Death, apart from being part of a natural human process, is also a legal moment that has legal consequences. This should be specially considered and carried out by the blood relatives and legal spouse of the deceased. A death certificate is a certificate that provides information regarding the death of a person. Thanks to this document you will find out the person’s identity, birth details, nationality, place, date and cause of death.
Authorities issue a document every time the event occurs in the Illinois area, regardless of whether the individual is a citizen or a foreigner.
The importance of a death certificate
Given that people at birth begin to produce certain rights and obligations to the State, the same things that continue throughout our lives, death is the only event that stops them permanently. Thus, a death certificate is a legal document issued by a competent official that proves the death of a person and which is useful for verifying that the person is no longer subject to the obligations imposed by the State.
Are death record and death certificate the same?
We will explain it to you, because there is a lot of confusion about it. It should be clarified that a death record is a document usually issued by a doctor registered in the health system, which attests to this fact.
However, this record does not cause complete legal consequences, so it is necessary to carry out the registration process and obtain a death certificate. This certificate is the only document deemed valid by the Illinois authorities to relieve an individual of the requirement to fulfill his obligations to the State.
Obtaining a death certificate in Illinois
If your relative dies, you can obtain a death certificate by contacting the county clerk where the death occurred, for example the Sangamon County.
You can open this link and go to “Resources”. Then you can click “List of County Clerks” to find your county clerk. Please note that what you will get is a copy of the certificate, not the original document.
If you have an urgent need for a death certificate then you must submit some requirements as proof that your situation is an emergency. You may submit your request via any type of overnight delivery service, with such evidence along with a prepaid overnight delivery return envelope. Your request will be processed within 5 to 7 business days for certified copies and up to 15 business days for corrections. The following is a breakdown of the evidence required to submit a request for emergency death certification:
– A copy of the itinerary or flight ticket with a maximum departure date of 30 days or according to the date of submission of the application.
– A letter stating an urgent need.
– A statement from an insurance agent stating the importance of making a death certificate as soon as possible.
– A statement from an immigration agent stating the importance of certification of death at short notice.
Getting a copy of a death certificate is not difficult. As long as you follow all applicable procedures, you won’t have any problems.