Register a death in Ireland

What to do with the form the doctor gives you, how to book the registrar, and what happens if the coroner is involved. Registration is free and usually takes one appointment.

To register a death, bring the doctor's Death Notification Form and your own photo ID to any civil registration office. It is free, and you should do it within 3 months of the death.

Who can register a death

A relative usually registers the death. If no relative can, another "qualified informant" can do it. This includes:

• someone who was present at the death
• someone who lived with the person who died
• a senior officer of the hospital or nursing home where the person died
• the person who found the body or arranged the funeral
• anyone else who knows the details the registrar needs

What you need

• The Death Notification Form. The doctor fills in Part 1, which includes the Medical Certificate of Cause of Death.
• Part 2 of the same form, filled in by you before your appointment
• One original photo ID that belongs to you, not the person who died: a passport, driving licence, Public Services Card, eligible national ID card or refugee or asylum card

Step by step: a usual registration

1. Get the Death Notification Form from the doctor who looked after the person. The doctor completes and signs Part 1.
2. Fill in Part 2 of the form yourself.
3. Find a civil registration office on the HSE register a death page. You can use any office in the country.
4. Book an appointment online or by phone. Some offices take walk-ins at set times, so check first.
5. Bring the form and your photo ID to the appointment. Without them, the death cannot be registered.
6. Order copies of the death certificate if you need them, at €20 each.

Step by step: if the coroner is involved

A doctor must tell the coroner if they do not know the cause of death, or did not see the person in the month before. Sudden, violent or unexplained deaths are also reported. The coroner may order a post-mortem, which can delay registration.

1. Ask the Coroner Service for an Interim Certificate of the Fact of Death while you wait.
2. Use the interim certificate to deal with banks, insurers and the Department of Social Protection.
3. Wait for the coroner to finish. The coroner then sends a certificate to the civil registration service, which registers the death for you.
4. Order the death certificate once the registration service tells you it is ready.

How much it costs and how long it takes

Did the person die abroad? If they were an Irish citizen who lived in Ireland in the 5 years before, a relative can add the death to the Record of Deaths Abroad. This is free, but the copy is not a legal death certificate. See gov.ie.

Common mistakes

• Bringing the ID of the person who died. The registrar needs your ID.
• Arriving without Part 2 of the form filled in.
• Thinking you must register in the county where the person died. Any office will do.
• Buying certificates just for social welfare claims. The Department of Social Protection can see the record.
• Trying to register a coroner case yourself. The coroner's certificate does this for you.

Related guides

• How to get a copy of a birth, marriage or death certificate
• How to apply for probate without a solicitor
• How to register a birth
• How to get a document apostilled or authenticated