Death certificates

You can apply for a death certificate if you are:

1. the current spouse or de facto partner, parent or child of the person who died and your details are recorded on the death certificate
2. the funeral director (if applying within 30 days of the registration of death)
3. the executor of the estate of the person who has died or
4. the solicitor acting for  the estate.

All applicants must provide proof of identity with their application.

If you are not named on the death certificate

You can apply for the certificate if you are a relative and the person who died has no living next of kin.

If you are not a relative and not on the death certificate you must either:

• provide evidence that you have authority to act for a person recorded on the death certificate including:

  • a completed letter of authority, giving you permission to apply and
  • proof of identity from the person providing authority, that meets our requirements and
  • your own proof of identity

  or

• provide evidence that you have an interest in the estate.

Applications by solicitors

If you are a solicitor applying for a certificate on behalf of a client, you must provide:

• a letter on company letterhead stating:
  • the name of the client represented
  • the reason, such as probate or estate administration
  • for estate matters, the link between the client represented and the person whose name appears on the required certificate and
  • the relevant provisions of the Succession Act 2006 relating to eligibility
• completed application form with your name as the applicant and
• certified copy of the solicitor's Law Society ID Card or practising certificate and
• payment of the application fee.

If the solicitor is not acting for a person recorded on the death certificate they must provide evidence of their client’s interest in the estate.

More information for solicitors applying for certificates.

If the person died recently, the funeral director will normally order the death certificate when they register the death.

If the person died in NSW, you can apply online, by post or at a Service NSW service centre. Certificates are sent by registered post.

Apply online

When applying online, upload copies of the required documents and your proof of identity.

Files must:

• be in PDF, JPG or TIF format
• have names containing only letters and numbers (no spaces, dashes or other characters)
• have clear, descriptive names so we can identify each document, such as the person's name.

Apply by post

When applying by post, print and complete the death certificate application form (PDF 732.27KB). Send the completed application, the required documents and your proof of identity to:

Registry of Births, Deaths & Marriages

GPO Box 30

Sydney NSW 2001

Do not send original identity documents.

If applying by post, we will send you a secure payment link to the email address in your application for payment processing.

Apply in person

Submit your completed application, required documents and your proof of identity at a Service NSW Service Centre.

A death certificate is an official copy of the information given to us to register the death, including details such as:

• full name, date of death, place of death and cause of death
• details of parents and children (if applicable)
• certificate number, date of registration and registration number.

Things to note

• Laminating certificates: We recommend that you do not laminate your certificate. Some organisations may not accept a laminated certificate.
• Postal address: The postal address you provide will appear on the back of the official death certificate to ensure it is sent to your nominated address. This section is not considered part of the legal certificate. 

Errors on the certificate

If there are errors on the certificate you must:

• return the original certificate to us by post
• provide proof of identity documents, and
• send us the correct information using the correct an entry form.

Extract death certificate

In some cases, we may issue an extract death certificate to protect personal or sensitive information.

An extract death certificate:

• is an official certified copy of selected information held on the death register
• can be issued with or without the cause of death
• may not be accepted by some organisations because it contains limited information
• costs the same as a full death certificate
• is not available with priority processing.

^{All prices include $11 postage and handling. Add a further $9 for international post.}