How to obtain death certificate ? (Special reference to Tamil Nadu)

Death Certificate

• A death certificate is a document, issued by the Government to the nearest relatives of the deceased, stating the date, fact and cause of death.

Need of death certificate

• It is essential to prove the time and date of death
• To establish the fact of death for relieving the individual from social, legal and official obligations,
• To enable settlement of property inheritance,
• To authorise the family to collect insurance and other benefits

What you need to do ?

• To apply for a Death Certificate, you must first register the death.

Registration of death

• The death has to be registered with the concerned local authorities within 21 days of its occurrence, by filling up the form prescribed by the Registrar. (See: Sample of death registration form)
• Death registration is to be done at the place of occurrence. For example, if your relative was residing in Chennai but he/she died in Coimbatore, then you have to register the death in Coimbatore.
• The death registrars in the local bodies are as follows

Area	Death Registrars
Village Panchayats	Village Administrative Officers
Town Panchayats	Sanitary Inspectors / Executive Officers
Corporation / Municipal Areas	Sanitary Inspectors of the Division
Plantations / Estates	Estate Manger / Plantation Manager

• If the death occured in house, it can be reported and registered by the head of the family or the nearest relative of the head present in the house, or the oldest adult male person.
• One has to report the death to the concerned local authority in the prescribed form. If you report orally, the registrar will enter the information in the appropriate reporting form and get your signature or thumb impression. You may have to furnish receipt from crematorium or burial ground.
• If it occured in a hospital, along with the reporting form you have to attach a cause of death certificate from a person or medical officer who treated the patient.
• If the death occured in house, it can be reported and registered by the head of the family or the nearest relative of the head present in the house, or the oldest adult male person 

Delayed Registration

After  expiry of 21 days of occurrence but within 30 days	Registered on payment of a late-fee of Rs.2/- (Rupees two only)
After thirty days of occurrence, but within one year	Registered only with the written permission of the Officer prescribed in this behalf and on payment of late-fee Rs.5/- (Rupees five only).
Not been reported within one year of its occurrance	registered only on orders of the First Class Judicial Magistrate and on payment of a late-fee of Rs.10/- (Rupees ten only)

• If you are registering the death after 30 days of occurence, but within one year, you need the written permission of the concerned officers. The concerned officers are as follows

Local authorities<><>	Officers<><> <><>
Village Panchayat<><>	Village Panchayat President<><> <><>
Town Panchayat<><>	Executive Officer<><> <><>
Corporation / Municipal Areas<><>	Commissioner<><> <><>
Cantonment<>	Executive Officer

Application for death certificate

• If you report the death within 21 days of occurence, you can obtain free copy of the death certificate/extract after verification.
• If you require a death certificate at a later date, you have to apply in the prescribed form. You have to furnish details like name of the person, age, date of death, place of death, residential address at the time of death ( See : Format of application prescribed by Corporation of Chennai ). Submit the filled form and obtain the acknowledgement.
• In rural areas, on has to apply for the Death Certificate in the Taluk Office, within two years of death and thereafter it has to be applied in the Sub-Registrar’s office
• In Town/ Municipal areas, one has to apply in the respective Town/ Municipal Office.
• You has to fix a court fee stamp of Rs 2 in the application form.