Death is a fact of life that all men will eventually face, hopefully later rather than sooner. When an individual finally meets his demise, the account of his passing will be recorded in a form of a document, more commonly known as a death certificate. This document then becomes vital information. Normally, accessing these kinds of reports will require certain procedures as mandated by state and federal laws. In the Commonwealth of Virginia, certain local authorities are tasked by the state to properly maintain and store these Virginia death records along with other vital information in an orderly fashion for easy public access.

Commonly known to many states as the vital statistics office, this outfit is tasked with the proper housing of the said files. Although they come in many different variations, their sole responsibility remains the same. In the Commonwealth of Virginia, the Virginia Department of Health is the main authority when it comes to all vital information, through its Office of Vital Records. All requests filed either in person or postal mail will eventually be processed in this office.

The aforementioned office accurately stores public death records between January 1853 and December 1896, as well as reports from the 14th of June 1912 onwards. As for the processing fee, each copy of the said files will cost the applicant $12, which is payable to the State Health Department by money order or personal check. For further instructions on how you can obtain certified copies, you can refer to the department's official website.

Death reports of the recently diseased are only made available to the immediate family members since information regarding these matters only become public when the statute of limitations has expired, which in this case 50 years after the subject's passing. For genealogy purposes, accessing Virginia death records that are open to the public can be quite tricky since most of these documents are more than fifty to a hundred years old. In cases such as these, the Archives Division of the Library of Virginia is your best chance at getting copies of any surviving reports from 1853 to 1896. With a variety of documents from church files to tax reports, you are bound to find the right information you are looking for.

If you look back at the old methods of getting public information, you can clearly see the significant changes that we now benefit from. With the different online services and resources provided by the state, getting the files you need is a breeze compared to ten or fifteen years ago. Nevertheless, some members of the public are still quite displeased with the efforts initiated by the government. Luckily, there are commercial online services that can fill the void in terms of providing accurate information in an efficient and practical approach.

These days, privately run information services have become quite common on the Internet. In exchange for a one-time fee, these commercial information providers will offer unlimited access to a broad database that not only houses public death records, but of other vital information as well. Utilizing these services will not limit you to one state alone in terms of your document search, since they can cover vital reports from multiple states through a nationwide search option. This, along with the other online features, will definitely make your search a more comprehensive and efficient one.