The death certificate is the key to everything that follows: whoever provided treatment issues it; for natural deaths at home, contact the local community health service center. It must be issued within one day.

If the death occurs in a hospital, the hospital that treated the patient issues the certificate. For natural deaths at home, the community health service center or township health clinic serving that area issues it. When the cause of death is clear, the certificate is issued within 24 hours. It is required for deregistration, cremation, withdrawal from a housing provident fund, receipt of social insurance benefits, insurance claims, and estate settlement — so be sure to make several copies right away.

No cost at all.

According to the “Interim Regulations on Registration and Management of Population Death Information,” death certificates for patients who die in medical institutions are issued by those institutions; for deaths occurring at home or elsewhere, they are issued by the local community health service center or township health clinic. Cases deemed non‑natural by police or judicial authorities are handled under separate procedures. In 2026, five government agencies confirmed that electronic death certificates carry the same legal weight as paper versions; both are equally valid. Certificates for natural deaths with known causes must be issued within one day. If lost, a single replacement can be requested from the original issuer. Errors in basic information may be corrected by submitting supporting documents.

This certificate is indispensable for deregistration, cremation, housing provident fund withdrawals, social insurance benefits, insurance claims, and estate settlement — so make plenty of copies right away. If electronic issuance is available, request it as well. Only one replacement is permitted, so keep the original safe. Any mistakes in name or ID number should be corrected on the spot; otherwise you’ll have to repeat the process at every office later on.

国家卫生计生委办公厅 (2014). 人口死亡信息登记管理规范（试行）（国卫办规划发〔2014〕68 号，第九条）. https://mzj.sz.gov.cn/szmz/pc/zwgk/jcxxgk/zcfg/byfw/content/post_2952215.html（深圳市民政局转发）；国家卫生健康委、公安部、民政部、国家中医药局、国家疾控局 (2026). 关于加强居民死亡医学证明信息登记和电子证照管理工作的通知（国卫规划发〔2026〕5 号）. https://wjw.fujian.gov.cn/xxgk/fgwj/gjwj/202602/t20260228_7102810.htm（福建省卫生健康委员会转发）