What the death certificate is and what it's for
The death certificate is the official document issued by the Civil Registry attesting that a person has died. It is the key post-death document: the funeral, the funeral-allowance file at the pension house, the succession at the notary, and the cancellation of the deceased's documents all depend on it.
One original is issued and, on request, copies or multilingual extracts — useful for banks, insurers, or procedures abroad.
Where and within what time the death is registered
The death is registered at the Civil Registry of the town hall in the locality where it occurred, within 3 calendar days (including the day of death). For violent deaths or those requiring an autopsy, the term runs from the issuance of the medical death certificate.
If the 3-day term is exceeded for justified reasons, registration is still possible but may require additional approvals. This is why the funeral house usually handles registration as soon as it has the medical certificate.
Documents required for issuance
- The medical death certificate (original)
- The deceased's ID (identity card or passport)
- The ID of the person declaring the death
- The deceased's birth certificate and, where applicable, marriage certificate
Who can request it and what it costs
The death can be declared by a family member or by the funeral house's representative, based on a simple power of attorney. Issuance of the death certificate is free.
The deceased's ID card is retained at registration. For later duplicates (if the original is lost), a small fee applies, and the request is filed at the same town hall.
Getting a duplicate death certificate — step by step
Original certificates get lost, destroyed in house fires, or simply misplaced over years. A duplicate has exactly the same legal force as the original and is issued free of charge.
Key rule under HG 255/2024 (new methodological norms of Law 119/1996): the request for a duplicate can be filed at ANY town hall (civil status office / SPCLEP) in Romania, regardless of where the death was originally registered. The duplicate is issued by the office where you filed — you do not need to travel to the town where the death occurred. For diaspora families, this means a relative living anywhere in Romania can obtain the duplicate without a long trip.
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Where to file the request | At any town hall (SPCLEP / civil status office) in Romania — per HG 255/2024, not only the original registry |
| Cost | Free — no fee for a duplicate death certificate |
| How long it takes | Usually issued on the spot; up to 30 days if additional verification is needed |
| Who can request it | Family members and entitled persons; a proxy with a special power of attorney; others only with a documented legitimate interest |
| What to bring | Your own ID; proof of relationship to the deceased (marriage or birth certificate); written request; special power of attorney if acting as proxy |
The multilingual extract — the document you want abroad
If you need to use the death certificate with a foreign authority — a bank abroad, an insurance company, a foreign civil registry, a probate court — a standard Romanian death certificate will need a certified translation. There is a better option: the multilingual extract.
The multilingual extract is a standardised form issued under the 1976 Vienna Convention on multilingual forms for civil status documents. It has exactly the same legal force as the full death certificate. Foreign authorities in all Convention member states accept it without a certified translation — you present it directly.
It can be requested at the same town hall that issued the death certificate, or at any Romanian consulate abroad. Fee and timeline are the same as for a standard duplicate.
In practice, if any family member has dealings with foreign institutions — foreign bank accounts, life insurance abroad, foreign probate proceedings — the multilingual extract is the right document to request first.
Can you get a Romanian death certificate online?
No. The Romanian death certificate cannot be issued or requested online. Registration of the death and issuance of the certificate are done in person at the Civil Registry (Starea Civilă), either by a family member or by the funeral house acting under a power of attorney. Some town halls allow online booking of an appointment slot for document submission, but the certificate itself is collected in person.
For families abroad, the practical solution is a simple power of attorney that lets our team handle the Civil Registry on your behalf — no queuing at a counter, no need to be in the country before the funeral.
The 3-day registration deadline
The death must be declared within 3 calendar days of the death, counting the day of death itself, at the Civil Registry of the locality where the death occurred. Who may declare it: a family member or the funeral house acting under a power of attorney. If the 3-day deadline is missed, registration is still possible but requires approval from the competent prosecutor's office — a delay that complicates everything downstream. In practice, the funeral house registers the death as soon as the medical certificate is available.
For deaths in hospital, the hospital issues the medical death certificate, and registration at the Civil Registry remains the responsibility of the family or the funeral house. For diaspora families travelling to Romania, our funeral services team can handle registration while you are still on the way — one power of attorney is enough.
Transcribing a death certificate issued abroad
The reverse situation also occurs: a Romanian citizen dies abroad, and the foreign death certificate needs to be formally recognised in Romania for succession, pension, or other civil purposes. The foreign certificate is not automatically valid in Romania — it must be transcribed into the Romanian civil registry.
How transcription works: the family (or a proxy) files a request at the civil status office of the deceased's last Romanian domicile. For deaths in Hague Convention countries, an apostille on the foreign document is required. A certified translation into Romanian must accompany it. In some cases, the transcription can also be initiated via the Romanian diplomatic mission in the country of death.
Once transcribed, a Romanian death certificate is issued in the normal way and carries full legal effect in Romania.
For diaspora families managing a death abroad: we handle the Romanian end of the transcription process while you remain in your country of residence. One power of attorney is sufficient. See also our repatriation service if the body is also to be brought home.
Getting the Romanian death certificate apostilled for use abroad
If you need to use the Romanian death certificate with a foreign authority — a bank, an insurance company, a probate court, or a government office outside Romania — a standard Romanian certificate will often need an additional layer of authentication. For countries that are members of the Hague Convention (which includes the EU states, the UK, the US, Canada, and Australia), the correct step is a Hague apostille.
In Romania, the apostille for civil-status documents — including the death certificate — is applied by the institution of the county Prefect (Instituția Prefectului) in the county where the document was issued. Bucharest death certificates go to the Instituția Prefectului Municipiului București. The request is filed in person or through a proxy holding a power of attorney; the Prefect's office stamps the apostille on the original document.
For countries that are party to the 1976 Vienna Convention on multilingual civil-status forms, a multilingual extract is accepted directly by member states without any apostille or certified translation. This is usually the faster and cheaper route — see the section above on the multilingual extract.
For diaspora families who need the apostilled certificate to present to a foreign bank, insurer, or court: we can obtain it under power of attorney and send it to you by courier, without you needing to travel to Romania. Call us to arrange the details.