Register a death in Ireland:

Death Notification Form

Following a death, a registered medical practitioner who attended the deceased must complete and sign part 1 of the Death Notification Form (DNF). Part 1 includes the Medical Certificate of the Cause of Death (MCCD).

This form is given to a relative or civil partner of the deceased, or if there are none, to another qualified informant (see list below of other qualified informants).

This form is then used to register the death. A relative, civil partner or another qualified informant must register the death within 3 months of the death occurring.

How to apply for a certificate

Contact any local civil register office or the General Register Office to get a copy of a death certificate. If you are registering the death, you can get copies of the death certificate at the same time.

If the deceased was an EU national and their death is also required to be registered in their EU country of birth, you can get both the Irish death certificate and a Multilingual Standard Form (in a language of your choice) by applying directly to the GRO using our online order form.

A Multilingual Standard Form (MSF) is a translation and authentication document for Irish death certificates which can be used throughout the EU. There is no additional charge for this document.

Exceptional Needs Payments (SWA)

WHAT AN EXCEPTIONAL NEEDS PAYMENT IS

An Exceptional Needs Payment is a single payment to help meet essential, once-off, exceptional expenditure, which a person could not reasonably be expected to meet out of their weekly income.

For example, the payment can be for bedding or cooking utensils for someone setting up a home for the first time, visiting relatives in hospital or prison, funeral costs or for clothing in exceptional circumstances.

Given the current restrictions due to Covid-19 and the requirement for individuals and households to restrict their movements,some households may incur more electricity and heating costs than would normally be the case.

For households dependent on income support payments from this Department, the additional heating costs may present a significant challenge. Financial support in the form of an Exceptional Needs Payment may be available to pay the additional cost of heating and electricity.

Exceptional Needs Payments are administered by the Community Welfare Service (CWS) of the Department.