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Death Registration
Bangladesh
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Bangladesh
Death Registration
Procedure and Certificates
Procedure and Certificates
Place
Where must deaths be reported?
Place of residence of deceased
Recommended Practice based on International Guidelines
Registration may be place of occurrence of place of residence. The law should clearly state where deaths must be reported for purposes of registration.Reporting in the place of occurrence usually makes the registration process faster and easier for the informant, and also allows reporting of death at health facilities. Countries with electronic systems for civil registration may allow more flexibility and allow reporting from anywhere the civil registration system can be accessed.
What are the reporting time periods for death registration specified in the law?
45 days
Recommended Practice based on International Guidelines
The time period for reporting a death should be as short as possible, to facilitate accurate and current registration. Time periods vary by country, but are usually 3-5 days. Deaths in health facilities may have a shorter reporting deadlines. It is important to have uniform time periods across the country to register deaths. A late death registration occurs when a death is reported after the legally specified time period but within a grace period, usually one year after death. Delayed registration occurs after the expiry of grace period (after 1 year). Late notification should be permitted with a valid notice of death or alternative documentation that is not too burdensome, such as affidavit of witness or record of burial/cremation. Delayed registration may require additional evidence.
Are there any fees for on-time death registration?
No
Recommended Practice based on International Guidelines
It is not recommended that fee be charged for the timely registration of a death. To encourage registration, the legislation should clearly state that registration of a death within the time period prescribed by the law is free of charge.
Are there any fees or sanctions for late or delayed death registration?
Yes
Recommended Practice based on International Guidelines
Fees and sanctions for late or delayed registration discourage and disincentivize registration. If fees are applied to late or delayed registration policymakers should consider a fee-waiver for those for whom fee payment is a hardship. More effective results to increase registration rates are observed through educational programmes aimed at the public. Some countries have opted to impose a penalty for failure to register or, more precisely, refusal to register, rather than impose a fee for late registration.
The Births and Deaths Registration Act imposes a fee for late and delayed registration. The fee for registration from 45 days up to 5 years after a birth or death is 25 Taka (approximately USD $0.20). The fee for registration of a birth or death after 5 years is 50 Taka (approximately USD $0.50) [Rule 21(1)]. The Registrar has the power to waive fees [Rule 21(4)].
What is the minimum information required by law to register death?
Minimum information required is in accordance with UN guidance and registrars have discretion to register birth without all information
Recommended Practice based on International Guidelines
The information required for legal purposes is minimal, and usually consists of: Name of deceased; place and date of birth; place and date of death; sex; unique personal identifier.
Under the Birth and Death Registration Rules, Rule 3(1)(B), the following information is requested at death registration: the name of the deceased, the Birth Registration Number (if any), National Identity Card Number (if any), date of death, sex, age, place of death, cause of death, name of father and mother and that of the spouse (if any) and present and permanent address. Death registration shall not be refused if there is missing information; in such cases, the data field is marked "unavailable". (Rule 3(1)(C, 3(2)).
What evidence or documents are required for on-time death registration?
Notification of death or other similar document
Recommended Practice based on International Guidelines
Registrars should require proof as to the veracity of the information to be registered. Proof or evidence required for registration must be sufficiently stringent to provide assurance of the accuracy of the information without being so burdensome as to discourage or prevent registration. Documentary evidence is always preferred. Ideally all deaths will have an accurate, detailed medical certificate of cause of death (MCCD). However, in many contexts this will not be possilbe. Lack of MCCD should not prevent death registration; evidence of fact of death should be sufficient to register death. Evidence of fact of death could be a notification of death or other similar document, Witness Statement or other similar evidence.
For death registration, the Birth and Death Registration Rules require the following documentation: (A) Death Certificate from the concerned medical institution or physician; Or (B) Certificate from the concerned health worker; Or (C) Attested copy of the autopsy report of the deceased person; Or (D) Copy of the burial or funeral receipts provided by the caretaker at the respective graveyard or cemetery; Or (E) Death Certificate provided by the concerned Member of the Union Council or Municipality or the Councilor of the City Corporation, or, that provided by the Cantonment Executive Officer in case of Cantonment Board; Or (F) Death Certificate provided by the Muslim religious leader performing the Muslim funeral rituals for the deceased, and the priest or the person performing the obsequies (funeral) function in case of other religions; (G) Copy of other documents relating to the death of the deceased person, as discerned and required by the Registrar, in case the certificates in Clauses (A) to (F) are unavailable; (H) Birth Registration Certificate of the deceased person; And (I) Copy of the Birth Registration Certificate or National ID of the person applying for Death Registration.
Are there additional or alternative documents required for late or delayed death registration?
Yes
Recommended Practice based on International Guidelines
While late and delayed reporting should be discouraged, the procedures should not be so restrictive as to prevent late and delayed reporting of events. Late registration (within 1-year grace period) can be permitted with notice of death or similar document. If such a notice is not available, the law may stipulate what alternative documentary evidence of fact of death may be accepted, such as affidavit from witness or record of burial or cremation. Declaration delayed by more than one year may require recourse to judicial procedures and decisions. However, to increase death registration rates, consideration should be given to creating a non-judicial procedure for delayed death declaration, with the provision of adequate documentation proving the fact of death.
For any application submitted after 45 (forty-five) days of the death of the person, an explanatory note for the delay should be submitted in addition to the documents required for on-time registration.
The registrar has the power to correct errors (minor and substantive) if the request for correction is received within 90 days of the date of issuance of the birth or death certificate. If the request is received after 90 days, the registrar must forward the application to a supervisory level (which is the District Administrator for Registrars for registrars at the city, municipality and cantonment level, and the Sub-District Executive Officer for Registrars for registrars at the union council level). Corrections are subject to a fee of 50 Taka (approximately USD $0.50).
The original death certificate is free of charge. This is implied in the Birth and Death Registration Rules, which state that on-time registration is free and provide a fee for copies of certificates, while being silent on the topic of fees for the original certificate.
