The Death Certificate is the official copy of the details held by the Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages regarding a death.
It is an essential document needed for managing legal and financial matters after someone dies.
Although it sounds like the Medical Cause of Death Certificate, it is a different document and the 2 should not be confused.
In most cases, the Funeral Director will register the death after the funeral.
Registration requires submitting the relevant details to the registry of births, deaths and marriages. This registration is required within 7 days of the funeral or cremation (although the time required does differ amongst Australian states and territories).
Although usually registered by the Funeral Director, it can be registered by the next of kin, the executor of the estate or the solicitor acting in the matter.
A general rule-of-thumb is that it takes at least 2 weeks to receive the death certificate after a successful submission.
The detail you’ll need :
- Full name
- (full address of hospital or residence)
- Residential address
- Occupation during working life
- (City and Country)
- Marital status at time of death
- (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 (if applicable)
- Place of burial or cremation
- Religion (if applicable)
- Your relationship to the deceased
More details are available from the relevant state/territory registry :