Much like getting a birth certificate or any other Government document, there is a specific time limit to apply for a death certificate, and if not done within the specified time, the process could get a bit tougher and need some additional documentation.
A Death Certificate is a Government issued document that is applied for by the nearest relatives of the deceased. It includes the date, fact and cause of death of an individual.. One of the most significant parts is that the death certificate has to be approved by a medical practitioner. In some cases, where there might be suspected foul play, the medical practitioner has to clear the body by stating all the information before providing the death certificate.
In India, it is mandatory, as per the Registration of Births and Deaths Act, 1969 to register every death with the concerned State or Union Territory Government within 21 days of its occurrence. They have provided for a well-defined system for registration of death with the Registrar General, India, at the centre and the Chief Registrars in States, running through district registrars to the village and town registrars at the periphery.
While there are rules about who has to report a death and who is responsible for its registration, the registration can be handled by anyone. No matter what the situation is, any person can apply for and register a death as long as it is registered and the right authorities were informed. For the rest of the family, the death certificate is one of the most relevant documents needed for several processes.
If an individual does not have a death certificate, one would have to apply for at a later date but would have to provide some additional documentation, including a police report mentioning the cause of death and the delay when it came to the registration for the death certificate.
In the past, people were applying for the death certificate through the Municipality or Panchayat depending on where they lived. Since the death of an individual can be a difficult time for the family, they implemented some changes to the process, and people could now handle it online. Not only death certificate, but one can also apply for senior citizens card, employment card, and complete other registration through mode. They created the website to assist with a series of tasks relating to the death certificate, including making changes to errors, and applying for copies of the death certificate if the original was misplaced. While all forms for the coordination with the Registrar of Births and Deaths are available online, applicants and candidates can go through this information and even download the forms and apply for one offline, if they prefer handling it without using the internet.
