Registration of Death

Registration of Death

Reglementary Period and Place of Registration

Registration shall be made in the Office of the Civil Registrar of the city/municipality where it occurred whithin thirty (30) days from the time of death. Registration made outside this period is considered late.

The death of a person in a vehicle, airplane or vessel while in transit within the jurisdiction of the Philippines and where the exact place of death cannot be determined, the Certificate of Death shall be issued by the health officer of the place of burial/cremation and shall be registered in the Office of the Civil Registrar of the said city/municipality. If the place of burial/cremation is outside the Philippines, the death shall be registered in the Office of the Civil Registrar of Manila.

Persons Responsible to Report the Event

It shall be the responsibility of the physician who last attended the deceased or the administrator of the hospital or clinic where the person died to prepare the proper death certificate and certify as to the cause of death. The death certificate shall then be forwarded within forty-eight (48) hours after death, to the health officer who shall examine the Certificate of Death and then affix his signature in the appropriate box and shall order its registration in the Office of the Civil Registrar.

It shall be the responsibility of the nearest relative or person who has knowledge of the death to report the same within forty-eight (48) hours if the deceased died without medical assistance. The health officer shall examine the deceased and shall certify as to the cause of death and direct the registration of the death certificate to the Office of the Civil Registrar within the reglementary period of thirty (30) days.

Number of Copies to be Accomplished

It shall be the duty of the person concerned to accomplish and send four (4) copies of the Certificate of Death to the civil registrar for registration. After registration, the civil registrar shall distribute copies of the document bearing the civil registry number within five (5) days from receipt thereof as follows: first copy to the registrant; second copy to the Office of the Civil Registrar-General; third copy shall be retained for filing; and fourth copy to the attendant at death.

Out-of-town Reporting of Death

When registration is not possible in the place of occurrence, report the event in the office of the civil registrar in the nearest accessible city or municipality. The civil registrar should accept the documents NOT FOR REGISTRATION but to be forwarded to the civil registrar of the city/municipality where the death happened and where it should be registered.

Requirements:

a) Four (4) copies of Certificate of Live Birth/Death duly accomplished and signed by the proper parties;

b) An affidavit which shall be executed by the person applying for an out-of-town reporting of death declaring therein, among other things, the facts of death and the reasons why said death was not recorded in the civil register of the city or municipality where it occurred. The affidavit must be attested by at least two witnesses;

      c) If the application is for delayed registration of death, the requirements for delayed registration shall also be complied with.

Mass Death

Where the deceased cannot be identified, the health officer, upon submission of an affidavit by two disinterested persons, in the exercise of his wise discretion, may issue and cause the registration of the death certificate bearing the annotation "BODY NOT IDENTIFIED". The affidavit referred to in the aforementioned statement shall contain the following information:

      a) sex of the deceased;
      b) estimated age;
      c) distinguishing features;
      d) condition of the body when found;
      e) date when the body was found;
      f) place where the body was found; and
      g) circumstances surrounding the death.

Fetal Death

Fetal death is the death prior to the complete expulsion of a product of conception, irrespective of the period of pregnancy.

The registration of fetal death shall follow the procedure in the registration of death.

Late Registration of Death

No delayed report of death shall be accepted for registration unless the following procedures and requirements are observed and complied with by the concerned parties:

a) four (4) copies of the Certificate of Death which must be accomplished correctly and completely;

b) affidavit for delayed registration which shall be executed by the hospital/clinic administrator if the person died in the hospital, or if the person died elsewhere, by the attendant at death. In default of the hospital/clinic administrator or attendant at death, the affidavit shall be executed by any of the nearest relative of the deceased, or by any person having legal charge of thedeceased when he was still alive;

c) the affidavit shall state among other things, the name of the deceased, the facts of his death, the date and place of burial or cremation, and the circumstances why the death was not reported for registration within thirty (30) days after death;

d) authenticated copy of the certificate of burial, cremation or of other means of corpse disposal; and

e) approval for registration by the health officer in the box provided in the Certificate of Death.

For questions & clarifications, send e-mail to the Civil Registry Operations Division.

Page Last Updated: March 22, 2000