be returned unprocessed)
To learn more about valid IDs, see RESOURCES in the right-hand column and click on IDs
To learn more about the required costs/fees, see RESOURCES in the right-hand column and click on Costs/Fees
Types of Documents
The documents listed below are provided as general guidelines. In those cases when the documentation provided does not clearly support the change requested, you may need to obtain a court order (to learn more, see RESOURCES in the right-hand column).
| Type of Correction Requested | Suggested Documents |
|---|---|
| First Name | Birth record |
| Middle Name | Birth record |
| Last Name | Birth record |
| Marriage record | |
| Sex | Birth record |
| Date of Death | Medical records from place of death |
| Age | Birth record |
| Date of Birth | Birth record |
| Birthplace | Birth record |
| Marital/Civil Union Status and Surviving Spouse |
Marriage/civil union record/divorce/dissolution record |
Surviving spouse's birth record |
|
Marital/civil union proof such as: federal or state tax returns, bank statements, brokerage and loan accounts, insurance policies. All proof of Marital/Civil Union Status must have existed within two years of the date of death. |
|
| Father/Co-parent's Name | Birth record |
| Mother/Co-parent's Name | Birth record |
| Informant's Name | Informant's birth record |
Informant's marriage/civil union record |
|
| Funeral Home | Notarized statement from both funeral homes |
| Cause of Death | Certificate of Death Worksheet signed by certifying physician |
| Autopsy | Certificate of Death Worksheet signed by certifying physician |
| Date/Time/Location of Injury | Certificate of Death Worksheet signed by certifying physician |
| Manner of Death | Certificate of Death Worksheet signed by certifying physician |
| Date Physician Last Attended Deceased | Certificate of Death Worksheet signed by certifying physician |
| Time of Death | Certificate of Death Worksheet signed by certifying physician |