South Africa - How To Apply for a Death Certificate

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Procedure

Apply In-Person:

1. To apply for a Death certificate in person, the applicant has to visit any nearest Office of the Department of Home Affairs.
2. The contact details of the Office of Department of Home Affairs for each province can be found in the following link: Link
3. Click on the province name which is applicable to you and you will get the details according to that.
4. Visit the office and get the application form for Death certificate (Form BI-132) from the concerned department. The application form can also be found in the following link: Link
5. Please be aware of the criteria listed in the “Eligibility” section of this page and also make sure that you have all the documents listed in “Required documents” section of this page before applying for a Death certificate.
6. Now, fill the application with appropriate and required information about the deceased person and the applicant.
7. Statement of reason for obtaining a death certificate is must and should be filled in the beginning of the form. Also, you have to mention the type of certificate copy that you want.
8. After completing, the applicant should attest the form with date and the Application form along with all the required documents must be lodged and required fees should be paid at the office of the Department of Home Affairs.
9. Then, the office of the Department of Home Affairs will issue an unabridged death certificate which will contain the complete details of the death and deceased person.

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Required Documents

• Duly filled BI-132 form
• Notification of Death (BI-1663)
• Death Report (Form BI-1680)
• Copy of the mortal’s ID
• Copy of Informant’s Identity document
• Medical certificate indicating the cause of death (if required)

Office Locations & Contacts

Department of Home Affairs - Head Office
Physical Address : Hallmark Building,
230 Johannes Ramokhoase,
Pretoria,
Gauteng,
0001,
South Africa.
Postal Adress : Private Bag X114,
Pretoria,
0001,
Phone: 012 406 2500
Email: [email protected]
Website ,Link 2

Department Of Home Affairs Offices

Eligibility

• The person whose death is to be registered should possess a valid Identity document.
• The person who informs the death should also possess a valid Identity document.
• To obtain a death certificate, it is mandatory that the death is registered at nearest office of Department of Home Affairs or SA Police Services and a death report is obtained respectively.

Fees

Abridged Death Certificate – Free of charge
Unabridged Death Certificate – R75.00

Validity

Explain the time until which the certificate/document is valid.
e.g. Birth Certificate Valid Forever

Documents to Use

Application Form: Link

Sample Documents

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Processing Time

Please explain processing time taken in obtaining the document/certificate.

Related Videos

Videos explaining the procedure or to fill the applications.
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sevenload, viddler, vimeo, youku, youtube
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e.g In the following url 'http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y0US7oR_t3M' Video ID is 'Y0US7oR_t3M'.

Instructions

• Contact the family doctor or hospital about getting the medical certificate of cause of death.
• Contact a funeral director to transport the deceased from the place of death (if death didn't occur at a hospital) to the nearest State Mortuary. The deceased will have to be formally identified at the mortuary before the body's released to the funeral director.
• When a medical practitioner is not available to complete this form, in rural areas for example, a traditional leader may complete the form.
• All family members, friends and deceased’s Employer should be notified about the death.
• The deceased’s Will should have information about the wishes of the deceased, and the necessary steps should be taken to contact people mentioned in the Will.

Required Information

• Particulars of the deceased
• Particulars of the person who informs the death
• Identity Document number of the deceased

Need for the Document

A Death Certificate will be required at the time of Emigration purposes and Visas for certain countries.

Information which might help

• Deaths of South African citizens and South African permanent residence permit holders that occur outside South Africa must be reported to the nearest South African embassy or mission abroad.
• The country in which the death occurs must issue a death certificate and a certified copy of the death certificate must be submitted to the South African embassy or mission when reporting a death.
• If the deceased is to be buried in South Africa, the embassy or mission will assist with the paperwork and arrangements with regards to transportation of the body to South Africa.
• If a person has been erroneously or fraudulently recorded as dead in the National Population Register (i.e. they are still alive) this must be reported as soon as possible to the nearest Department of Home Affairs office for urgent investigation and corrective action.

Other uses of the Document/Certificate

An unabridged Death Certificate will be required at the time of Emigration purposes and Visas for certain countries.

External Links

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Others

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