Getting a Burial Order & Death Certificate

A burial order, or ‘pink paper’ as it is infamously called by our clients, is needed before a deceased can be buried. After a relative of the deceased has received the cause of death from the doctor who was attending to the deceased before his/her death; the burial order should be applied for at the Registrar General Department (RGD) with their Registry of Death Department. The RGD  charges a fee of JMD$200 to prepare and issue the burial order. If the death occured in the hospital and an autopsy is done, the burial order will be issued by the hospital. The family member of the deceased must be in possession of the burial order on the day of the funeral. It should be given to the minister committing the body to sign, failing which, the burial will be stopped.

A death certificate is a legal document which declares that a person is officially deceased. It is useful in settling the deceased person’s affairs, such as transfer of property through inheritance and/or insurance matters.

• Where Do You Obtain a Death Certificate? A death certificate should be applied for after the burial order is received. The death certificate can be obtained at the Registrar General Department (RGD); this comes at a cost similar to that of the birth certificate. Contact the RGD from more information about the fees applied to this service.