The death certificate of a person is issued by the government of the country, which represents that the person is officially declared deceased. The certificate declares the location of death, time of death, the cause of the death along with some other personal information of the deceased. A death certificate is necessary for multiple cases. It is mainly required in multiple legal purposes. Some of the primary reason for which a death certificate is necessary are settling estates, claiming life insurance, acquiring pensions, for arranging the funeral as well as for remarriage of the spouse.

• What is the importance of a death certificate?

The death certificate of deceases is asked by the government officials when they set to investigate the case of the death to find out if there is any foul play involved behind the death of the person. The death certificate is also required by the public health officials for compiling various data based such as the leading cause of death in the country along with analyzing various statistics. The various public health policies are hugely dependent based on the mortality rates which are acquired from the death certificates of the people.  The death certificates are the sole source of information for surveying the rate of illness preceding death and the leading causes of death.

• When is a death certificate issued?

Before a death certificate is issued by the government officials, the officials ask for a signature of the coroner or of a  physician which will validate the identity of the deceased along with the exact cause of death of the person. After the certificate has been signed or issued, the local authorities will issue the certificate which will contain the complete details of the depositions which are being left behind by the deceased. The cemeteries and the crematories will require the death certificate form before they bury or cremate a body. In a few jurisdictions, this form is combined along with a transportation permit which will allow the shipment or any movement of the dead body.

• Who can acquire the death certificate of the deceased?

The rules for acquiring a death certificate differ from one jurisdiction to another. While in some states, any individuals can acquire the death certificate of the deceased regardless of his/her relationship with the deceased. This is only possible in those states where the death certificate of a deceased is considered as public domain documents. While in some jurisdiction a legal representative or close member of the deceased such as parents, spouse, children or siblings of the deceased are only liable to acquire the death certificate. But in this case, the representative needs to show some legal documents which prove his or her relationship with the deceased. In the case of a spouse, they need to show their marriage certificate, and in the case of siblings, they need to show their birth certificate, which will prove their familial relationship with the deceased.

In the case of the legal representative, the legal representative needs to provide the officials with the legal documents which will be required for the determination of the rights of the property. The legal representative will be needed to include a letter which must be composed with all the details of his or her relationship with the deceased along with substantial proof.

So, if your loved one has recently passed away, then it is essential for you to acquire his or her death certificate as soon as possible as it will be required in a lot of legal cases. Follow the above steps to acquire the death certificate of your loved ones.