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Disclaimer / Limitations
This country’s legal measures were reviewed by our legal staff in consultation with in-country lawyers and/or CRVS legal experts. All efforts were made to ensure the accuracy of the legal analysis, however, if you consider there to be any discrepancies or if there have been changes in the law of the country since our staff last updated the legal analysis, we welcome any additional information or insights. Please contact us via this form.
Death Registration
Papua New Guinea
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Papua New Guinea
Death Registration
Burial, ID and Related Services
Burial, ID and Related Services
Burial Permits and Disposal of Bodies
Does the law require that a burial permit be obtained to dispose of a body? If so, does the law require that death is reported to the civil registrar before a burial permit can be obtained?
No burial permit required
Recommended Practice based on International Guidelines
A permit should be required to bury or cremate, or otherwise dispose of, a body. The law should require the reporting of death to the civil registrar before a permit to dispose of the body is issued, to incentivize death registrations. To enforce the requirement of death registration, funeral, burial and cremation services should be required to request proof of reporting of death or death certificate before proceeding with services.
The Civil and Identity Registration Act does not require burial permits, but Section 51 requires a minister of religion who conducts a funeral service, or a person responsible for the disposal of human remains where there is no funeral service, to request proof of notification of death from the deceased’s next of kin - and, if there is no proof that the death has been notified, to report it to the Registrar-General within 21 days of the date of disposal. Such persons also have a duty to report all funeral services conducted and all remains disposed of to the Registrar-General, in the form, frequency and manner prescribed by the Registrar-General.
Furthermore, Section 21(1)-(2) of the Cemeteries Act requires the Provincial Administrator of the province or another officer authorized for the purpose by the relevant Minister to ensure that no burial occurs without a certificate from a medical practitioner showing that death was due to natural causes or an order for burial signed by a coroner; but consent is not conditioned on proof that the death has been registered. After the burial, the cemetery authority is required by Section 22(1)(b)(ii) of the Cemeteries Act to give notice of the burial to a civil registration officer.
Registration Linked to Access to Key Services and Other Incentives
Is proof of death registration required in order to access any public services or benefits?
Unclear
Recommended Practice based on International Guidelines
Some countries incentivize higher death registration rates by tying them to key benefits like accessing pension of deceased spouse or permitting remarriage. Some countries offer cash incentives to register deaths.
No legal instruments available to the reviewer explicitly require the presentation of death certificates to access public services or benefits, although this may take place in practice. A “Vital Events Booklet” published by the Civil and Identity Registry indicates that a death certificate may be required for arranging a funeral, settling the estate of a deceased person or transferring their property, claiming life insurance, settling pension claims, or proving that a previous spouse is deceased to enter a subsequent marriage. However, it has also been noted that most families have no compelling need for death certificates in practice.
Law Source
Retirement of Legal Identity
Does the law link retirment of a UPI and/or identity credential to death registration?
Yes
Recommended Practice based on International Guidelines
When a death is registered, the civil registration authority must transmit this information to the identity management authority so that the identity management authority may retire or deactivate the unique personal identifier and the identity credential of the deceased individual. This information should also be shared with the population register (if a population register is maintained).
