In Loving Memory

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Information for the Registrar of Births, Deaths and Marriages

By law all deaths in New Zealand must be notified to the Registrar of Births, Deaths and Marriages within three working days after the burial or cremation of the body. This is a free service. Whoever is in charge of the funeral arrangements is also responsible for notifying the Registrar of the death.

The information required by the Registrar is historical and detailed and needs to be collected by the Next-of-Kin or family or the Executor whether or not a funeral director is engaged. For this reason it is a good idea to find out the answers while the person is still alive, or at least know where official papers are which can be relied on to source the information later.

Some documents that can be very helpful are:

  • Birth certificate
    A Birth certificate does NOT need to be supplied to register a death, but it will help to accurately supply a lot of the information required.
  • Passports
    A passport is not required to register a death but the person's passport (or an old passport) can supply useful information about the person.
  • Marriage Certificate(s).
  • Civil Union Certificate(s).
  • Parents' birth certificates and parents' marriage certificates.
  • Military Service Records.

Notification of Death for Registration form (BDM 28)

This form is NOT downloadable from the Births Deaths and Marriages website. You must request it from the Registrar, fill it in and return it by post. There is NO CHARGE for obtaining or filing this form.

Once a death has been registered then a Death Certificate (if required) can be issued by the BDM office for a small fee.

BDM (Births, Deaths and Marriages) Contact Information:

Freephone: 0800 22 52 52
Phone: (+64 4) 463 9362

Email: bdm.nz@dia.govt.nz


The Before Burial or Cremation booklet on the DIA website conains further information on how to register a death.

Information the Registrar will require:

Surname / Family Name :
First / Given Names :
Surname at birth (if different than surname at death) :
First Names at birth (if different than names at death) :
Birth date :
Birth Place :
Usual Residential Address :
If not born in New Zealand, what year did the person arrive in NZ? :
The person's usual occupation :
Was the person decended from a New Zealand Maori? : Yes / No / Don't know
Full name of Mother :
Full name of Mother at her birth :
Mother's Occupation :
Full Name of Father :
Full Name of Father at his birth :
Father's Occupation :

Detail of Community Service, Honours and Awards, and Service Record:

Was the person a Marriage or Civil Union Celebrant? : Yes / No
Was the person a Justice of the Peace? : Yes / No
Was the person a holder of Honours or Awards? : Yes / No
Name(s) of Honour(s) held :
Name(s) of Award(s) held :

Person's Relationships:

The registrar requires information about each time (if any) that the person (a) entered into a civil union, (b) married, or (c) entered into a de facto relationship.
Latest Type of Relationship : Civil Union / Marriage / de facto
The person's age at the time of the solemnisation of the union (Civil Union or Marriage), or entered a defacto relationship :
The place of solemnisation of the union (Civil Union or Marriage) :
Partner or Spouse's Full Name at that time :
The sex and age of the partner or spouse of the person (if still living when the person died) :
Previous Type of Relationship : Civil Union / Marriage / de facto
The person's age at the time of the solemnisation of the union (Civil Union or Marriage), or entered a defacto relationship :
The place of solemnisation of the union (Civil Union or Marriage) :
Partner or Spouse's Full Name at that time :
The sex and age of the partner or spouse of the person (if still living when the person died) :
Previous Type of Relationship : Civil Union / Marriage / de facto
The person's age at the time of the solemnisation of the union (Civil Union or Marriage), or entered a defacto relationship :
The place of solemnisation of the union (Civil Union or Marriage) :
Partner or Spouse's Full Name at that time :
The sex and age of the partner or spouse of the person (if still living when the person died) :

Navy, Military, Air Force Service Record:

Service Number :
Overseas or NZ service? : Overseas / NZ
Which war and rank? :
Which Unit or Regiment? :

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While every effort has been made to present accurate and up-to-date information on this website, no responsiblity can be accepted for consequences arising from reliance on it. I encourage you to share it with anyone who may be interested in reducing the costs involved in saying goodbye to a loved one. Please use common sense, make careful local enquiries, and spread the word!