Registering a death
Would you like to report the death of a loved one or someone else? Usually the funeral director will declare the death, but you can also do this yourself. This should be done at the municipality where your loved one died.
Last updated 15 September 2022
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Registering the death at the municipality
When you go to the municipality to register a death, you will need to bring the verklaring van overlijden (death statement) with you. This will be given to you by the doctor who confirmed the death. The death statement is made up of 2 parts: the A-verklaring where the death is officially declared and the B-verklaring which states the cause of death.
After a death has been registered, the ambtenaar van de burgerlijke stand (Registrar of Births, Deaths, Marriages and Civil Partnerships) issues an Akte van overlijden (death certificate). The personal details of the deceased appear on the certificate, as well as the name of the informant. It is possible to obtain an excerpt of the certificate.
After issuing the death certificate, the municipality amends the information held on the deceased in the Basisregistratie Personen – BRP (Personal Records Database).
Getting the documents required for burial or cremation
The municipality also issues a document in which it gives permission for the funeral: either the verlof tot begraven (authorisation for burial) or the verlof tot cremeren (authorisation for cremation).
Did the deceased indicate that they wanted to donate their body to science? Then you will be issued a verlof tot ontleding (authorisation for dissection).
Register the death within 6 working days
You must register a death within 6 working days, and always before the funeral.
If you still have questions about the death certificate, contact your municipality.
Laws and regulations (in Dutch)
Burgerlijk Wetboek Boek 1, artikel 19h
Wet op de lijkbezorging, artikelen 11 en 12