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Registering a death in the Netherlands

Would you like to report the death of a loved one or someone else? Usually the funeral director will declare the death, but you can also do this yourself. This should be done at the municipality where your loved one died.

When you go to the municipality to register a death, you will need to bring the death statement (verklaring van overlijden) with you. This will be given to you by the doctor who confirmed the death. The death statement is made up of 2 parts: the A-verklaring where the death is officially declared and the B-verklaring which states the cause of death.

After a death has been registered, the Registrar of Births, Deaths, Marriages and Civil Partnerships (ambtenaar van de burgerlijke stand) issues the death certificate (Akte van overlijden). The personal details of the deceased appear on the certificate, as well as the name of the informant. It is possible to obtain an excerpt of the certificate.

After issuing the death certificate, the municipality amends the information held on the deceased in the Personal Records Database (Basisregistratie Personen – BRP).

The municipality also issues a document in which it gives permission for the funeral: either the authorisation for burial (verlof tot begraven) or the authorisation for cremation (verlof tot cremeren).

Did the deceased indicate that they wanted to donate their body to science? Then you will be issued a authorisation for dissection (verlof tot ontleding).

You must register a death within 6 working days, and always before the funeral.

This is how it works for you

Your (future) place of residence falls under:
Informatie:

Here is some information from your municipality.

Register a death

You may need the following additional documents in some cases:

  • If the person died of unnatural causes: Verklaring van niet-natuurlijk overlijden (declaration of unnatural death) from a coroner and a Verklaring van geen bezwaar tegen begraven of cremeren (declaration of no-objection to the funeral or cremation) from the officier van justitie (public prosecutor.
  • If the funeral or cremation needs to be postponed, a permit.
  • If the deceased’s wishes were to donate their body for scientific research: their will.
  • If the deceased is to be transported outside the Netherlands, a casket declaration with a medical statement.
  • If the deceased’s wishes were to be buried or cremated within 36 hours or after 6 working days, a request with a Verklaring van geen bezwaar (declaration of no-objection) from the Gemeentelijke Gezondheidsdienst – GGD (Municipal Health Service). This must be done within 36 hours, together with a declaration from the public prosecutor.
  • If the deceased person is not registered in the Netherlands or their Burgerservicenummer – BSN (citizen service number) is not known, a valid identity document of the deceased person.
  • If the date of death is not known (if the body was discovered), a proces-verbaal (official report) from the police.

Declaration by surviving dependants

You can register the death yourself. You must do this in the municipality where your loved one died. Next of kin can report the death by email. You send the report including the attachments to: overlijdensloket@denhaag.nl.

Online registration by funeral directors

You can also ask the funeral home to register the death for you. Funeral homes who are located in the Netherlands can register deaths online. Undertakers can report a death by logging in with eHerkenning. If you are an undertaker and you do not (yet) have eHerkenning you can also report the death by email to: overlijdensloket@denhaag.nl.

You pay a fee for requesting a death certificate. View the costs.

Questions about this topic?

Contact the Municipality of The Hague

Last updated on 23 September 2022