Honolulu Death Records

Urban Honolulu is where Hawaii's statewide death records system is based, making it the central hub for anyone searching for death certificates in the state. The Hawaii State Department of Health office at 1250 Punchbowl Street handles all requests for certified death certificates. Whether you need a copy for an estate, a passport application, or family research, this guide covers how to get Honolulu death records online, by mail, or in person. Records are on file from July 1909 to the present, and the process is straightforward once you know what to bring and what to expect.

Urban Honolulu Death Records

Urban Honolulu is the state capital and the largest city in Hawaii. It sits in Honolulu County on the island of Oahu. What makes it different from other cities in this guide is that the Hawaii State Department of Health in Honolulu is not just the local office. It is the central office for all death certificates in the entire state. If a person dies anywhere in Hawaii, the record ends up here. That means Honolulu residents and people from every other island all use the same office.

The Vital Records office is at 1250 Punchbowl Street, Room 103, Honolulu, HI 96801. You can find it at the corner of Beretania and Punchbowl Streets. Hours are Monday through Friday, 7:45 am to 2:30 pm. The office is closed on all state holidays. Phone: (808) 586-4539. Email: doh.issuanceQuery@doh.hawaii.gov. The main website is health.hawaii.gov/vitalrecords. Metered parking is available from Punchbowl Street at $2 per hour. Walk-in service is available, but appointments are encouraged so you do not have to wait.

All three request methods work at this office: online, mail, and in-person. All records from July 1909 forward are on file. HRS Chapter 338 is the state law that governs all vital records, including who can get them and what rules apply. The law covers everything from how a death must be reported to how copies are issued.

How to Get Death Records in Honolulu

You have three ways to request a death record in Honolulu. Online is usually the fastest. Mail works if you are not nearby. In-person gives you same-day service when the record is on file and your documents are complete. Each method has its own steps and payment rules, so it helps to know what each one involves before you start.

Online requests go through vitrec.ehawaii.gov/vitalrecords. This system covers records from July 1909 to the present. You create a free eHawaii account, which makes it easier to track your order and reorder in the future. After logging in, you upload a government-issued photo ID and proof of your relationship or eligibility. Upload files must be no larger than 10 MB and can be GIF, JPG, PNG, or PDF format. The system stores your documents in encrypted form and purges them after one year. You will need to provide the full name on the certificate (last name, first name), the date of death in MM/DD/YYYY format, and your reason for requesting the record. There is a $2.50 portal fee per five certificates ordered, on top of the base fee. Pay by credit or debit card online.

To request by mail, send your request to: State Department of Health, Office of Health Status Monitoring, P.O. Box 3378, Honolulu, HI 96801. Mail payment must be a cashier's check or money order only. No personal checks. In-person requests are taken at Room 103 at 1250 Punchbowl Street, and same-day service is possible in most cases. In-person payment can be cash, credit card, cashier's check, or money order.

Fees are $10 for the first copy and $4 for each additional copy of the same record ordered at the same time. All fees are non-refundable, even if the record is not found. Under HRS 338-14, these fee amounts are set by state law. Note: if your search comes back with no record, you still pay the fee, so make sure you have the correct name spelling and date of death before you submit.

Honolulu Medical Examiner

The City and County of Honolulu Department of the Medical Examiner handles death investigations for Oahu. The Medical Examiner is Masahiko Kobayashi, MD PhD. The Deputy Medical Examiner is Sasha Breland, MD. Phone: (808) 768-3090. The department's website is honolulu.gov/med. Autopsy reports can be found at honolulu.gov/med/autopsy-reports.

The Medical Examiner takes jurisdiction over specific types of deaths. These include violent deaths, sudden deaths of apparently healthy people, deaths that occur within 24 hours of hospital admission, deaths without a physician present, suspicious deaths, and deaths in prison. The office also handles cases where the cause of death is not immediately clear. Staff include 16 people who handle over 600 autopsies per year. Caseload has grown sharply over the years. In 2008, the office recorded 655 cases. By 2023, that number had climbed to 1,374. Between 2020 and 2021, the office received 3,267 total death notifications, accepted 1,242 of those cases, performed 433 autopsies, and ran 864 toxicology tests.

If a death goes to the Medical Examiner, the death certificate may not be issued right away. Under HRS 338-9, a death certificate must be filed within three days. When the cause of death is unknown at the time of filing, the certificate is marked "pending investigation." Complex cases like homicides are prioritized, but reports for other cases can take six months or longer depending on the circumstances.

The Honolulu Medical Examiner investigates directly alongside the Honolulu Police Department. For natural deaths at home where a doctor is available to certify the cause, the ME office is typically not involved. The office focuses on cases where the cause or manner of death needs an independent review.

Historical Honolulu Death Records

Honolulu has some of the richest historical death record collections in the state. Oahu records go back to 1852 at the Hawaii State Archives. In the archive system, records from Oahu are marked with the letter "O" as the island designation. These older records are available by request directly from the Archives. The Hawaii State Archives website is ags.hawaii.gov/archives, and the digital portal is at digitalarchives.hawaii.gov.

Ulukau is a Hawaiian electronic library that includes a Deaths-Probates Index for the First Circuit, which covers Oahu and Honolulu. You can search it at ulukau.org. FamilySearch has indexed Hawaii death records from 1841 to 1925. Ancestry.com has a broader collection covering 1841 to 1942. Both are good starting points for family research before modern digital records begin.

The Hawaii State Library at 478 S. King Street in Honolulu holds death certificate indexes from 1909 to 1949. They also hold newspaper obituary indexes covering 1835 to 1994. Specifically, there is a Honolulu Advertiser and Honolulu Star-Bulletin obituary index from 1929 to 1994. These library resources are free to use on-site. The University of Hawaii at Manoa also has a library research guide for Hawaii vital records and genealogy at guides.library.manoa.hawaii.edu.

For records of events that happened 115 or more years ago, the State DOH has a separate genealogy request process at health.hawaii.gov/vitalrecords/genealogy. The Daughters of the American Revolution Library in Honolulu also maintains pre-1860 records that may be useful for very early genealogy research. Note: the island designation system in older records can help you filter by island when searching larger collections.

The Honolulu area appears in the Ulukau Hawaiian Electronic Library index, which covers death and probate records from the First Circuit Court going back well into the 1800s. Research there for older cases and estate matters that would not appear in DOH records.

The Ulukau Hawaiian Electronic Library at ulukau.org indexes death and probate records from the First Circuit (Oahu/Honolulu), making it a key tool for historical Honolulu death record research.

Honolulu Vital Records Resources

Access to Honolulu death records is restricted by state law. Under HRS 338-18, you need a direct and tangible interest in the record to get a certified copy. People who qualify include the spouse, parents, descendants, siblings, grandparents, legal guardian, estate representative, or anyone who holds a court order. You must show proof of eligibility along with your request.

Required ID includes one of the following: driver's license, state-issued ID, US passport, foreign passport, or US military ID. If you do not qualify for a certified copy but need to confirm that a death occurred, HRS 338-14.3 provides for a verification letter. The letter confirms the event happened but does not include the full certificate details. It is accepted for many official purposes where a full certified copy is not required.

GoCertificates Hawaii at gocertificates.com is a third-party service that can help if you have trouble navigating the state system. Legal Aid Hawaii at legalaidhawaii.org offers help to people who cannot afford an attorney and may be dealing with estate or family matters that require death records. Veterans who need burial record information from the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific (Punchbowl) in Honolulu can contact that office directly for burial records, which are separate from state death certificates.

The Honolulu Medical Examiner office, shown below, serves all of Oahu and is located near downtown. Its work is closely linked to the death certificate process for cases that fall under its jurisdiction.

The Honolulu Medical Examiner office handles death investigations for Oahu. Cases that come through the ME office may affect when a death certificate is issued.

Note: If you are not sure whether your request qualifies under HRS 338-18, contact the DOH Vital Records office by phone or email before submitting to avoid delays or a denied request.

Nearby Cities

These Oahu cities are close to Urban Honolulu. All death records for these areas go through the same Hawaii State Department of Health office on Punchbowl Street.

Honolulu County Death Records

Urban Honolulu is part of Honolulu County. All death records for the county are handled through the same state office. See the county page for broader information on Honolulu County death records and resources.