Death certificates now have an online option

We’re making things a little bit easier when it comes to buying death certificates from the City of Boston.

Grim? Indeed. A fact of life? Sadly, yes.

Death isn’t necessarily the most upbeat topic, but we’re really excited to show you a new digital tool we created. Through our death certificates app, you can now search the City’s database and order a death certificate online.

• Last updated: March 26, 2018

Why we did this

We know how complicated things can get after someone close to you passes away. Aside from coping with the loss of a loved one, dealing with the paperwork can be a horrible experience. Getting a death certificate is just one small part of the process, but making that process easier for you became a priority for us.

You’ve always been able to buy death certificates through the City — either by mail or in person — but our customers wanted an online option. Many private online companies that process death requests do offer online payments. But, they charge high processing fees (more than $40 per request) and even more for “expedited” — or urgent — requests.

We knew the potential was there for us to step in and create a more user-friendly — and cheaper — experience. After connecting to the Registry Department’s existing database, we built an application to make it easy to search. We then partnered with Stripe to figure out how to nicely integrate our online payment system with our app. We also worked with the Treasury Department to make sure those payments could easily be made while protecting your information.

If you want to learn more about how we handle online payments — and why a service fee is charged — check out our common questions page.