Just so you know, this is actually the standard for most vital records now. Since HIPPA and 9/11 stuff got into the mix, obtaining vital records just got a whole lot harder than it needs to be. To protect the security, birth certificates are not available for up to 70 yrs from the person's birth, unless you are directly related by blood. Death certificates are up to 10 yrs from the date of death, to protect the person's assets. As for the Texas certificates, Texas vitals only issue certified copies of birth and death, rarely do they allow out of state issue, that means you have to actually come in person for it to be issued in hand. And it is usually best to obtain it from the county it is filed in. Otherwise, a request online through the county records clerk is all it takes. Each county has a court under the control of a records clerk that handles all the records issued in its county. If there is a procedure or restriction they can tell you if you are able to get the record or if you are out of luck. Most of the time, just telling them the purpose of obtaining the record is for genealogic research will either open the door and they will provide any help they can, or it will slam the door shut and you are out of luck. Also, the other method is to contact the funeral home or agency that handled the burial services. If you know the date of death, you will need to find the obituary or notice posted in the local newspaper. That will usually show the agency handling the service and that will be a source of info, maybe a few items, but not an actual certificate. As for the last resort, no there is not a background check, so you just have to be convicing enough and be able to answer whatever questions to their satisfaction.