How Hawaii Death Records Work

Hawaii never fully opens death certificates, but records over 75 years old are available for genealogical research, and the bare index facts — name and event — are public. Eligibility is broader than most states, reaching grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins. No informational copies; a $5 letter of verification confirms a death is registered without releasing the certificate.

Counter hours run only 7:45am to 2:30pm, verification letters move by mail or in person only, and mail orders need certified funds. Content reviewed July 30, 2026 by the SearchSystems editorial team.

Where to Order

Hawaii Office of Health Status Monitoring (DOH)
Official Free
The official custodian. Application forms, current fees, eligibility rules, and processing times — order direct and skip the third-party markup.
🌐 health.hawaii.gov
CDC — Where to Write for Vital Records
Official Free
The federal directory of every state's vital records office — the authoritative answer to 'where do I order' for any state and any year.
🌐 www.cdc.gov

Frequently Asked Questions

When do Hawaii death certificates become public?
Hawaii never fully opens death certificates, but records over 75 years old are available for genealogical research, and the bare index facts — name and event — are public.
What can non-family requesters get?
No informational copies; a $5 letter of verification confirms a death is registered without releasing the certificate.
Can I search Hawaii deaths online for free?
There is no official online index; ordering runs through the state's own eHawaii portal, not VitalChek.
What if I just need to confirm a death or find an obituary?
Skip the certificate entirely: newspaper obituaries (many are indexed by library databases), the Social Security death index carried on the big genealogy platforms, and probate case files in the county court that handled the estate all confirm a death without touching the restricted certificate.

Related Hawaii Records

The Hawaii vital records page covers the full birth-marriage-death picture; birth certificates follow their own (usually longer) privacy clock; probate lives in Hawaii court records; and people search shows how death records fit a full person lookup. County pages list the local offices that issue copies.