Death registration: where to report it and which documents follow
Official guidance distinguishes registering a death, receiving a Death Report and obtaining the burial order needed before burial.
A death must be reported for registration, and a burial cannot take place without a burial order. A death certificate and permission for burial serve different purposes.
The government's death-certificate guidance identifies the people to whom a death may be reported:
- Designated Home Affairs officers.
- South African Police Service members, particularly where Home Affairs has no office.
- A South African mission, embassy or consulate when the death occurred abroad.
- Funeral undertakers appointed and recognised under the law.
What happens after registration
A Death Report is issued once the death has been registered. The designated officials or persons may also issue burial orders. The government guidance states that burial requires that authorisation.
Home Affairs issues the death certificate after receiving the notification of death. The certificate should therefore not be confused with the burial order.
This is existing official service guidance checked on 10 November 2026, not a newly announced registration process. Contact Home Affairs for the requirements applying to the particular case.
Archive photograph of the Home Affairs building on Harrison Street, Johannesburg, taken on 13 March 2016; it does not establish current branch services or identify people registering a death. Photo: Adamina / Wikimedia Commons, originally on Flickr, CC BY 2.0. Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Johannesburg_Harrison_Street_02.jpg . Licence: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ . Cropped and resized for display.