Step 8
Apply for the Death Certificate
- Last Updated: May 2021
This step explains everything you need to know about applying for a Death Certificate from the Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages and how long it takes to get a Death Certificate. The Death Certificate WA, NSW, VIC and QLD is a critical document to prove the death and when dealing with government departments, banks and other organisations on behalf of the estate to transfer assets.
Overview
The Death Certificate is a key document for all official dealings with government departments, companies and organisations as it proves the death. You will need to:- ensure the Medical Certificate of Cause of Death was provided to your State/Territory’s Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages by the medical practitioner or the Funeral Director (see Step 1.3 for more details);
- check if the Funeral Director applied for the Death Certificate; and
- if you need to apply, request the Next of Kin to complete the relevant application.
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8.1 General Considerations
The Death Certificate can only be applied for by the Funeral Director or the deceased person’s Next of Kin unless you receive a letter of authority by the Next of Kin.
If you have engaged a Funeral Director already based on Step 6 and Step 7 the Death Certificate may have already been issued to the Funeral Director or may be on its way to the Next of Kin.
Make sure you check with the Funeral Director first, before applying with the Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages in your State or Territory.
When dealing with official documents and identification, you will need to bring original documents or certified copies.
In Australia, the following people are authorised to certify documents:- Health Professions: Chiropractor, Dentist, Medical practitioner, Nurse, Optometrist, Pharmacist, Physiotherapist;
- Legal Professions: Legal practitioner, Patent attorney, Trademarks attorney;
- Court Positions: Bailiff, Justice of the Peace, Judge, Magistrate, Registrar, or Deputy Registrar, Clerk, Master of a court, CEO of a Commonwealth court;
- Government representatives (elected): Federal, State or Territory or Local;
- Public Servants: Federal, State or Territory or Local – employed for five years or more;
- Member of: Chartered Secretaries Australia, Engineers Australia, Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy;
- Bank officer, building society officer, credit union officer, finance company officer – employed for five years or more, Veterinary surgeon, Accountant (member of ICA, ASA, IPA or CPA, ATMA, NTAA); and
- Minister of religion, Marriage celebrant, Notary public, Police Officer, Sheriff or Sheriff’s Officer, Teacher (full-time) at a school or tertiary education institution.
- Justice of the Peace;
- Notary public;
- Australian Consular Officer or Australian Diplomatic Officer (within the meaning of the Consular Fees Act 1955); and
- Employee of the Commonwealth or the Australian Trade Commission who works outside Australia.
8.2 Applying for a Death Certificate
Western Australia (WA) – Perth change State
Address: Westralia Square, Level 10, 141 St Georges Terrace, Perth WA 6000
Post: Registry of Births, Deaths & Marriages, Department of Justice, PO Box 7720, Cloisters Square, Perth WA 6850
Court Locations: Albany, Armadale, Broome, Bunbury, Busselton, Carnarvon, Esperance, Fremantle, Geraldton, Joondalup, Kalgoorlie, Karratha, Katanning, Kununurra, Mandurah, Manjimup, Merredin, Midland, Northam, Rockingham and South Hedland The WA Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages allows applications to be made:
WA Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages
Opening Hours: Monday – Friday, 8:30am – 4:30pm AWSTAddress: Westralia Square, Level 10, 141 St Georges Terrace, Perth WA 6000
Post: Registry of Births, Deaths & Marriages, Department of Justice, PO Box 7720, Cloisters Square, Perth WA 6850
Court Locations: Albany, Armadale, Broome, Bunbury, Busselton, Carnarvon, Esperance, Fremantle, Geraldton, Joondalup, Kalgoorlie, Karratha, Katanning, Kununurra, Mandurah, Manjimup, Merredin, Midland, Northam, Rockingham and South Hedland The WA Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages allows applications to be made:
- in person in Perth;
- in person at Court Locations in WA; and
- by post.
- Death Certificate Application Form
- Letter of Authority
- Proof of Identity as stated on the form
- in person (Perth): while waiting at the time of your visit
- in person (Court Locations): usually same day
- by post: two working days plus postal delivery time (priority paid: within 24 hours plus priority postal delivery time)
- Death Certificate: $50
- Priority fee: $35
- Cash/cheque/money order (Cheques or money orders should be made payable to: Registrar of Births, Deaths & Marriages.);
- Credit card (MasterCard or Visa only); and
- Eftpos (debit card).
New South Wales (NSW) – Sydney change State
Address (Sydney): 35 Regent Street, Chippendale NSW 2008
Address (Parramatta): Justice Precinct Offices, 160 Marsden Street, Parramatta NSW 2150
Service Centre near you can be found here
Post: NSW Registry of Births Deaths & Marriages, GPO Box 30, Sydney NSW 2001
The NSW Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages allows applications to be made:
NSW Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages
Opening Hours: Monday – Friday, 8:00am – 4:30pm AESTAddress (Sydney): 35 Regent Street, Chippendale NSW 2008
Address (Parramatta): Justice Precinct Offices, 160 Marsden Street, Parramatta NSW 2150
Service Centre near you can be found here
Post: NSW Registry of Births Deaths & Marriages, GPO Box 30, Sydney NSW 2001
The NSW Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages allows applications to be made:
- online
- in person (Sydney or Parramatta);
- in person at Service Centre Locations; and
- by post.
- Death Certificate Application Form
- Letter of Authority
- Proof of Identity as stated on the form
- in person (Sydney and Parramatta): one working day
- in person (priority processing): same day if lodged before 3pm
- by post: five working days plus postal delivery time
- Standard: $60
- Priority Service: $88
- Cash/cheque/money order (Cheques or money orders should be made payable to: Registrar of Births, Deaths & Marriages.);
- Credit card (MasterCard or Visa only); and
- Eftpos (debit card).
Victoria (VIC) – Melbourne change State
Address: Victorian Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages Customer Service Centre, Ground floor, 595 Collins Street, Melbourne VIC 3000
Justice Service Centre (JSC) near you can be found here
Post: Victorian Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages, GPO Box 4332, Melbourne VIC 3001 The VIC Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages allows applications to be made:
VIC Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages
Opening Hours: Monday – Friday, 8:30am – 4:30pm AESTAddress: Victorian Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages Customer Service Centre, Ground floor, 595 Collins Street, Melbourne VIC 3000
Justice Service Centre (JSC) near you can be found here
Post: Victorian Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages, GPO Box 4332, Melbourne VIC 3001 The VIC Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages allows applications to be made:
- online
- in person in Melbourne;
- in person at selected Justice Service Centres (JSC); and
- by post.
- Deceased person details
- Proof of Identity
- Proof of Eligibility
- five working days for deaths in 2017 (pick-up in person in Melbourne or 6 days Australia Post)
- ten working days for deaths in other years (pick-up in person in Melbourne or 6 days Australia Post)
- Standard: $33.80; and
- Postage Australia: $10.00; or
- Postage overseas: $54.10.
Queensland (QLD) – Brisbane change State
Address: Brisbane Registry Customer Service Centre, Level 32, 180 Ann Street, Brisbane QLD 4000
Queensland Magistrates Court or Queensland Government Agent Program offices near you can be found here
Post: Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages, PO Box 15188, City East QLD 4002
The QLD Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages allows applications to be made:
QLD Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages
Opening Hours: Monday – Friday, 8:30am – 4:30pm AESTAddress: Brisbane Registry Customer Service Centre, Level 32, 180 Ann Street, Brisbane QLD 4000
Queensland Magistrates Court or Queensland Government Agent Program offices near you can be found here
Post: Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages, PO Box 15188, City East QLD 4002
The QLD Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages allows applications to be made:
- online;
- in person in Brisbane;
- in person at a Queensland Magistrates Court or Queensland Government Agent Program office; and
- by post.
- Online Form
- Proof of Identity as stated on the form
- in person (Brisbane): while waiting at the time of your visit
- in person (other locations): five working days
- by post: five working days plus postal delivery time or two working days plus postal delivery time for urgent applications (additional fee of $28.70 as at June 2018)
- Standard: $50.40 (5 days)
- Urgent fee: $29.90 (2 days)
- Cash/cheque/money order (Cheques or money orders should be made payable to: Registrar of Births, Deaths & Marriages.); and
- Credit card (MasterCard or Visa only).
Complete Step
Actions and Decisions to Complete Step Yourself
If you have decided to tackle this Step yourself after reading and understanding the above, you may want to:
- Request the Death Certificate from the Funeral Director or check if an application for the Death Certificate was made by them
(see Step 8.1 above); - Alternatively, request the Funeral Director or Next of Kin to apply for the Death Certificate with the Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages in the relevant State/Territory
(see Step 8.2 above); - If the Next of Kin is unable to request it, ask for an letter from the Next of Kin authorising you to apply on their behalf; and
- Make certified copies of the Death Certificate as this is a key document that will be requested by most organisations when you inform them of the death
(see Step 8.1 above).
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Information
Forms
Legislation
Western Australia (WA) – Perth change State
New South Wales (NSW) – Sydney change State
Victoria (VIC) – Melbourne change State
Queensland (QLD) – Brisbane change State
Cost & Effort
Reading: 10 mins
Preparing: 1 hr
Completing: 20 mins
Waiting: 1-2 wks
Total: 1-2 wks
Cost: $43.80 – $88.00
Effort and cost are general estimates only and are based on the assumption that you complete this step without experienced support.
Instructions
To find out how this Process Guide works, access the instructions here.
Glossary
To find out what the capitalised words mean, access the glossary here.
Western Australia (WA) – Perth change State
New South Wales (NSW) – Sydney change State
Victoria (VIC) – Melbourne change State
Queensland (QLD) – Brisbane change State
Forms
Refer to Step 8.2 above for more detail about these forms.
Other forms not listed here may be required based on your specific circumstances.
Checklists & Tools
Use Australia’s smartest Assets & Liabilities Inventory to automatically calculate the estate value for Grant of Probate.
Western Australia (WA) – Perth change State
New South Wales (NSW) – Sydney change State
Victoria (VIC) – Melbourne change State
Queensland (QLD) – Brisbane change State
Legislation & Rules
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N/A
N/A
N/A
Other legislation and rules not listed here may apply to your specific circumstances.
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