What the medical death certificate is and why it comes first
The certificatul medical constatator al decesului is the document by which a doctor officially confirms that a person has died and records the medical cause of death. It is the mandatory first step: the Civil Registry (Starea Civilă) uses it to issue the civil death certificate, and the funeral home uses it to collect the deceased.
Without the medical death certificate, nothing else can happen — not transport, not registration of the death, not the funeral.
What the document contains
The certificate records the deceased's identifying details, the date and time of death, the medical cause of death, and the issuing doctor's details. The doctor cannot issue it without a physical examination of the body — death must be confirmed directly, not remotely.
The document has a medical section and a statistical section. The family receives the copy needed for the Civil Registry; the remaining copies go to statistical reporting. Check the name, date of birth, and date of death on the spot — a transcription error blocks issuance of the civil death certificate and forces corrections later.
When it is issued and who issues it
The certificate is issued at least 24 hours after death — a requirement under Law 119/1996. The table below covers the most common situations.
| Situation | Who issues it | When |
|---|---|---|
| Death at home, natural cause, daytime | The family doctor or an on-call doctor called to the home | At least 24 hours after death |
| Death at home, night or weekend | The on-call doctor called via 112 (ambulance) | At least 24 hours after death; if no clear cause, the case goes to the forensic institute |
| Death in hospital | The on-duty doctor at the hospital | Automatically — the family does not need to arrange this |
| Violent, suspicious, or sudden death | The forensic doctor at the Institute of Forensic Medicine (IML) | After the forensic autopsy is completed — typically 2–5 days |
Who issues it, depending on where the death occurred
- In hospital — the on-duty doctor confirms the death and issues the certificate automatically
- At home, with a family doctor — the family doctor may issue the certificate if the cause of death is a known natural illness
- At home, without a family doctor — call 112; if no clear cause is apparent, the case goes to the forensic institute
- Sudden, violent, or suspicious death — the forensic institute issues the certificate after autopsy
Death at night, on weekends, or on public holidays
Death does not wait for office hours. If someone dies at home at night, on a weekend, or on a public holiday, call 112. The on-call doctor comes, confirms the death, and decides whether the cause is natural or whether the case needs the forensic institute.
The 24-hour minimum runs from the time of death, regardless of the day. You can call us at any hour — we collect the deceased and start the paperwork in parallel, without waiting for Monday. In hospital, the on-duty doctor issues the certificate without the family needing to do anything.
The difference between the medical death certificate and the civil death certificate
These are two separate documents, easily confused. The certificatul constatator al decesului is a medical document, signed by a doctor, that attests the death and its cause. The certificatul de deces is a civil-status document, issued by the town hall on the basis of the medical certificate.
In practice: the doctor gives you the constatator; you then use it — along with the deceased's identity document — to obtain the civil death certificate from the Civil Registry. The civil death certificate is what you need for the funeral, for the funeral allowance, and for succession. See our guide on obtaining the civil death certificate.
When an autopsy is mandatory
A forensic autopsy is mandatory when the death is violent (accident, fall, assault), sudden in an apparently healthy person, suspicious, or occurs in unclear circumstances. The medical death certificate is only issued after the examination, and the body stays at the forensic institute for a number of days.
For deaths from natural causes in people with known illnesses, no autopsy is needed and the certificate is issued directly by the doctor.
A forensic autopsy is ordered by the prosecutor or the criminal investigation authority — not by the family. In cases of violent or suspicious death, the family cannot refuse the autopsy; it is carried out to establish the cause of death with certainty. The legal basis is the Code of Criminal Procedure (Art. 185).
The body is released to the family after the examination is complete, along with the medical death certificate. We can collect the deceased directly from the forensic institute as soon as the certificate is available, and continue with the funeral arrangements without the family having to make the trip.
Romanian Law 102/2014 — funeral servicesDeath abroad
When the death occurs in another country, the medical death certificate is issued by the local medical authorities, in the language of that country. For repatriation, the document is translated and, depending on the country, apostilled or legalised.
The Romanian consulate uses it to issue the documents required for transport. The full procedure, by country, is described in our guide on repatriation of the deceased. We coordinate the entire logistics, including obtaining and translating the documents, so the family does not have to manage formalities at a distance.
Cost and timeline
The medical death certificate is issued at no cost to the family in ordinary cases (death in hospital or at home, natural cause). When the forensic institute is involved, the process takes 2–5 days, depending on workload.
The forensic examination is not charged to the family — it is a procedure ordered by the authorities. Busy periods or weekends can add a day or two. We keep you informed at each stage and collect the deceased as soon as the document is ready, so the family does not have to travel to the forensic institute. You can read more at our death-at-home service and death in hospital.
After you receive the medical death certificate
With the medical death certificate in hand, the next step is registering the death. Go to the Civil Registry of the locality where the death occurred, bringing the medical certificate, the deceased's identity document, and, if available, the birth and marriage certificates. The civil death certificate is drawn up within 3 calendar days of the death, not counting the day of death itself. If this deadline is missed, late registration is still possible but involves extra steps — so do not delay.
The town hall then issues the civil death certificate, which you need for the funeral, the funeral allowance, and succession. We can handle this step under a power of attorney, so you do not have to queue at multiple counters. The full list of required documents is in our guide on documents needed after a death.