Birth Record of a Deceased Person

Our office keeps on file birth certificates of people born in McLean County from 1860 on. For birth certificates of people not born in McLean County, please contact either the county of birth or the Illinois Department of Public Health Division of Vital Records at (217) 782-6553 or -6554 (10 am - 3 pm).  By law, we cannot make corrections to a birth record.  Contact the Illinois Department of Public Health-Vital Records for corrections.

Cost: $20 for the first certified copy, $10 for each additional copy of the same record, but only when purchased at the same time.  Each time you order, the first copy costs $20.

To obtain a certified copy of the birth record of a deceased person, you must be one of the following: 

The next of kin

Someone who has a personal or property right interest in the certificate 

Additional requirement

You must supply proof of death (for example, an obituary column or death certificate) if the birth record is 75 years old or less. Birth certificates of deceased individuals are stamped with the word "Deceased." There is a special application form to search the files for the birth record of a deceased person. You may fill this form out on a computer or print a blank copy to fill out by hand.

If the record pre-dates 1973, you may visit our office and search through the indexes (for name and date of death).

If the certificate has been on file for 75 years or longer, anyone with a genealogical interest may obtain a non-certified copy of the certificate, stamped "for genealogical purposes only." The cost is the same as for certified copies.

Under Illinois State Law (410 ILCS 535-Vital Records Act) only specific individuals have legal access to birth, death, or marriage certificates. The McLean County Clerk's Office will issue certificates to authorized individuals only. To do otherwise is a violation of Illinois Law. Vital records are not considered public information, neither are they subject to the Freedom of Information Act.

All requests must be accompanied by the unexpired Driver's License, State ID or passport of the requester.

Original ID must be presented in person; by mail, provide a copy of the ID. 

If you do not have any of these forms of identification, contact our office by calling (309) 888-5190 for more options. 

Note: Absolutely no information can be given over the telephone regarding vital records.

If you have an urgent need for a vital record, please contact the Illinois Department of Public Health.

I also need another type of record:
Birth Certificate
Marriage Certificate
Death Certificate

Note: Vital Records (birth, death, marriage and civil union certificates) are not public records, and therefore are not subject to the Freedom of Information Act.