Death Registration
Office of Vital Records
Death Registration Resources
Morticians and funeral home staff must be authorized users of Minnesota Registration and Certification (MR&C) to register deaths in the system. Complete the Mortician or Funeral Home Staff User Agreement for MR&C (PDF) to add a new user. When an MR&C user leaves your employment, email health.MRCAdmin@state.mn.us with their name so we can disable their account.
Use these guides to accomplish tasks in MR&C:
- Change or Cancel a Death Certificate Order (PDF)
- Correct a death record (PDF)
- Enter a death record(PDF)
- Manage records and certificate requests (PDF)
- Print death worksheet and other documents (PDF)
- Request death certificates (PDF)
To print a blank death registration worksheet from MR&C:
- Log in to MR&C and click on the “Death” tab at the top.
- Click “Print blank death worksheet” in the Tasks menu at left.
- Choose “Fact of death” and then “Generate report.”
Training
Death Registration 101 (YouTube)—Our 37-minute video demonstrates how to register a death record in MR&C. This video should be viewed by all new funeral home staff who will be using MR&C.
Please take our training tracker survey any time you’ve completed a training session. It helps us gauge the reach of our classes and shows facilities which of their staff have been trained.
Practice using MR&C
Practice entering birth records using fictitious records, in the MR&C training environment. Email health.vitalrecords@state.mn.us to request access. Include your first and last name, the facility you represent, and your work email address.
Delayed registration
A death registered a year or more after the date of death is considered a delayed registration and must be handled by the Office of Vital Records. Contact health.vitalrecords@state.mn.us or 651-201-5970 for information about delayed registrations.
Permits
- Fetal Death Disposition Permit (PDF)
- Temporary Disposition Permit (PDF)—Use this permit only when MR&C is unavailable.
Links
- Funeral Director's Handbook: Death Registration and Fetal Death Reporting, 2019 Revision (PDF)
- Guidelines for Reporting Occupation and Industry on Death Certificates (PDF)
- Minnesota Department of Health Mortuary Science program—Licensing and regulation of funeral establishments, crematories, morticians, interns, and funeral directors
- FEMA’s COVID-19 Funeral Assistance
- National Vital Statistics Mortality Data—Minnesota sends death record information to the National Vital Statistics System at the CDC. The compiled data from U.S. jurisdictions help guide health-related research and public health efforts.