Zambia - Register a Death

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Procedure

Procedures where medical certificate of cause of death is available

1. Registration must be done any time within twelve months from the date of death, the Registrar shall register the death in the presence of the informant.
2. For cases where the death relates to a dead body in relation to which the date and place of death are unknown, the Registrar shall enter in spaces 1 and 2 the words "Dead body found on _________" and the date of finding the body, followed by "at_______" and the place of finding.
3. If the deceased was a child under the age of fifteen, the Registrar shall enter in space 7 the words "son (or daughter) of ________" and the name and occupation of the father.
4. The Registrar shall enter the cause of death exactly as certified in the medical certificate, followed by the words "Certified by ______" and the name and qualification of the medical practitioner who gave the medical certificate.

Note:

• Subject to the provisions of rules 36 and 38 of the Births and Deaths Registration Act of Zambia, no Registrar shall register a death without having first seen the medical certificate indicating the cause of death.
• The Medical Certificate showing the Cause of Death must be attached to the registration form.
• The informant will be asked to complete a vital statistics card. The information is required for purely statistical purposes.

Verification of Particulars

1. After spaces 1 to 14 has been completed (excluding space 10) on Reg-Gen Form No. 22, the Registrar will ask the informant to verify the particulars, and, if it appears that an error has been made in those particulars, the Registrar shall in the presence of the informant make all the necessary correction.
2. The Registrar will then ask the informant to sign the entry in space 10 and, when the Registrar has signed the entry in space 16, he shall impress his name stamp under his signature.
3. The notice of death, along with the medical certificate or the coroner's certificate of cause of death will be forwarded by the registrar to the Registrar-General.

Registration of death after inquest

1. A coroner's report is needed if it is believed that the deceased didn't die of natural causes. Once the registrar receives a coroner's certificate upon an inquest with reference to the death, he shall register the death on Reg-Gen Form No. 22: Registration of death after inquest
2. On space 10, in place of "signature or mark", the registrar shall enter the words "Certificate received from _________" and the name and description of the coroner, and the words "Inquest held ___________" and the date of the inquest as stated in the certificate.

Registration after 12 months, from the time of death

1. In this case, the Registrar shall seek and obtain first the Registrar-General's authority before registering the death in the presence of the informant.

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Required Documents

• Medical Certificate stating the cause of death.
• Completed registration form.
• Vital statistics card to be completed by the informant.

Office Locations & Contacts

Registrar General of Births, Deaths & Marriages

P.O. Box 32311

Lusaka, Zambia

Tel: (00260-211) 228197

Fax : (00260-211) 221128

Eligibility

Individuals responsible in registering the death according to the Births and Deaths Registration Act of Zambia:

• The informant should be a relative present at the death, or in attendance during the last illness of the deceased, and in default thereof the next person from the following list:
  • a relative living in the district where the deceased died;
  • a person present at the death;
  • the occupier or an inmate of the house or the person in charge of the hospital or institution where the death occurred;
  • the undertaker.

Fees

Registration of death is free provided the notice is given in the prescribed form containing the prescribed particulars within one month thereof.

Validity

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

Documents to Use

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Sample Documents

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Processing Time

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Instructions

Registration of death may be done in Registrar of Births and Deaths offices located in each district of Zambia.

Notice of death on board ship while within the territorial waters of Lake Tanganyika shall be given to the Registrar of the Mbala Registration District.

Required Information

• Name of the deceased
• Date and place of death
• Nationality, sex and of the Deceased
• Occupation
• Z.N.P.F. or other Social Security Scheme Number
• Cause of Death
• Information about the informant:
  • Name
  • Relationship to the Deceased
  • Residential Address
  • Postal Address

Need for the Document

Registering a death is a legal requirement, you need to do this to obtain documents for the funeral director and for dealing with the deceased's estate. A Death Certificate will be issued once the death is registered.

Following are procedures on how to register a death.

Information which might help

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Other uses of the Document/Certificate

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e.g. Birth Certificate can be used as proof of identity.

External Links

• Births and Deaths Registration Act of Zambia:

http://www.zambialii.org/zm/legislation/consolidated-act/51

Others

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