Why Do You Need a Death Certificate

A death certificate provides official documentation of your loved one’s date of death, cause of death, and other important information needed as a state, certified public document. It is signed by your loved one’s doctor, or the hospice doctor/nurse, or the Medical Examiner, and also signed by the funeral director. The funeral home will provide you with as many copies as you want, and get them from the state in which the death occurred.

Here is a basic list of who would require a certified copy of the death certificate:

• An attorney/executor of an estate - in order to begin managing the financial affairs

• Banks and financial institutions - in order to access financial accounts and assets.

• Registry of Automobile/Deeds - Transfer of ownership of vehicles, real estate, and other property

• Life Insurance claims - along with the claim form, you may need to send them an original death certificate

• Pension or retirement benefits - in order to transfer the benefits to the spouse or beneficiary, you may need to supply an original DC

• Mortgage Lenders or Creditors - if there is outstanding debt on credit cards or mortgages, a death certificate is required to transfer the account