Hawaii · 5 counties
When someone dies in Hawaii
Two things matter first: getting certified death certificates, and, if money is short, reaching the burial assistance program in the county where the death happened. Pick your county below for exact contacts.
The paperwork
Death certificates in Hawaii
Certified copies come from the Hawaii Department of Health, Office of Health Status Monitoring, Vital Records (official site).
Hawaii is inexpensive: $10 for the first copy of a certificate and only $4 for each additional copy of the same certificate ordered at the same time, so order everything you need in one request. You can order online at vitrec.ehawaii.gov/vitalrecords with a government ID ready to upload and pay by debit or credit card, by mail with a cashier's check, certified check, or money order payable to the State Department of Health, or in person at 1250 Punchbowl Street, Room 103, where cash and credit cards are also accepted. Certified copies go only to someone with a direct and tangible interest. Questions go to 808-586-4539.
Planning ahead
Nobody has died yet? Set up a power of attorney
If someone you love is aging or ill, the cheapest protection your family can get is a power of attorney, and it must happen while they can still sign. We cover Hawaii's exact rules and official forms.
Hawaii power of attorney rulesIf money is tight
Statewide burial assistance
Hawaii's Department of Human Services runs a state funded Death Payments Program through its Med-QUEST Division that helps pay mortuary, cremation, or burial costs for people who were receiving Medicaid or other state financial assistance when they died, as well as for unclaimed bodies. A family member or representative applies using DHS Form 1163, and a certified death certificate or death confirmation must be submitted to the department within sixty days of the date of death for the claim to be considered. Eligibility can be denied if the deceased already has full funeral benefits available from another source such as a pre paid funeral plan or insurance, so families should check with DHS about this program as soon as possible after a death.
Pick your county