How to Obtain Death Certificate: Tamil Nadu

Eligibility

As per rules, the births, deaths and still-births will have to be registered within 21 days at the place of occurrence.

Concerned Authority

• In Municipalities, Corporations and Special Village Panchayats (Town Panchayats), the concerned local bodies undertake the registration of deaths.
• In Village Panchayats, the responsibility for registration of deaths is with the Revenue Department and the Village Administrative Officers in the Village Panchayats are the Registrars of Deaths.
• Deaths taking place in a medical institution will be intimated for registration by the institution directly to the registering authority.
• When death has taken place in the house, the head of the family or the nearest relative of the family will have to register in the prescribed format along with a medical certificate.

Beyond the prescribed time limit, if a registration is done, it is accepted with a payment of penalty upto a period of one year. If a registration is to be done beyond the period of one year, it will be registered only on receipt of a judicial order from a Magistrate and with penalty.

Procedure

• In rural areas, the Register of Deaths is maintained in the Taluk office for two years and is then transferred to the respective Sub-Registrar's Office. Hence, in rural areas, the Death Certificate can be taken from the Taluk Office within two years and thereafter it has to be applied for in the Sub-Registrar's office and obtained.
• In Town/ Municipal areas, the Registers of Deaths are maintained by the respective Town/ Municipal Office.

The forms have to be asked for in the above offices and obtained.

Departments

In rural areas, the Taluk Offices and Sub-Registrar's offices are the concerned offices for registration/ issual of certificates. Taluk offices come under the Revenue Administration Department.

Town Panchayats (at present called Special Village Panchayats) come under the Rural Development Department.

Municipalities and Corporations come under the Municipal Administration and the Water Supply Department.