How to Find New Mexico Death Records
New Mexico's earliest settlement, San Juan, was established in 1598. In 1850 New Mexico became a territory of the United States and a state in 1912. County registration of deaths was required in 1907 and statewide registration began in 1920.
Next Step: When did the death occur? |
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Deaths before 1906
The state of New Mexico did not keep records before 1906. You must search substitute records to locate your ancestor’s death date and place.
Databases for New Mexico Substitute Death Records - Collections are incomplete
- 1701-1956 New Mexico, Catholic Church Records, 1701-1956 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images
- 1788-1789, 1838-1955 New Mexico Deaths and Burials, 1788-1798; 1838-1955 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection
- 1889-1945 New Mexico Deaths, 1889-1945 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Also at: Ancestry ($)
| Substitute Records that give death information: | ||
Deaths from 1906 thru 1949
- 1906 - A few New Mexico cities and counties started keeping death records
- 1920 - New Mexico statewide death registration began
If you cannot locate your ancestor in the databases below try searching for death information in other records.
STEP ONE: Find Death Information
For deaths that occurred during this time period, try the following databases. Try each link.
| New Mexico Deaths Indexes | ||||
| Try 1st: | ||||
| 1889–1945 - New Mexico, Deaths | Free; At FamilySearch: Also indexed at New Mexico GenWeb. A very few records start before 1906, dates vary by county. Records are more complete after 1919. | |||
| Try 2nd: | ||||
| 1907–1952 - New Mexico, County Death Records | Free; At FamilySearch: Death records from the county courthouses of Sandoval, Socorro, and Valencia. Browsable images only. | |||
| Try 3rd: | ||||
| 1788-1798; 1838-1955 - New Mexico Deaths and Burials | Free; At FamilySearch: Index to county death and burial records. A few records may be earlier or later. | |||
| Can't search the indexes listed above? | Try searching other records for death information. | |||
| Social Security Death Index (SSDI) | ||||
| Can't find your ancestor in the online index? | Tips for searching online indexes | |||
STEP TWO: Obtain the Certificate
With the exact date of death from your records or from an index you may look at films from the FamilySearch Library or order the certificate from New Mexico.
| Family History Microfilms for New Mexico Deaths | ||||
| 1889–1942 - Certificate and Record of Death | Free; at FamilySearch Library in Salt Lake City or minimal rental fee at a FamilySearch Center near you.
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| 1927–1945 - New Mexico Death Certificates | Free; at FamilySearch Library in Salt Lake City or minimal rental fee at a FamilySearch Center near you.
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| Order Certificates from New Mexico | ||||
| 1899–Present - New Mexico Department of Health. | $; The death certificates may be obtained through the Department of Health. "Death certificates become public records fifty (50) years after the date of death." [1]
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| Don't want to order the death record? Search other records with death information | ||||
Deaths after 1949
STEP ONE: Find Death Information
PART A: You know the exact date of death
Currently there are no indexes for deaths after 1949. With an exact date from your records you can order a copy of the death record for a fee from the following locations:
| Order New Mexico Deaths Certificates | ||||
| 1899–Present - New Mexico Department of Health. | $; The death certificates may be obtained through the department of health. They are restricted to immediate family members.[2] | |||
PART B: You don't know the exact date of death
If you do not know the exact death date try the following database or search other records with death information
| Try: | ||||
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| Don't want to order the death record? | Search other records with death information | |||
See list of restrictions for ordering death records.
Restrictions for Obtaining Death Records
Restrictions for obtaining certificates of persons who died within the last 50 years:
To obtain a copy of the death certificate for those who died within the last 50 years, you must be:
- The parent or grandparent of the person on the certificate
- The current spouse of the person on the certificate
- The child or grandchild of the person on the certificate
- The sibling of the person on the certificate
- NOTE: A copy of the death record cannot be obtained by anyone except those listed above until 50 years have passed from the date of the death.
- You will need to list the reason why you want the death certificate.
If you do not want to order the death record, you can search other records with death information.
Related Wiki Articles
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- How to Find U.S. death Records
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- U.S. Vital Records Overview
- United States Vital Records
- Locating United States Vital Records
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Sources
- ↑ New Mexico Vital Records and Health Department, http://vitalrecordsnm.org/death.shtml
- ↑ New Mexico Vital Records and Health Department, http://vitalrecordsnm.org/death.shtml