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Oregon Health Authority

Change a Death Record

According to Oregon law, those wanting to amend an Oregon death record must complete an application, prove their eligibility, and when required, provide evidence documents to support the correction or change to the record. For more information, see ORS 432.235 and OAR 333-011-0300. If the death did not occur in Oregon, contact the state where it did occur to amend the record.
If you need a copy of a current death certificate, you can order one from our home page. You can exchange the original certificate for an amended certificate within one year of issuance date. The fee for a replacement certificate is $5.00. 

​​Affidavit:

A written statement confirmed by oath or affirmation for use as evidence in court or for legal purposes. When an affidavit is signed, a Notary must be present as an official, impartial witness in order for the document to be legally valid.


Amendment/Amend:

Changing or correcting a record by adding, subtracting, or substituting information on the record.


Applicant:

The eligible person submitting the application to change the decedent's record.


Certified:

A document with an official stamp or signature attesting that it is authentic.


Court Order/Judgment:

The final decision of a court case that determines that rights and obligations of the people involved. Both terms are considered to mean the same thing for the purposes of this web page and usually refer to a printed version of the final decision.


Decedent:

The person who has died.


Informant:

The person who provided the decedent's personal information that is used for the death record.


Medical Certifier:

The licensed physician/doctor, physician associate, or nurse practitioner who signed the death record/​​certificate.


Medical Examiner:

A specially trained medical doctor who investigates sudden, unnatural, or unexpected deaths to determine the cause and manner of death.​ Medical examiners sign the death records/certificates of the deaths they investigate.


Notary:

A person who is authorized by the state to act as an official witness to the signing of legal documents by verifying the identity of those who sign.


Sealed File:

File that is kept confidential and not available to the public. Typically, court orders are required to access sealed files.

​

Original:

The first created document or item that is NOT a copy, scan, fax, or email. ​


Typographical:

Typed or printed text​.​


​Changes to medical information (bottom half of the certificate and the date of death can only be made by the Medical Certifier (doctor, physician associate, and nurse practitioner) listed on the record or a Medical Examiner. 


If the death certificate was signed by a medical certifier, email Oregon Vital Records at CHS.Statistics@oha.oregon.gov and provide the name of the deceased person as it appears on the death record, what needs to be amended, and your contact information.

 ​

If the death was investigated and signed by a medical examiner, please contact the medical examiner's office at 971-673-8200 to request the amendment.​

 

​Changes to the personal information (top half of the certificate excluding the date of death) are typically made by Funeral Directors of the funeral home listed on the record.


Contact the funeral home for personal amendments unless the amendments are for:


  • Marital status

  • Name of spouse

  • Name of informant

 
If a change cannot be completed by one of the above parties, or if you need to amend any of the personal amendment exceptions listed above, please contact the Amendments Unit. 
If they instruct you to amend the record yourself, complete the below “Checklist to Amend a Death Record."

​If you call or email an amendment specialist about an amendment, please leave one complete message and include:​

​

  1. ​Your first and last name (Please spell if leaving a message.)


  2. Telephone number

  3. Email address

  4. The name currently listed on the record (Please spell this if leaving a message.)

  5. The date of the vital event (birth, death, etc.)

  6. Order number, if there is one assigned

  7. The amendment type, an exact description of the item that is in error and how it needs to be changed or corrected

  8. Whether a request and/or fee has already been submitted to make the change to the record

 

Providing this level of detail allows our staff to find your information if it has already been submitted and make sure we are as prepared as possible before responding to your communication.

 

Email:         CHS.Amendments@oha.oregon.gov

​

Phone:        971-673-1147

This phone line is exclusively for voicemails and won't be answered by a person.​



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    Checklist to Amend a Death Record 
    (Note: The death must have occurred in Oregon.)

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    Contact an Amendment Specialist about Your Specific Amendment Need and Verify Your Eligibility to Amend the Record
    alt text Be at least 18 Years Old

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    Provide Death Order Form
  • English Death Order Form
  • Spanish Death Order Form (Formulario de Solicitud de certificado de Defunción de Oregón)

    • ​Provide a copy of acceptable proof of ID with your order form.


    Important:

    • Words must be legible and photo must be clear.

    • Expired documents are not acceptable.


    Any ONE of the following documents are acceptable:

    1. ​Current, valid driver's license, permit, or ID card.

    2. Current, valid passport or passport card with photo.

    3. Tribal Membership or ID card with photo and address (without photo accepted as one of three pieces of ID).

    4. U.S. Armed Services ID Card with photo.

    5. Current student body card with name and photo (high school students only).

    6. Consulate Card (Matrícula Consular) with photo and address.

    7. Citizen ID with photo.

    8. Permanent Resident Card with photo.

    9. Employment Authorization Document/Card (EAD) with photo.​


    10. State or federal government ID badge with photo.


    OR...

    Any THREE of the following documents, as long as at least one shows your current address:​

    1. ​Selective Service Card or military discharge paper (must be original).

    2. U.S.​ Immigration or naturalization papers.

    3. Concealed weapon permit with photo.

    4. Official papers issued by courts of record which include date of birth.

    5. Official corrections department or parole papers showing date of birth and full name.

    6. Vehicle registration or title.

    7. Personalized check or savings account passbook.

    8. Monthly banking or mortgage account statement (Document must be no more than 30 days old).

    9. Pistol or firearms permit.

    10. State hunting or fishing license.

    11. Recent utility or other bill with current address (Document must be no more than 30 days old).

    12. Recent paycheck stub or paycheck (official company type only). (Document must be no more than 30 days old.)

    13. Company identification card.

    14. Voter registration card issued by a county elections department.

    15. Valid food stamp, welfare, or unemployment identification.

    16. Medical or hospital insurance card.

    17. Tax statements – W-2 forms, etc.

    18. Auto insurance policy.

    19. Union membership card.

    20. ​​Rental agreement that displays the rental property header/logo, is the current property of  residence, is signed by the property manager, and shows that ID verification has taken place.

    If there are differences between information provided and information o​n the record, or questions about the validity of any document, staff are authorized to request additional information or documents.

    A printable version of the identifying documents list is available in both English and Spanish​​.​

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    Provide Notarized Amendment Affidavit
  • Affidavit to Correct a Death Record: Informant/Next of Kin (45-27B)

    • ​When completing any affidavit or form that needs to be notarized, do the ​following to make sure the affidavit or form will not be rejected.​

     

    • Enter all information on the affidavit exactly as it  appears on the current death certificate that is registered with the state.

      • If you do not have a current death certificate, you can order one. You can exchange certificates for amended certificates within one year of issuance date. The fee for a replacement certificate is $5.00.​
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    • ​​​Description Wait to sign the document!

    • Take the completed document to a Notary and sign it in the presence of the Notary. 


    • If ANY words are crossed out or any white out is used on the form, the application will be rejected. If you make a mistake, fill out a new form.​


    Additional information:​​​​​

    • Most forms can be filled out on your computer and then printed.

    • If you do complete a form by hand, use blue or black ink and print neatly.

    • A Notary can be found in many places of business. Banks, insurance companies, and shipping or document preparation companies will often have a Notary.​

    alt textProvide Original Evidence Document(s) (if instructed by an amendment specialist)

    ​An original of the document must be submitted to serve as evidence document (cannot accept a photocopy, email, fax, or scan). This will be returned to the applicant after the amendment is complete unless it is required to be retained in a permanent sealed file.

     

    The date the document was created must be before the date of the death of the decedent.

     

    The document must have the full legal name of the decedent and (if appropriate) the person that is being linked to the decedent.

     

    Examples of Evidence Documents for Death Amendments:

    • ​ Date of birth of decedent is wrong:   

       -or-

    • ​Name of decedent is misspelled:

      • ​Submit original document that has decedent's correct date of birth.

        • ​Birth certificate

        • Marriage certificate (official, state version, not commemorative version for display)

    • Name(s) of parent(s) are misspelled:​

      • ​Submit original document that connects the decedent's and parent's information.

        • ​Birth certificate

        • School record

        • Social Security Administration History Form (Form SSA-L996​) (This form costs money to order.) 

    • Address is wrong:

      • ​Original document that has decedent's first and last legal name with the correct address dated within 30 days of date of death.

        • Medical bill

        • Bank statement

        • Utility bill

        • Cell phone statement 

          ​

    • Social Security number is wrong:

      • ​​​Submit an original document dated prior to date of death with legal first and last name, Social Security number, and date of birth.​


    ​Amendment Fee:


    ​No Fee:​​      Amendment requests that are made within 1 year ​following the date of death.


    $35:           Amendment requests made more than​ 1 year AFTER the date of death.​


    This fee does not include a copy of the certificate after the record is corrected or amended.


    Payment:

    No cash. Make payment by money order or check.

     

    Make payment out to: OHA/Vital Records ​
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    Pay Certificate Fee(s) $25 per certificate if ordering new certificate(s)

    NOTE: Not all people who are eligible to amend a death record are eligible to receive a death certificate. Visit the “Eligibility to Order Vital Records" link under the Order a Certificate Menu from the Vital Records Home page to learn more.

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    Submit the Amendment Application and Materials

    • Death Order Form

    • Copy of Current Photo ID

    • Amendment Affidavit or Form (if required)

    • Original Evidence Document (if required)

    • $35 Amendment Fee (if required)

      • No fee for requests made within 1 year following date of death

      • $35 for requests made more than 1 year after date of death

    • Certificate Fees (if ordering new certificates)

      • $25 for each certificate

        -or-
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      • $5 Replacement Fee 

        • If exchanging a certificate, include original certificates that are being replaced.

     

    Payment:
    ​

    (Make one payment for all amendment and certificate fees.)

    No cash. Make payment by money order or check.
    Please do not staple payments or documents to each other or to the order form.​


    Make payment out to: OHA/Vital Records  ​

     

     

    Place all materials in one sealed envelope and submit to Oregon Vital records by: 

     

    ​Mail:

    Oregon Vital Records
    Amendments Unit
    PO Box 14050

    Portland OR 97293 

     

    ​-or- 


    Drop Box:


    Oregon Vital Records

    Amendments Unit

    800 NE Oregon Street 

    Portland OR 97232


     

    The bright blue box is located at the entrance by the west door (located in the parking lot).

    Description

    The box is checked several times a day during regular business hours.
     

    Please make sure that the items ​you drop off are in a sealed envelope, and "Oregon Vital Record Amendments Unit" is clearly written on the outside. If you are submitting documents to a specific amendments specialist, please include their name on the envelope. If you are submitting additional documents for an existing or pending order, please reference that order number on the envelope. 

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      ​After submitting your amendment request materials and fee, the date your check or money order is cashed represents the verification your materials were received. It also helps you estimate the time remaining before your request is processed.


      We are unable to provide status updates for individual orders at this time due to high workload and staffing availability. Visit the “Amendment Processing Times" link in the “Change a Record" menu from the Vital Records and Certificates Home Page to view a list of the latest processing times for different amendment types. This page is updated weekly and is subject to change.

       

      Requests are reviewed and processed in the order they were received. If there are any issues with your request, you will be contacted at that time by secure email, mail, or by phone. Please check your junk email folder for any messages from us that may get caught in a filter.

       

      The following may cause delays with processing the order:


      • Inaccurate or incomplete information was submitted

      • Missing ID and/or documents that are required for the amendment

      • Missing fees or partial payment received

      • The applicant who submitted the order is not eligible

       

      If the amendment needs to be completed sooner than this timeline allows, we offer expedited service for an additional $30 fee.

       

      • You must write on the order form that you are expediting your request with your additional $30 payment.

      Expedited amendments are processed in three (3) full business days once all required documents and fees are received. After the amendment is processed, the amended certificate is sent to you via regular U.S. Mail (allow 7-10 business days for delivery). If you require a faster delivery method for the new certificate to be sent, you must provide all materials required by your chosen delivery service, including prepaid envelope and completed mailing label (for example, FedEx or UPS). ​​

      Completed Amendment Requests


      Once an amendment request has been reviewed, one of the following will happen:​

       

      Icon Description automatically generatedIf the amendment was completed, the record will be updated with the correct information.

       

      If new certificates of the updated record were requested they will be mailed to the address that was provided.


      ​Any original evidence or court ​document(s) provided for the amendment will be returned to the applicant via certified mail with the exception of documents required to be retained in a permanent sealed file.

       

      Shape Description automatically generated If the amendment was unable to be completed, the applicant will receive an email or letter explaining why and what steps need to happen to continue the amendment process.​​


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