Registering a death

If you’re using a funeral director, they’ll register the death with Births, Deaths and Marriages. If you’re organising the funeral yourself, or not holding one, you’ll need to register the death.

If you’re using a funeral director

The funeral director will register the death with Births, Deaths and Marriages. You’ll need to give them some personal information about the person who died.

If you’re organising the funeral and burial yourself

If you’re not using a funeral director, you must register the death yourself. You’ll need to submit the registration form to Births, Deaths and Marriages within 3 working days of the burial or cremation.

It’s free to register a death, but there’s a fee if you choose to order a death certificate.

For more information about what you need to do when someone dies, visit the Te Hokinga ā Wairua website.

How to register the death

To register the death, you must:

  1. Get a cause of death certificate from the doctor or nurse, or the coroner’s authorisation to release the body.
  2. Complete the form ‘Notification of death for registration BDM 28’, available below.
  3. Post these documents to Births, Deaths and Marriages.

Detailed instructions are in the registration form.

Notification of death for registration BDM 28 (PDF 344KB)

Notification of death for registration BDM 28 accessible alternative (TXT 14KB)

Get a death certificate

If you need a death certificate, you can order it as part of the death registration form. Or you can order it separately, once the death has been registered.

Get a death certificate

Who to contact for more help

If you need more help or have questions about the information or services on this page, contact the following agency.

Utility links and page information

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