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How to order a New Mexico death certificate

Who holds it: New Mexico Vital Records, Santa Fe only; public health offices do not issue death certificates1

Last checked against official sources on .

On this page
  1. How to search and order
  2. Fees
  3. Who may order and what is restricted
  4. More details
  5. Related records in New Mexico
  6. Death certificates in New Mexico counties with a full guide
  7. Official copies vs look-alike sites
  8. Sources

Fee

$5 per certified copy, non-refundable search fee1

Who may order

Decedent's immediate family or those with tangible proof of legal interest1

How to search and order

Online ordering
VitalChek: $21.00 by regular mail or $39.50 by UPS Next Day Air, 3-5 business day processing1

Fees

Fee statute
$5 search including one certified copy2

Who may order and what is restricted

Immediate family
Mother, father, sibling, child, current spouse, maternal or paternal grandparent (paternal only if the father is on the record)1
Immediate family rule
Rule definition includes grandchild3
Public after
50 years after death1
ID required
Photocopy of government photo ID by mail; current picture ID in person1

More details

County role
County clerks cannot issue certified death certificates just to avoid the state fee (1988 Attorney General opinion noted in the statute annotations)4
Birth certificates: who holds it
New Mexico Vital Records (Bureau of Vital Records & Health Statistics), Department of Health, Santa Fe; some public health offices take requests5
Birth certificates: fee
$10 per certified copy, non-refundable search fee5
Probate: who holds it
Clerk of the probate court, or clerk of the district court, depending on where filed6

Death certificates in New Mexico counties with a full guide

The local office, its official online search and its own fee, for each county with a full guide. Local fees can differ from the statewide figures above.

CountyOfficeSearch onlineFee
Bernalillo CountyNew Mexico Vital Records, Santa Fe office only7—$5 per certified copy (state)7
Doña Ana CountyDoña Ana County Health Center8——
San Juan CountyNew Mexico Vital Records, Santa Fe only; public health offices do not issue death certificates9—$5 per certified copy, non-refundable search fee9
Sandoval CountyNot the county. New Mexico Vital Records & Health Statistics, (505) 827-012110—$5 per certified copy, non-refundable search fee11
Santa Fe CountyCounty cannot copy death certificates; official copies from NM Department of Health12—State fee: $5 per certified copy (non-refundable search fee, NM DOH)13

For any other county, see the county list on the New Mexico guide.

Official copies vs look-alike sites

A certified copy comes only from the office that holds the record; reports and "research copies" sold by commercial sites are not issued by any New Mexico office. How to tell an official record source from a paid look-alike.

Rules in other states: death certificates in every state. Everything else in New Mexico: New Mexico public records guide.

Sources

Every fact above links to the official page it comes from. Fees and rules change, so check the office's own page before you pay or travel.

  1. Death CertificatesNM Department of Healthchecked November 4, 2026
  2. NMSA 1978 Chapter 24 Health and SafetyNM Compilation Commission (NMOneSource)checked November 4, 2026
  3. 7.2.2 NMAC Vital Records and Health StatisticsNM State Records Center and Archives (NMAC)checked November 4, 2026
  4. NMSA 1978 Chapter 14 Records, Rules, Legal Notices, OathsNM Compilation Commission (NMOneSource)checked November 4, 2026
  5. Birth CertificatesNM Department of Healthchecked November 4, 2026
  6. NMSA 1978 Chapter 45 Uniform Probate CodeNM Compilation Commission (NMOneSource)checked November 4, 2026
  7. Death CertificatesNew Mexico Department of Health, Bureau of Vital Records & Health Statisticschecked November 4, 2026
  8. Birth/Death CertificatesDoña Ana County Clerkchecked November 4, 2026
  9. Death CertificatesNM Department of Healthchecked November 7, 2026
  10. Birth and Death Records - Sandoval CountySandoval County, New Mexicochecked November 4, 2026
  11. Death CertificatesNM Department of Healthchecked November 4, 2026
  12. Research/Public Records AccessSanta Fe County, NMchecked November 5, 2026
  13. Death CertificatesNM Department of Healthchecked November 5, 2026