How to get a death certificate in New Zealand

Written by Henry Smith · Reviewed by Smiths Insurance & KiwiSaver, licensed Financial Advice Provider (FSP712931) · Updated 2026-10-20 · Reviewed quarterly, when the underlying data is restated.

An official New Zealand death certificate costs $35 from Births, Deaths and Marriages (BDM), part of the Department of Internal Affairs. You can order it online, by post on form BDM93D, by phone, or in person, and most people receive it in 1 to 2 weeks. The death must be registered first, which is free, and a funeral director normally does that for you (govt.nz: Get a death certificate).

A death certificate is the official record, issued by BDM, that a person has died. It is different from the doctor's certificate of cause of death and from the registration of the death. Families often mix the three up, and then order more than they need or order too early. This guide separates them, sets out the fees and delivery times as at 20 October 2026, and explains what you may and may not need a certificate for.

Three documents, three different jobs

Document	Who completes it	What it does
Certificate of cause of death	A doctor or nurse practitioner (or the coroner gives an authorisation)	Allows the body to be buried or cremated
Registration of the death	The funeral director, or the family using form BDM 28	Puts the death on the official record at BDM; free
Death certificate	BDM issues it to the person who orders it	The official document, $35, used for estate and other tasks

A body must not be buried or cremated unless the person in charge of the disposal has been given a certificate of cause of death or a coroner's authorisation (Burial and Cremation Act 1964, section 46AA). That is a step before registration, not the same thing as the death certificate you order later.

Who registers the death, and by when

If you use a funeral director, they register the death with BDM and also organise the cause-of-death certificate; you give them personal information about the person who died. If you are arranging the funeral yourself, or not holding one, you must register the death yourself: get a cause of death certificate from the doctor or nurse, or the coroner's authorisation, complete "Notification of death for registration BDM 28", and post both to BDM (govt.nz: Registering a death).

The deadline is 3 working days after the body is disposed of. Govt.nz's "what to do" page loosely says "within 3 days", but the Births, Deaths, Marriages, and Relationships Registration Act 2021 (section 40) and the registration page say 3 working days. A doctor or nurse practitioner also gives BDM a preliminary notice of the death within 3 working days of the certificate (section 39). Registering is free; the fee is only for a certificate (Births, Deaths, Marriages, and Relationships Registration Act 2021). Our registering a death guide covers the registration step in more detail.

How to order a death certificate

Wait until the death is registered. Govt.nz says not to order a death certificate until after the funeral has taken place. If you are registering the death yourself, you can order the certificate on the registration form, or separately once the death has been registered.
Choose how to order. Online through Births, Deaths and Marriages; by post using form BDM93D, "Request for death certificate or printout"; by phone with a credit or debit card; or in person in Auckland, Manukau, Wellington or Christchurch, where you need photo ID. Booking an appointment online first saves time.
Choose official certificate or printout. An official certificate is $35. A printout is a copy of the information on the death record, is not an official document and costs $26. A printout is for researching family history, and arrives by email after about 8 working days.
Choose delivery. Standard post within New Zealand is free and courier is $7. Overseas, standard post is free, and courier costs include Australia $26, the USA $50, the United Kingdom $53 and $62 for the rest of the world.
Wait 1 to 2 weeks. Govt.nz says most people get their certificates in that time.

The death must have happened in New Zealand for BDM to supply a New Zealand certificate. For a death overseas, contact the agency in the country where it happened. If you will use the certificate overseas, you may need an apostille or authentication certificate, or a translation.

Do you need an official certificate?

Not for everything. The answer depends on who is asking:

Work and Income Funeral Grant. The application needs confirmation of death, and that can be a death certificate, the funeral director's confirmation or a notice, so you may not need to order a certificate to apply (Work and Income: Funeral Grant). See the funeral grant guide.
myTrove. The free notification service says no New Zealand death certificate is needed, and you can start before the death is registered (myTrove).
Inland Revenue. IR asks for written proof that you can act (a letter of administration, a copy of the will or probate) or the IR625 declaration (Inland Revenue: Let us know someone has died).
Unclaimed money. Inland Revenue says to prove authority with "a copy of the will, the death certificate, or a Letter of Administration, or other evidence" (Inland Revenue: Search the database).
Estate administration. Govt.nz says you will need the death certificate to work through many of the administrative and estate tasks, so the executor usually orders it. See probate in NZ and the executor's role.

Because organisations differ in what they accept, ask each one whether a copy, a printout or the funeral director's confirmation will do before you order several official certificates. Govt.nz does not say how many to order.

What a funeral director may charge

Funeral directors often include a death certificate in their account. FDANZ's indicative range lists a death certificate at $40 against the government fee of $35; Dils, a North Shore funeral director, lists $38 a copy in its May 2026 price list (FDANZ: Financial matters; Dils price list). Both figures are the provider's own, so ask what the line covers. If you would rather order directly from BDM at $35, tell the director when you meet.

Wills, probate and planning

A certificate is one step in a chain that includes finding the will and applying for probate. If you have not yet made a will, our making a will guide explains what it must contain to be valid. Planning to leave money for a funeral is a separate question, covered in our funeral insurance guide; the buttons below this page lead to Momentum Life's products, which are not needed to get or use a death certificate.

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Adviser's view

Most families get a death certificate by letting the funeral director register the death, then ordering the certificate themselves once the funeral has taken place. It costs $35 from Births, Deaths and Marriages. Order only what you need: some tasks, including the Funeral Grant and myTrove notifications, do not need an official certificate.

Henry Smith, Financial Adviser (FSP1010699). General information, not personalised financial advice.

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Cite this page QuoteHub NZ (2026). Death Certificate NZ: How to Order and What It Costs. www.quotehub.co.nz/guides/when-someone-dies/death-certificate-nz. Updated 2026-10-20.