Death Certificate
In Ireland every death must be registered with the Registrar of Births, Deaths and Marriages for the Registration District in which the death occurred.
The death should be registered within four weeks of the death if possible and not later than one year. Those eligible to register the death are the nearest available relatives present at the death or in attendance during the last illness, or living in the district where the death occurred, or a person present at the death, or a member of the staff of a hospital or other institution in which the death occurred. In the absence of one of the above the funeral director may register the death.
To register a death, you must bring a Death Notification Form stating the cause of death to any Registrar. You can get this from the doctor who attended the deceased during their last illness. You must complete Part 2 of the Death Notification Form. You must then sign the Register in the presence of the Registrar. You will need to bring photo ID with you. When a post mortem is carried out the Medical Certificate of the Cause of Death will not be signed by the doctor until the results of the post mortem are known. Therefore, there may be a delay in obtaining the death certificate.
Fees
There is no charge to register a death that occurs in Ireland. Fees are charged for a copy of a death certificate as follows;
- €20 for a full standard certificate
- €4 for an uncertified copy of an entry in the Register
- €10 to have a certificate authenticated (only available from the General Register Office)
- €1 for a copy for social welfare purposes (Evidence it is for social welfare purposes is required, such as a note from the Department of Social Protection).
- You can apply online for a Death Certificate to be sent to you, once it is registered on the system, at http://www.hse.ie/lifeevents/
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