Apply For Register a Death in Hong Kong
In the case of deaths occured from natural causes
- The Births and Deaths Registration Ordinance stipulates that deaths due to natural causes need to be registered within 24 hours of the time. In the majority of cases the medical professional who cared for the deceased during their final illness will sign and issue an Medical Certificate of the Cause of death (Form 18.). The person who is responsible for recording the death should submit an application form with them to the Registry of Deaths for registration of the death.
- The Hong Kong Island Deaths Registry or Kowloon Deaths Registry are accepting applications for the death registrations that occur because of natural causes on weekdays as well as Saturdays (morning) with the exception of when it’s the day of a general holiday. For general holidays and Sundays you can visit to the Births and Deaths General Register Office between 10:00 am and 12:30 pm to complete the process. Registration for deaths that are natural in nature is accessible in some police stations within the New Territories such as Cheung Chau and Mui Wo for deaths that took place in their respective district.
for deaths which took place due to natural causes
- If a death occurred because of unnatural causes, like violence or poison the incident must be reported to the Coroner.
- The Coroner could conduct a post-mortem exam or an inquiry to determine the cause of the death. If the cause of death is identified the Coroner will notify the Registrar of Deaths concerning the demise.
- The Registrar will inform the relatives of the deceased by writing following the announcement that the death has been recorded.
- Death registration for a death reported by the Coroner will be handled by the Births and Deaths General Register Office in Admiralty. A certified copies of the death record is available from that Office or from any of the two other Deaths Registries located in Hong Kong Island and in Kowloon after receiving the Registrar’s notification of the finalization of the death registration. People who wish to get a copy of the death certificate must submit the Registrar’s notification on the request and pay HK$140 for an official copy.
- If you want to inquire about the death’s registration that was reported to Coroner, you can call at the Births and Deaths General Register Office at (852) 2867 2784 during the office hours.
- Documents Required
To record a death, you must submit all of the documents listed below (original duplicates):
- Medical Certificate of cause of death (Form 18) that is signed and issued by the registered physician who was present at the funeral in the course of their last illness
- The person who has died Hong Kong identity card or travel document
- The person who applied for the (the one that registers that demise) Hong Kong identity card or travel document
Office Locations and Contacts
General QuestionsHotline : (852) 2824 6111
Fax: (852) 2877 711
Contact email : enquiry@immd.gov.hk
The Births and Deaths General Register Office
3F Block, Low Block,
Queensway Government Offices,
66 Queensway,
Hong Kong Map
(MTR Admiralty Station Exit C1)
Phone: (852) 2867 2784
Office Hours:
Monday through Friday : 8:45 AM – 4.45 pm (except General Day and Public Holidays)
Saturdays: 9 am – 11:30 am (except General Holidays)
Sundays and general holidays from 10:00 am to 12:30 pm (only to register deaths due to natural causes)
Services offered for registration of birth and adoption and searches of birth records for death and adoption and issue authentic copies of birth records for adoption and death in addition to alteration of name of child on birth registers. (This registry office is only responsible for death registrations that are referred to the Coroner on weekdays and Saturdays. )
Hong Kong Island Deaths Registry
18/F, Wu Chung House,
213 Queen’s Road East,
Wan Chai, Hong Kong Map
(MTR Wan Chai Station – Exit A3)
Phone:(852) 2961 8841
Office Hours:
Monday to Friday: 9:00 am to 12:30 pm, and at 2:00 pm, 4:45 pm
Saturdays : 9:00 am – 12:30 pm
Closed on Sundays and all General holidays
Kowloon Registration of Deaths
1/F, Cheung Sha Wan Government Offices
303 Cheung Sha Wan Road
Cheung Sha Wan, Kowloon Map
(MTR Sham Shui Po Station – Exit C1)
Phone: (852) 2368 4706
Office Hours:
Monday through Friday : 9:00 am to 12:30 pm, and 2 pm – 4:45 pm
Saturdays : 9:00 am – 12:30 pm
Closed on Sundays, and on General Public Holidays
Fees
- Registering a death: Free
- Copy of death certificate that is certified. entry The cost is HK$140.
If you didn’t apply to get a certified copy of death registration when you registered death certificate, but want to obtain one later You may have to request a search of death records first. In order to do this, you will be required to pay a search cost:
- Particular Lookup Specific Search
General Search General Search
Processing Time
In the case of deaths occured because of natural causes
Registration of death usually takes about 30 minutes to complete and an official copy of the death record (commonly known as a Certificate of Death) typically is issued within 10 minutes.
for deaths which took place because of unnatural causes
The Coroner usually takes one to six months to establish the reason for the death. If the causes of death are established by the Coroner, and is reported to the Registrar that death is declared within one week, and families of the person who passed away will be informed in writing.
The Information You Need
Candidates are required to supply details about the deceased’s profession, nationality, as well as marital situation.
Documentation is needed
- The Death Certificate an official document that is issued by the Registrar that outlines the date, place and reason for the person’s death. The document will be issued once the death was recorded.
- The law in Hong Kong, a certified copy of a death certificate can be issued to show that the death was legally recorded.
- Here are the steps on how to record your death to Hong Kong.
Information that could be helpful
- Inquiring for a Permit to the removal of a deceased body of Hong Kong:
- If, upon the registration of a death due to natural causes or after the issue of Form 11 from the Coroner’s office for an unnatural cause of death it is possible to remove the dead body from Hong Kong for burial, by contacting the appropriate death registers and obtaining permission to remove of the Dead Corpse of Hong Kong.
- Permits to Remove dead bodies to Hong Kong are issued free without cost. The applicants must fill out the application forms (Form SF/BDR/3) and can be found at the death registry offices of the respective cities and provide details such as the details of the person who is deceased and when and where the body is to be taken away out of Hong Kong. In certain cases applicants will be asked to prove that permission to move the deceased body to another country has been granted prior to the issuance of the permit.
- To learn more: Services and support for grieving families
External Links
- Hong Kong Gov Website