Death Registrations

Death Registration Information

• How to Register a Death

• How to Obtain a Death Certificate

• How to Obtain Old Death Records

• How to Obtain a Death Certificate for Another Province

• Government of Ontario Website
  
  
  Death registrations are a permanent, legal record of death of an individual.

Death certificates or certified copies of a death registration are provided by the Office of the Registrar General for such purposes as:

• settlement of estates
• insurance
• access to or termination of other government services (i.e., health card, pensions, voter’s list)
• genealogy searches
• Information from death registrations is also used for medical and health research, and for statistical purposes.

How to Register a Death

To register a death, a family member can contact the City Clerk's Office at 905 546-CITY (2489) for further information or the Funeral Director usually completes the Statement of Death with information about the deceased. At the same time, the Physician or Coroner attending the death completes the Medical Certificate of Death, which contains the cause of death information. Both forms are forwarded to the City Clerk's Division Registrar of the municipality where the death occurred. After they are received and recorded by the City Clerk, they are forwarded to the Office of the Registrar General for registration.

If the death occurs in Ontario but the burial or other disposition is to take place outside of Ontario, the body cannot be removed until an Ontario burial permit is obtained. If the death occurs outside of Ontario but the burial or other disposition is to take place in Ontario, a burial, transit or removal permit is required from the jurisdiction where the death occurred.

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Application for a Death Certificate can be made on-line at the Service Ontario Website.

Death Certicifate Applications are available from the City Clerk's Department, Municipal Service Centres or click here to print the Request for Death Certificate Form.

Registration of a Death by the Office of the Registrar General can take up to 90 days.

A Death Certificate Application for a death occurring in Ontario and payment of the required fee can be:

1. Mailed to the Office of the Registrar General - P.O. Box 4600, 189 Red River Road, Thunder Bay, ON P7B 6L8.

2. Faxed to the Office of the Registrar General at 807-343-7459 provided payment is made by credit card.

How to Obtain a Death Certificate for Another Province Contact the Province where the death was registered. Click here to view a list of Registrars Offices within Canada.