Are Death Certificates Public in New Hampshire?
No, Access to New Hampshire death records is restricted. Only certain persons are lawfully allowed to request death records in the state. Therefore, one must show a direct or concrete interest in the information in order to receive a death certificate from the Division of Vital Records or a town or municipal clerk. RSA 5-C:82 (New Hampshire vital records law) outlines the conditions to access death certificates. Any clerk of a town or city's office or Vital Records office in New Hampshire will accept a written request for a certified copy of a death record, but the requested certified copies of the death certificate will be given if it is found that the applicant has sufficiently demonstrated a direct and concrete interest in the record.
What Shows Up on Death Records in New Hampshire?
In New Hampshire, a death record is a legal document that contains information about a deceased's life and death. Along with other New Hampshire vital records, death records are used by governmental agencies to compile vital Health statistics and carry out health-related research. They are also generally used as permanent evidence of death. New Hampshire death records are created in conformity with the US Standard Death Certificate, which implies that they contain the following information:
- Demographics and Vital Statistics: Name, age, social security number, race, educational background, occupation, residence state, address, marital information, parent information, place of death, and gender
- Method of Body Disposition: Funeral home, crematorium, burial, or cemetery site.
- Death information: Date of death, time of death, manner of death, and cause of death.
- Personal information: Name of the decedent's birth parents and name of the decedent's spouse
Public health authorities frequently use New Hampshire death records as a source of information since they contain data on a population's causes of death. Using this data, public health policies and initiatives to reduce deaths and improve population health can be developed to discover trends and patterns in mortality rates.
How are Death Records Created in New Hampshire?
The Office of Vital Records and Health Statistics creates and maintains death records in New Hampshire. According to Section 290:17 of the New Hampshire Law, a funeral director or anyone appointed by the deceased before their death files the record of the deceased’s death. When a funeral director takes custody of the deceased's body, they must first ascertain the cause of death. Section 5-C:64 requires that the funeral director or the appointed person gets the medical portion of the death record data. The medical examiner fills in the necessary information about the cause of death and returns the record to the appointed person or the funeral director. If the cause of death is unknown, the medical examiner will state ‘pending’ in the cause of death section. This section must be updated once the cause of death is discovered.
After this, the funeral director or appointed person would fill in the accurate personal details of the deceased. Following Section 5-C:66, the death record must be filed with the Division of Vital Records within 36 hours of receiving the body and final disposition.
By the provisions of Section 5-C:94, the New Hampshire Department of State allows amendment and correction of an error in the names of death records after it has been registered with the Division of Vital Records Administration. To amend the death record, applicants should complete the Application for Correcting or Completing a Certificate Of Birth, Marriage, or Death (Form VSCr). However, if the change is within six months of the occurrence, the VSX form is used. The town clerk selects the appropriate form to be used. Applicants are required to contact the town or city clerk where the death occurred.
Information on the town clerk can be obtained by selecting the relevant town in the directory. The application must be signed and notarized. It must also be supported by two pieces of documentary evidence, like other vital records, hospital records, or income tax records. The document must be dated close to the date of the event. This service costs $10 and $15 for a certified copy.
How to Find Death Records Online in New Hampshire
The Division of Vital Records Administration maintains an online platform for accessing death records data registered in New Hampshire. Interested persons can look up records of deaths that occurred from 1995 to the present on the New Hampshire Vital Records Information Network web (NHVRINweb). However, they must first register to gain access to the NHVRINweb portal. The NHVRINweb portal provides statistical data only. Hence, it can not be used for certification or registration. To get the desired result, filter the search using the deceased’s age, gender, location, race, or date of death.
Requesters looking up the specific code for the ICD cause of death should use the advanced button under the death indicator on the query page. The result brings the entire ICD code table.
Considered open to citizens of the United States, public records are available through both traditional and government sources and third-party websites and organizations. In many cases, third-party websites make the search easier as they are not limited geographically or by technological limitations. They are a good place to start when looking for specific or multiple records. To gain access to these records, interested parties must typically provide:
- The name of the person listed in the record. Juveniles are typically exempt from this search method.
- The last known or assumed location of the person listed in the record. This includes cities, counties, and states.
While third-party sites offer such services, they are not government-sponsored entities and record availability may vary on these sites when compared to government sources.
Death Record Search by Name in New Hampshire
Due to the limitations on access put on New Hampshire death records. The central database, which houses a lot of the state's important records, is not easily accessible to the general public. However, eligible persons who present positive identification can look for death records by name by going to any city clerk's office and requesting them. Typically, applicants are given a form to fill out in order to start the search process. A Death record search by name is conducted using the deceased's name which is provided to the city clerks.
Death Record Search by Address
According to New Hampshire law, individuals can only obtain copies of death records from the state's vital records offices. To get copies of these United states death records available in New Hampshire, one must submit an application to a regional or state vital records office. However, in order for the staff to locate the requested record, the requester must often include the decedent's last known address and place of death, as well as, in some cases, the decedent's social security number.
How to Find Death Records for Free in New Hampshire
Death records in New Hampshire are not available for free, although they are inexpensive. The New Hampshire Division of Vital Records Administration requires that anyone interested in obtaining a death record must pay the required fees.
How to Obtain Death Records in New Hampshire
To obtain death records in New Hampshire, eligible persons can query the New Hampshire Division of Vital Records Administration or the town or city clerk’s office in the town or city where the death occurred. Death records may be obtained by mail, in-person, or online.
Death records in the State of New Hampshire can be obtained at the New Hampshire Division of Vital Records Administration by mailing the completed Application for a Certified Copy of a Vital Record form, valid photo ID, and required fees, in an enclosed stamped self-addressed return envelope to:
NH Department Of State
Division Of Vital Records Administration
Registration/Certification
9 Ratification Way
Concord, NH 03301-2410
If an authorized person requesting a death record does not have a valid photo ID, such a person must download and complete the Documentation Evidence.
For online access, requesters can search for statistical information on a death record via the NHVRINweb portal. Requesters must register to access the information provided on the death record. The NHVRINweb portal does not provide certified copies of the death records.
In-person requests may also be sent to the local city and town clerks’ offices in the State of New Hampshire. Note that these offices have different modes of operation. As a result of this, it is recommended that requesters check the New Hampshire towns and cities directory for the address and contact information of the clerk’s office in the exact location where the death occurred to make a request.
Also, download the application form from the official website of the city, complete it and deliver it by mail or in-person, depending on the mode of operation in the clerk’s office where the request will be made. A valid ID and the required fees should also be submitted along with the completed request.
Can Anyone Get a Copy of a Death Certificate in New Hampshire?
Death records are classified as confidential records in the State of New Hampshire, which means that only limited access is allowed; this is similar to death, marriage, and divorce records in the state. A New Hampshire death certificate search can only be requested by persons with a direct and tangible interest in the record. However, death records become public after 50 years have passed since the date of death. Disclosure of information in a death record is guided by the provisions of Section 5-C:9 of the New Hampshire Law. To obtain a death record, the requester must be one of the following:
- Registrant;
- Immediate family;
- Guardian; or
- A person with a direct and tangible interest in the record
How Much Does a Death Certificate Cost in New Hampshire?
Section 5-C:10 of New Hampshire Law provides for a uniform fee when obtaining New Hampshire death Certificates. Requesters are to pay $15 for the first copy of a certified death record and $10 for each additional copy requested at the same time.
How Long Does It Take to Get a Death Certificate in New Hampshire?
New Hampshire death certificates requested in person at the town or city clerk’s office can be issued on the same day. However, a request sent via mail would typically take about 20 business days from the receipt of such a request.
How Long to Keep Records After Death
There are no statutory provisions on how long a death record should be kept. New Hampshire death records are considered permanent evidence of death and they may be required for official use at any time. Hence, death records alongside other vital records of the deceased should be kept for as long as possible.
How to Expunge Death Records in New Hampshire
Death records can not be expunged under the law. Only criminal history can be expunged and this is subject to some limitations. Expungement is the process of removing a person’s criminal history record from background checks and thereby preventing public access to it. However, expunged records would still be available to law enforcement agencies.
How to Seal Death Records in New Hampshire
Death records in New Hampshire cannot be sealed. Although death records are private and confidential, they are not subject to sealing.
How to Unseal Death Records in New Hampshire
Death records are not subject to unsealing in New Hampshire.
How to Use the New Hampshire Death Registry
A searchable New Hampshire death index is not offered online by the Department of Public Health, the state vital records office for New Hampshire. The county clerk offices that provide qualified citizens with access to vital records (the local registrars or county recorder's offices) do not either. However, the CDC national death index, the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) of the CDC keeps a database of every death that took place in the United States, which naturally includes data on New Hampshire death records. The United States death registry, often known as the National Death Index or NDI, has more than 100 million death records. The database, however, is only accessible to those who qualify. Normally, researchers can only use the NDI data for medical and public health research. The CDC website contains more details about the US death register for those who are interested.
A death registry is also available on the New Hampshire Vital Records Information Network Web Query site, which can be used to encourage increased public access to the state government's electronic databases. A death notice should not be confused with a death registry or index. Death registers are merely lists of deaths that have occurred in specific areas.
How to Find an Obituary for a Specific Person in New Hampshire
Anybody can enlist the help of local libraries in the state to find obituaries for specific persons in New Hampshire. Local libraries can frequently hold more local history resources than larger, more central ones, making them an excellent source of genealogical data. Every library naturally retains a record of its newspaper holdings, and these records almost always include obituary resources that are no longer readily available. Even better, some libraries include obituary-specific indexes, which may save a ton of time when searching them. The New Hampshire State Library, which consists of a collection of more than a hundred local newspapers on microfilm, some of which date back to the early 19th century, is a fantastic resource for finding specific obituaries. People can search the library catalog for any historical obituary information by visiting the library in person or online.
How to Conduct a Free Obituary Search in New Hampshire
Local libraries and many online publications in New Hampshire allow persons to access information on obituaries in the state for free. Third-party sites also have an online New Hampshire obituary search tool that gives people access to obituaries from thousands of county locations across New Hampshire. It is also possible to search for obituaries by first or last name, state, and publication date using these library tools. A free obituary search can also be conducted through any online site dedicated to local cemeteries in New Hampshire. Due to their specialization, they may very possibly hold records that aren't kept by anyone else.
What is Considered a Death Notice in New Hampshire?
A death notice in New Hampshire is a public announcement that informs residents of the state of a death within the state. In it, the deceased's name, date of birth, death date, place, and any funeral or memorial service arrangements are listed along with other relevant details about how they died. New Hampshire Death notices while similar, are not the same as New Hampshire obituaries
What is the Difference Between Death Notices and Obituaries?
An obituary is a longer, more thorough description of a person's life that serves as a history and record of that person's life. The deceased person's relatives, friends, or an obituary writer may write the obituary. Death notices are often significantly shorter and provide the most pertinent details about the deceased's passing. A description of the deceased's personality, interests, hobbies, profession, family background, and information on their services may be found in their obituaries. A death notice, on the other hand, often includes the decedent's full name, date of passing, place of passing, and occasionally whether or not services are being held.
