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Death Certificate in Kerala

As per the Registration of Birth & Deaths Act, 1969 every death has to be registered with the concerned State Government. Death Certificate is an important document issued by the Government to the nearest relatives of the deceased. In Kerala, the death certificate is issued by the Civil Registration Department stating the date, fact and cause of death. In this article, we look at the procedure for obtaining a death certificate in Kerala.

Registration of Birth & Deaths Act, 1969

Registration of Birth & Deaths Act, 1969 is an act that provides the regulation for registration of births and deaths in India. As per this death certificate in Kerala, every death should be registered with the concerned State or UT Government within 21 days of occurrence.

Purpose of Obtaining Death Certificate

Reasons to obtain a death certificate:

The death certificate is proof for the date of death of a person
Death certificate gives details about time of death, place of death and cause of death
This certificate is used to relieve the individual from social, legal and official commitments
To settle property inheritance death certificate is an important document
The death certificate is enabling the family to collect insurance and other benefits

Who can register a Death?

A person’s death in Kerala needs to be registered in the Concern Registrar Office to get Death Certificate. The below-mentioned person can report or register a person’s death:

In case the death occurs in a house, the head of the family can register
The medical in-charge, if the death occurs in a hospital
Jailer in-charge needs to register a death if it occurs in a jail
If a new-born child or body is founded deserted in an area, headman of that village, area or Local police station in-charge can register the death
In respect of births and deaths in a choultry, chattram, hostel, dharmasala, boarding-house, lodging house, tavern, barrack, toddy shop or place of public resort, the in-charge person of that place has to register
In case of death in a plantation, the superintendent of the plantation can register

Documents Required for Death Registration in Kerala

Documents necessary for death registration in Kerala are:

Proof of birth of the deceased – Birth certificate or SSLC certificate
An affidavit specifying the date and time of death
Copy of the ration card
Application form for registration
Medical Certification of causes of death, if required

Fee for Death Certificate

The fee structure for registration of death in Registrar is below for reference:

Transaction	Fee
Registration of death reported to the Registrar within 21 days	Nil
Registration of 21 to 30 days from date of death	Rs.2
Registration of 31 days to 1 year from date of death	Rs.5
Registration after 1 year from date of death	Rs.10
For granting non-availability certificate of death	Rs.5
For granting extract relating to each birth or death under Section 17 of the RBD Act,1969	Rs.2

Registration of Death

To register a death dully-filled application form should be submitted to concern Registrar by hospitals, medical or other institutions or by an individual informant. In case of late registration (After 21 days from its occurrence) an affidavit stating the reason for the delay in registration along with fees to be submitted to Registrar or Area Magistrate. Certain Medical institutions must submit a form on Medical Certification of causes of death to Registrar. For domiciliary deaths, it requires the Form 4A along with death registration form.