Online death registration is not available in South Africa. It is necessary to register a death in person at the Department of Home Affairs. When reporting a death, a Notification of stillbirth or death form (BI-1663) must be completed. Notification of death forms are filled out by medical practitioners, Home Affairs officers, and South African Police officers. A death report (BI-1680) is issued by the DHA when a death is registered. Once the Death Report is available, you will receive a burial order (BI-14).
Abridged Death Certificate vs Unabridged Death Certificate
An abridged death certificate consists of a computer printout that contains the name and date of death of the deceased. Abridged death certificates are issued by default by the DHA. Even when you are outside South Africa, we can obtain this document on your behalf, as most countries require it.
Detailed details of the deceased, date and cause of death, can be found on an unabridged death certificate (vault copy). An abridged death certificate does not contain as much information as these documents. You may require this detailed form of the death certificate if you are emigrating or applying for a visa, such as an ancestral visa.
Complete the Notification of Death form and obtain a death report if you wish to obtain a South African death certificate or a copy of an abridged or unabridged certificate. The BI-132 Application for Copy of a Death Certificate (DHA-132) must be completed if you want an unabridged death certificate of the abridged version you already have.
Using a legal document agent, a death certificate can be obtained remotely on your behalf. Assisting South Africans with their documents is a speciality of Doc Assist. Our team can assist you in obtaining a death certificate in the shortest amount of time. We apply for the certificate on your behalf and expedite the process. For more information, get in touch today!
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