The death certificate is the official document that registers a person’s death. It is issued by the Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages in your state. The funeral director is usually responsible for registering the death, within seven days of the cremation or burial.
The Death Certificate is different to the Cause of Death Certificate given by a doctor at the time of death. It is needed for legal and financial reasons and is necessary for dealing with estate issues.
The registration application
Your funeral director will ask you for the information required and will register the death after the funeral has taken place. The time it takes to receive the certificate from the Registry varies. It may take several weeks to arrive.
To complete the registration application, you will be asked to answer the following questions about the person who died. It may help to have their Birth Certificate and Marriage Certificate on hand to provide this information.
- Full name
- Date of birth
- Place of death (full address of hospital or residence)
- Residential address
- Occupation during working life
- Place of birth (city and country)
- Marital status at time of death
- All marriages (place of marriage; city, state & country; full name of spouse, age at the time of marriage)
- Parents’ names and occupations, including mother’s maiden name
- Children’s names, dates of birth and ages
- Place of burial or cremation
- Religion (if applicable)
- Your relationship to the deceased