Death registration

Registration of death is the procedure for registering the death document on the basis of the declaration of death, within the time limit and under the conditions laid down by law. The declaration of death is made verbally within 3 days of the date of death. This period covers both the day of death and the day on which the declaration of death is made.

Attention! According to Article 339 paragraph (1) of the Contravention Code (Infringement of the legislation on the regime of civil status documents), The concealment of birth or death or the declaration of birth or death in violation of the conditions or time limits stipulated by the legislation is punishable by a fine of 9 to 21 conventional units. The burial or cremation of the corpse without registering the death with the civil status body or with the authority authorized by law to do so is punishable by a fine of 9 to 30 conventional units for natural persons, and 90 to 180 conventional units for legal persons.

The following are required to make the declaration of death:

• family members;
• relatives of the deceased;
• in the absence of the persons listed above, the obligation to declare the deceased's death is incumbent on roommates, neighbors, the property administration, the doctor or other person from the health facility where the death occurred;
• in the event of the death of a person in a penitentiary or social welfare institution, the declaration of death must be made by the administration of the institution concerned.

The death certificate is issued to family members or, in the absence of family members (as proven by documentary evidence), to relatives of the deceased. 

If it is impossible to assess the status of the person entitled to the issuance of the death certificate in the name of the deceased (in the absence of relevant evidence), in order to ensure the exercise of the right to initiate the notarial action on the opening of the succession file, in accordance with the provisions of Article 10 of the Law on the organization of notarial activity no. 69/2016 it is stipulated the right of the notary competent for the opening of notarial proceedings to request and receive information relevant for the conduct of the notarial activity from central or local public administration authorities, institutions, including financial, from other organizations holding state registers.

Attention! In the case of registration of death on the basis of a certificate attesting the death, which is more than one year after the date of the event, the death document is drawn up in the administrative procedure of subsequent registration of the civil status document (Service "Subsequent registration of the civil status document"). 

In certain cases, the registration of the death is carried out in compliance with the conditions laid down for the reconstitution of the civil status document: 

• the death of the repressed person on the basis of the communication of the Security and Intelligence Service of the Republic of Moldova, regardless of the time when the death occurred. 

The death may also be registered on the basis of a court judgment (by the Civil Status Service, within the territorial jurisdiction of the issuing court), the following cases being established, as follows:

• the court judgment on the establishment of the registration of death (a reconstituted death certificate is drawn up);
• the court judgment on the establishment of death on a certain date and in certain circumstances (a death document is drawn up in the order of current registration if the establishment of the fact of death took place within 1 year of the occurrence of the legal event. If the fact of death is established after the expiry of one year from the occurrence of the legal event, the systematization of the death documents shall be carried out in the registers of documents drawn up subsequently;
• the court judgment declaring the person deceased (a death document is drawn up in the order of current registration if the established date of death of the person declared deceased occurred within 1 year from the date of registration of the death document. A death document shall be drawn up in the order of subsequent registration if the registration of the death document takes place after the expiry of one year from the established date of death of the person declared deceased. If the date is not expressly fixed, the date of death shall be the date on which the judgment becomes final.

Pre-scheduling for requesting services in the territorial subdivisions of the PSA is available here: https://programare.asp.gov.md/qwebbook/index.jsp?lang=ro