DEATH CERTIFICATE

A document that is issued by the Government to the nearest surviving relatives or family of the deceased
which mentions the date of death and the cause of death is called a Death Certificate. According to
Registration of Births and Deaths Act, 1969, it is mandated by law to register the death of every deceased
with the local government.

Process to apply for a Death Certificate

In order to apply for a death certificate, one must first register the death of person. This death is to be
registered with the local municipal authority or any other concerned local body within a period of 21 days
from the death. For this, a form that is prescribed by the registrar is to be filled which is followed by
verification by the registrar before issuing a death certificate.

In a case where the death is not registered within 21 days, the following steps follow-

1. Permission is required from the magistrate of the area or the registrar is required in addition of a
late fee that is prescribed.
2. A late fee of Rs. 2 is payable if any death is reported after 21 days but within a period of 3 days
from the day of occurrence of such death.
3. If a period of 1 month lapses after the occurrence of death but the same is not registered then a
late fee of Rs. 5 is payable along with a written permission letter issued by the registrar.
4. In a situation where the death has not been registered even after a lapse of 1 year from the date of
occurrence, such death can now only be registered once the magistrate of the area or the SDM or
the magistrate of I class makes an order for the same on a payment of later of Rs. 10.

Documents required for death certificate?

In order to register for a death certificate, the application form is mostly available at the office of
concerned local authority or the registrar maintaining the register of deaths. Additionally,

 Birth Certificate
 A copy of the ration card
 Affidavit establishing the time and date of the death of the deceased
 Fee in the form of court fee stamps are also required.

How to apply for a Death Certificate in India?

It is important to note that deaths can only be registered at the place of occurrence of such death only. In
order to obtain a death certificate after the registration of death, an application can be made on a plain
paper to the registrar of the area or the sub registrar by giving the following details-

1. Date and time of death,

2. Place of the occurrence of death.
3. Sex of the person
 4. Name of the nursing home or any other medical institution
5. Name of the mother
6. Name of the father
These death certificates are issued by the zonal offices of the local bodies of an area within a
period of 7 days from the date of making the application if the death has already been registered.

Where is this Death Certificate required?

A death certificate is essential for a number of reasons including proof for legal purposes. These may
include the following reasons among others-

1. Claiming Life insurance money- If someone is a beneficiary of life insurance policy, a death
certificate will have to be produced by the applicant or the beneficiary at the insurance office to
claim the money or the benefits.
2. Claiming pension money- On the passing of the spouse, the spouse and the children may be
entitled to benefits from the pension money and for that purpose, a death certificate issued by the
government becomes a mandatory pre-requisite.
3. Settling any property claims- After the death of a person, the claims to his or her property have to
be settled down and this process can be a long and grueling process and requires production of
the death certificate of the deceased.
4. Marriage Sometimes, the deceased person leaves behind a spouse and if this person decides to
remarry, a death certificate establishing the death of the previous spouse becomes necessary.
5. Claiming benefits or allowances in the medical care- In certain employments the state or the
employer pays all the medical expenses that were done of the deceased during the medical care.
In such cases, production of death certificates becomes necessary to claim the Medicare benefits.