If you decide to handle all death arrangements without the help of a Funeral Director, it will be up to you to make sure the death certificate is properly filled out and filed in the county or state in which the death occurred. In Texas, you have ten (10) days in which to file a death certificate. Check with your state's Bureau of Vital Statistics for their procedure.

A. Information should be provided by the Attending Physician, Medical Examiner, Coroner or informant meaning spouse, parent, children of deceased, another relative or knowledgeable person of deceased.

B. Use a typewriter or print legibly with a black ink pen.

C. Do not erase or use white out and avoid abbreviations.

D. All signatures must be original. Stamped or faxed signatures are not accepted.

E. File the original certificate with the registrar. Certified copies are required for Social Security, Insurance Companies, Veteran's Administration, Banks, etc. There is a fee for each certified copy with twelve to fifteen (12-15) certificates suggested. (See Who Requests Death Certificates? Section Two - Page 1)

F. Make sure you have the correct spelling of the names, address, etc. Be sure to dot all I's and cross all T's.

G. There are various types of certificate of death applications but they basically all ask the same questions. Enclosed in this section is a copy of a death certificate to be reviewed. (See next page for Certificate of Death). Questions one to twenty-nine (1-29) are easy to understand. Questions thirty to forty-two (30-42) need to be closely attended to. This information must be filled out by the correct parties. In the State of Texas, if any information is falsified, you can be put in prison two to ten (2-10) years and fined up to $10,000.00. If you don't understand something on the application, do not fill it out until you ask an expert.