What you need to know about the death certificate

The death certificate is issued by the Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages in your state and is the official documentation registering a death. Your funeral director will typically lodge the death with the registry within 7 days of the cremation or burial.

Once the death is registered, Births, Deaths and Marriages will issue a formal death certificate which often becomes a necessary document for any legal or estate issues. The document can take up to several weeks to be issued by the Registry.

You should note that the death certificate is not the same as the cause of death certificate which is issued by a doctor at the time of death. 

A team member will gather all the necessary information from you and register the death on your behalf after the funeral. It can often help to have your loved one’s birth and marriage certificates ready to help provide this information. The standard information you will need to provide includes:

• Date of birth
• Full name
• Place of death (full address of hospital or residence)
• 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
• Occupation during working life
• Place of burial or cremation 
• Children’s names, dates of birth and ages
• Your relationship to the deceased
• Religion (if applicable)