How Do You Get a Death Certificate?

Detailed Explanation

The death certificate is the document nearly every organisation asks for after someone dies. Until one exists, banks, insurers and courts usually won't finalise anything. The steps to get one follow the same basic pattern in most countries, even though the forms, deadlines and fees are local.

Step 1: the cause of death is certified

First, a doctor records the medical cause of death on an official form, commonly called a medical certificate of cause of death. It is usually the doctor who treated the person in their last illness, or a doctor who attends after the death. If the death was sudden, unexplained, violent or otherwise reportable, a coroner (in Australia and the UK) or a medical examiner or coroner (in the US) takes over, and certification can take longer. See when a death is referred to a coroner.

Some countries add an extra check. In England and Wales, a medical examiner (a senior doctor who wasn't involved in the person's care) now reviews the cause of death before it can be registered, and may phone the family to talk it through.

Step 2: the death is registered

The medical certificate is then combined with personal details (full name, date and place of birth, occupation, marital status, parents' names) and entered in the official death register of the place where the death happened. Who does this varies:

• A relative registers in person. In England and Wales a relative or other qualified person registers the death with the local register office, usually within 5 days of the medical examiner's confirmation. The limit is 8 days in Scotland and 5 days in Northern Ireland, and deaths referred to a coroner follow a different timetable.
• The funeral director registers. In Australia, the funeral director lodges the registration with the state or territory Births, Deaths and Marriages registry. In the US, the funeral director usually files the death certificate with the state or local vital records office, completing the personal details with the family and getting the medical section signed by the doctor, medical examiner or coroner. Each state sets its own procedure and deadline.

Whoever registers, the details the family provides end up on the certificate. Check spellings, dates and previous marriages carefully at this stage, because correcting a registered record later is slow.

Registration also produces the paperwork that lets the funeral go ahead, such as the "green form" certificate for burial or cremation in England and Wales, or the burial or cremation permits used in many US states.

Step 3: certified copies are ordered

The certificate itself is a certified copy of that register entry, issued by the registry:

• UK: copies can be bought when registering, or later from the General Register Office (England and Wales), National Records of Scotland, or the General Register Office for Northern Ireland. As of 2026, a standard copy from the GRO for England and Wales costs £12.50.
• US: certified copies come from the vital records office of the state where the death occurred (some counties also issue them). Funeral homes commonly order the first copies as part of their service. The CDC's "Where to Write for Vital Records" lists each state's office, and fees vary from state to state.
• Australia: the funeral director usually orders the first certificate. Fees are set by each state registry.

Treat any fee you see as a guide only. Registries review their prices regularly, so check the current fee on the registry's own website before ordering, and avoid unofficial third-party sites that charge extra for the same document.

When the death happened in another country

The certificate generally comes from the country where the person died, following that country's own process, even when the person lived somewhere else. Registering the death at home as well is usually optional. The UK doesn't require it, though British nationals can apply for a consular death registration if the person isn't brought back to the UK. In Australia, only some states and territories (Victoria and Western Australia, for example) can register an overseas death, and only in limited circumstances. The foreign certificate may need a certified translation and formal authentication before it's accepted at home. See how do you repatriate a body after a death overseas for the practical side of a death abroad.

How it works where you are

• In Australia: How do you get a death certificate in Australia?, plus death certificate fees in NSW, Victoria and Queensland, correcting an error on an Australian death certificate and getting a death certificate when an Australian dies overseas.
• For using a certificate in another country, see how to get a death certificate apostilled or legalised.
• For stillbirths, which follow a separate registration path, see do you have to register a stillbirth?

Things to Consider

• The place of death decides the registry. If someone dies while travelling, in another state, or across a border, the certificate comes from where they died, not from home.
• Registration and the funeral are linked. In many places the funeral can't legally go ahead until the death is registered, or until a burial or cremation permit is issued.
• Short and full versions exist in some countries. Some registries offer a version without the cause of death. Banks and courts generally want the full certified copy, so check before ordering.
• Keep a list of who has a copy. Several processes usually run at once. A simple record of which organisation has which certificate saves chasing later. The checklist in who you need to notify when someone dies helps with this.
• Look after the certificates. They contain exactly the details identity thieves use.

Common Mistakes

• Handing the doctor's certificate to the bank. The medical certificate starts the process but isn't the registry-issued certificate organisations need.
• Ordering just one copy. Reordering adds weeks at the point when several organisations are waiting.
• Applying to the wrong registry. Families sometimes apply where they live, or where the person lived, instead of where the death occurred.
• Paying an unofficial website. Commercial sites often look official and charge more for the same certificate. Order through the government registry.
• Not checking the details before registration. Errors in names, dates or marital history are much harder to fix once the death is registered. See correcting an error on a death certificate for how that works in Australia.