Apply In Person
Any death that occurred within the Kenya territory or of a Kenya citizen abroad should be registered immediately or within the first two months. This should be done by a designated family member/friend or next of kin.Below are the different scenarios for the registration of death and death certificate applications in Kenya.

1. Application for on-time registration of death that occurred in health facilities or outside health institutions, (Immediately after death, less than 03 months of the death)
2. Application for Late Death Registration (after 03 months of death)

Registration of Death in Kenya
Application for Early Death Registration

1. Application for on-time registration of death that occurred in health facilities or outside health institutions, (Immediately upon death, less than 03 months of the death)
2. In the case where the death of an individual has occurred in a hospital, a medical practitioner who was in attendees shall register the death by completing and certifying a medical certificate of the cause of death -Form-6 in triplets, to the best of his knowledge and belief the cause of death and forward a copy to the Birth and Death Registrar’s office for recording.
3. A copy of the certificate will be issued to the deceased kin, the hospital/medical facility, and the registrar office shall each retain a copy.
4. Where an inquest is held on the body of any deceased person, a medical certificate of the cause of death need not be forwarded to the registrar, but the magistrate holding the inquest shall send to the registrar a copy of his finding, which shall be sufficient.
5. A Registrar shall, upon production to him at the time of registering a death any of the following documents:
   • A medical certificate in the prescribed form as to the cause of death.
   • A notice in writing in the prescribed form signed by a medical practitioner stating that a medical certificate as aforesaid has been signed by him.
   • A death report in the prescribed form upon which a magistrate or police officer has certified that the death is not of a Criminal Proceeding.
6. Register the death and issue a written permit authorizing the interment or other disposal of the body of the deceased person to the person concerned.
7. Where a person registering a death does not produce to the registrar any of the documents mentioned above. The registrar shall without delay fill up, so far as the particulars thereby required are ascertainable by him, the form of death report and forward the same to the nearest magistrate or police officer.
8. On the receipt of a notice from a registrar, the Magistrate or police officer, or any person specially empowered by the Minister in that behalf, shall cause such inquiries to be made as to the cause of the death as he may think fit or as may be prescribed.
9. If the case does not appear from such inquiries to be one to which Criminal Proceedings are required or pending, the magistrate or police officer or another person as aforesaid shall report accordingly to the registrar.
10. The registrar shall upon been satisfied after making such inquiries that the case is not one of the Criminal Proceeding, register the death and issue a permit for the interment or other disposal of the body.

Application for Late Death Registration

1. This application is for death that was not registered within 03 months of its occurrence. In such a case person concerned should register the death with the Registrar-General’s at any Civil Registration office countrywide.
2. Every application to the Registrar-General for the registration of the late death of a person belonging to an ethnic group or tribe indigenous to Kenya shall contain the particulars required and be made in Form 3, available at the registrar’s Office or directly download the form using this Application for Registration of a Late Death- Form 3
3. For a person not belonging to an ethnic group or tribe indigenous to Kenya shall contain the particulars required and be made in Form 4 available at the registrar’s Office.
4. The applicant will also be required to collect and complete the Application for a Death Certificate in addition to the late death registration form, this form is obtainable at the registrar’s office or directly download the form using this Application for a Death Certificate
5. Upon obtaining the application forms, the applicant should legibly complete the form, attach all the supporting documentation as listed under the “Required Documents” section of this page and submit the complete application file to the registrar's office for consideration.
6. The application shall be subjected to a penalty fee of Ksh.100.00 for late registration, plus an additional fee of Ksh.180.00 for the issue of a death certificate.
7. At the time of submission, awaiting card/slip as an acknowledgment will be issued to the applicant who should be surrendered while collecting the death certificate.
8. If the Registrar-General is satisfied regarding all the circumstances of late death registration, he shall register the death immediately, the death certificate shall be made available for withdrawal by the applicant after 02 days.

Registration of Death of Kenyans Occurring Abroad

1. Registration of death of Kenyans occurring abroad and issuance of Kenyan death certificates service is available in Nairobi at the Central Records Registry, Sheria House.
2. A person notifying the death of a citizen of Kenya outside Kenya shall produce to the registrar the following evidence of the death in addition to the documents listed under the “Required Documents” section of this page -

   Firstly, either:

   • A certificate of death issued by the appropriate authority in the country abroad, with an English translation of the certificate if it is not in English. OR
   • If certificates of death are not issued in the country abroad, a certificate of the death is given by the medical attendant or other people who attended the death.

   Secondly, either:

   • If there is a Kenya Mission in the country abroad, a certificate of a member of the Mission that he is satisfied, from the evidence produced to him and inquiries which he has made, that the particulars of the death given in the death certificate are correct. OR
   • If there is no Kenya Mission in the country, such other evidence as the registrar may require.
3. The person notifying the death shall certify the Registrar in writing the correctness and authenticity of the evidence which he produces, by completing a prescribed form- Application for Registration of Birth of a Citizen of Kenya Occurring Abroad-Form BDA 1, obtainable at the Registrar Office or download the form directly using this Application for Registration of Birth of a Citizen of Kenya Occurring Abroad-Form BDA 1.
4. Upon receiving the evidence required, the registrar shall immediately enter the prescribed particulars of the death in the register of deaths occurring outside Kenya.
5. The application shall be accompanied by a service fee of KSH. 50.00 and the processing time is usually 02 working days.

Application for Early Death Registration

• A copy of the National Identity Card or Passport of the deceased or any other document certifying his identity ( birth certificate)
• National ID card or Passport for the person making the application (notify)

Application for Late Death Registration

• Duly completed Application for Registration of a Late Death- Form 3
  • Application for a Death Certificate- Form D4
• Police report/letter from the chief/ health institution report confirming the death
• A sworn affidavit by the applicant confirming the death
• I.D card of the deceased in case of an adult
• I.D card of the applicant

Registration of Death of Kenyans Occurring Abroad

• Duly Completed signed Application for registration of death of a citizen of Kenya occurring abroad Form- BDA 2
• Medical certificates obtained from a medical practitioner
• Death certificates issued abroad and English version of the same certified by the Kenyan Mission abroad
• Disposal permit/ burial permit issued abroad
• Traveling document for the body to Kenya
• Disposal permit issued in Kenya
• Particulars of the deceased: passport, identification card

Any other additional supporting documentation as requested by the Authority.

Department of Civil Registration - Head Office
Hass Plaza 4th Floor, Lower Hill Road,
P.O Box 49179- 00100
Nairobi
Tel: +254-20-2714987/8
Fax: 2714989
Email; director@crd.go.ke
Website: link

• The relatives of the deceased, insurance companies, employers, or estate administrators are persons who qualify for this service.

• Penalty for non-reporting /Late Registration -Kshs.100.00.
• Early death registration is free and issued of a Death Certificate – Kshs.50.00
• late registration, issue of a Death Certificate - Ksh.180.00

• The death registration is valid forever.

Application for Registration of a Late Death- Form 3
Application for a Death Certificate- Form D4
Application for registration of death of a citizen of Kenya occurring abroad Form- BDA 2

Please attach sample completed documents that would help other people.

• For death registered within (03) months of occurrence, the service will be completed on the same day or within one week.
• For death registered after (03) months of occurrence, it is considered a late registration and the service will take fourteen days to complete.

Videos explaining the procedure or to fill the applications.
Attach videos using the following tag <&video type='website'>video ID|width|height<&/video&> from external websites.
Please remove the '&' inside the tags during implementation.
Website = allocine, blip, dailymotion, facebook, gametrailers, googlevideo, html5, metacafe, myspace, revver,
sevenload, viddler, vimeo, youku, youtube
width = 560, height = 340, Video ID = Can be obtained from the URL of webpage where the video is dkisplayed.
e.g In the following url 'http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y0US7oR_t3M' Video ID is 'Y0US7oR_t3M'.

Please provide other instructions related to the certificate/documents.
e.g. The state office holds birth records since January 1908.

• Full name of the applicant
• Relation of the applicant to the deceased
• District of death
• Province of death
• Burial Permit No
• The exact place of death
• Name of deceased as per Identity Card
• Sex of deceased
• Date of death
• Age of deceased
• Occupation of deceased
• Name and address of the applicant
• Cause of the death
• Results of a medical examination on the dead body.
• Declaration by the applicant

• All deaths that occur in Kenya regardless of nationality or a Kenyan citizen that dies abroad must be registered to keep the national registry up to date. A death certificate will be issued upon registration. Deaths should be registered immediately or within 03 months of occurrence. Any registration after 03 months is late.
• Once successfully registered, the kin will be issued a death certificate.

Enter other information which might help.

Other uses of a Death CertificateA death certificate of a parent(s) or spouse is required when applying of the following document by the children/spouse of the deceased parent (s).

• Birth certificate
• National identity card
• Passport
• Marriage certificate (if re-married) {for the spouse}
• Baptism card

Huduma - Kenya Late Registration of Death (After 3 months from the time of death)
Huduma Kenya - Registration of Death of Kenyans Occurring Abroad
Huduma Kenya - Reporting Death

More information which might help people.