Someone died in Virginia. Start here.
The first 24 hours, in order, then the first week and the first month, with Virginia's actual rules for death certificates, cremation, and probate. This page is free. No account required.
Sources: official Virginia statutes and agencies, linked below. Last updated: October 2026.
Start with safety, the required local response, and the people who can help. The exact process depends on where and how the death occurred.
These figures come from the same data as our full Virginia guide, built from state statutes and official agencies.
Death certificate
Filed within 3 days
The window runs from the death. The funeral provider or another authorized filer usually handles it. Ask each institution whether it needs a certified copy, then order an initial quantity based on those actual needs. Confirm the current fee with the issuing office; the guide's last-reviewed first-copy or search fee starts at $15. Additional-copy, vendor, and expedited fees may differ.
Source: Va. Code 32.1-263 (Virginia Vital Records) (opens in a new tab)Cremation
No fixed statutory wait
Virginia doesn’t set a fixed minimum wait in the source reviewed. Release, authorization, permit, death-record, or investigation requirements may still delay cremation. The person legally authorized under state law completes any required authorization; the provider handles its filing process.
Source: Va. Code 54.1-2800 et seq. (Virginia Funeral Regulations) (opens in a new tab)Probate
$75,000 listed amount
The amount alone doesn’t establish eligibility. Confirm which property counts, how it’s valued, the waiting period, ownership, any pending court case, and every other state condition.
Source: Va. Code Title 64.2 (Wills, Trusts, and Fiduciaries); § 64.2-601 (Virgini… (opens in a new tab)Estate tax
None in this state
Virginia has no state estate or inheritance tax. The federal basic exclusion amount is $15 million for deaths in 2026; other Form 706 filing reasons can still apply.
Source 1: Virginia Department of Taxation, Estate and Inheritance Taxes (opens in a new tab)Source 2: IRS: 2026 estate tax basic exclusion amount (opens in a new tab)Days 2 to 7 · 1 to 7 days
These tasks often begin during the first week, but local requirements and the family's circumstances may change the order.
Weeks 2 to 4 · 1 to 4 weeks
The immediate calls may slow down. Estate, account, benefit, property, and tax work often continues for months.
The Long Game · 1 month+
Estate administration may take months or longer. The timing depends on the assets, claims, disputes, tax work, court schedule, and state procedure.
Have the death officially pronounced. For an expected hospice death, call the hospice nurse and follow the hospice instructions. For an unexpected death, call 911 and don’t move the body until you’re told you can. Then notify the closest people and, after the body is released, contact the funeral, cremation, burial, or donation provider the person chose.
In Virginia, the death certificate must be filed within 3 days of the death. The funeral provider or another authorized filer usually handles it. Ask each institution whether it needs a certified copy, then order an initial quantity based on those actual needs.
Only immediate family can get a full certified copy: mother, father, spouse, child, brother, sister or a grandparent, with valid identification, plus a legal representative with a power of attorney or a funeral service licensee. Someone else with a direct and tangible interest gets a Verification of Death, not the certificate. Death records become public after 25 years. Certified copies come from Virginia's Office of Vital Records, Virginia Department of Health; DMV offices and local health departments take walk-in orders.
$15 for a certified copy from the state office, per the fee page linked on this page. Raised from $12 to $15 on July 1, 2026, under Chapter 616 of the 2026 Acts of Assembly. Charged for each certified copy and for a search when no record is found. The current death application, VS6D dated July 2026, prints $15.
From Virginia's Office of Vital Records, Virginia Department of Health; DMV offices and local health departments take walk-in orders, online through the VDH application system, in person in Richmond or at a DMV or local health department, by drop-off, by mail, or by phone through VitalChek. The official order page is linked on this page. The funeral home usually orders the first copies for you.
Virginia doesn’t set a fixed minimum wait in the source reviewed. Release, authorization, permit, death-record, or investigation requirements may still delay cremation. The person legally authorized under state law completes any required authorization; the provider handles its filing process.
Virginia's stated small-estate threshold is $75,000. Value alone doesn’t establish eligibility. Ownership, asset type, timing, beneficiaries, debts, and other state requirements can affect whether a simplified procedure is available.
No. Virginia has no state estate or inheritance tax. The federal basic exclusion amount is $15 million for deaths in 2026, and Form 706 may also be relevant for certain elections.
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