What to Do When Someone Dies in Ireland: 5-Step Official Checklist

1. 1

   Obtain Medical Verification and the Death Notification Form (DNF)

   How a death is medically certified in Ireland depends on where the death occurred and whether a registered medical practitioner attended the deceased recently [1][2]:

   • Expected death in a hospital, nursing home, or at home: When a person dies of natural causes in a hospital, hospice, or care facility, or at home under the care of a general practitioner (GP) who saw or treated the patient within the 28 days before death, the attending doctor verifies the death and completes Part 1 of the official Death Notification Form (DNF), which contains the Medical Certificate of the Cause of Death [1][2][3]. If an expected death occurs at home, contact the person's GP or out-of-hours GP service so the doctor can attend and issue the DNF [1].
   • Sudden, unexpected, or unnatural death outside a hospital: If the death is sudden, unexplained, accidental, or occurs in a public place, or if no doctor attended the deceased within 28 days prior to death, call 999 or 112 immediately [1][2]. An Garda Síochána and emergency medical services will attend and report the death to the local Coroner (for example, the Dublin District Coroner or the relevant county Coroner) [1][2]. In Coroner cases, a doctor does not issue a Death Notification Form; instead, the Coroner authorizes transfer to a mortuary, directs a post-mortem examination or inquest if required, releases the body for burial or cremation, and registers the death directly once inquiries conclude [1][2]. While coronial inquiries are ongoing, you can request an Interim Certificate of the Fact of Death from the Coroner to notify banks, the Department of Social Protection, and the Revenue Commissioners [1][2].
2. 2

   Check Pre-Arrangements and Appoint a Funeral Director

   Before making financial commitments, check your family member's records for a prepaid funeral plan, credit union death benefit or insurance policy, or life assurance policy [1].

   • Appointing a funeral director: In Ireland, you can appoint a funeral director as soon as a doctor has confirmed the death (or once the Coroner authorizes release of the remains); you do not need to wait until the civil registration is completed to hold the funeral [1][2]. You can locate a professional funeral provider bound by an industry code of practice through the directory of the Irish Association of Funeral Directors (phone: +353 818 935 000; email: [email protected]) [4]. Clarvia provides directory information for orientation only and does not endorse, recommend, or rank individual funeral providers.
   • Burial and cremation paperwork: Your funeral director coordinates the care of the deceased, burial plot opening or cemetery paperwork, or cremation medical referee forms (when cremation is chosen, a separate medical cremation form signed by the attending doctor and reviewed by an independent medical referee, or a Coroner's Cremation Certificate, is required before cremation can take place) [1][4].
3. 3

   Register the Death with the HSE Civil Registration Service

   Under the Civil Registration Act 2004, every death occurring in the State must be registered with the HSE Civil Registration Service / General Register Office (GRO phone: +353 90 663 2900) [2][3][5]:

   • Statutory 3-month deadline and how to register: For non-coronial deaths, a qualified informant (usually a close family member) must register the death within 3 months of the date of death [1][2]. Complete Part 2 of the Death Notification Form (DNF) with the deceased's Personal Public Service (PPS) number, date and place of birth, occupation, marital/civil status, and parents' names [2][3][5]. You can register the death in person at any HSE Civil Registration Service office nationwide (bringing the signed DNF and your own photo ID) or online via MyGovID where the doctor has submitted the medical certificate electronically [3][5].
   • Obtaining official Death Certificates: Registering the death is free of charge [2]. Order several full standard Death Certificates (€20 per copy, plus postage if ordered online via certificates.ie) for banks, insurers, and probate; a reduced-fee copy is issued for official social welfare use upon presenting a letter from the Department of Social Protection [1][2][5]. (If an Irish citizen dies abroad, the death is registered with the local foreign civil registry, and the Department of Foreign Affairs at +353 1 408 2000 or the nearest Irish Embassy provides consular assistance [1]).
4. 4

   Notify the Department of Social Protection and Claim Survivor Pensions or Funeral Support

   Notify the Department of Social Protection (DSP Bereavement and Pensions Helpline: 0818 200 400 or +353 1 471 5898; Sligo Pension Services Office: 0818 200 400) as soon as possible, quoting your family member's PPS number [1][6][7]:

   • Continuing payments and survivor pensions: Note that Ireland's contributory Bereavement Grant was discontinued in 2014 [1][6]. However, if the deceased was receiving a social welfare payment and had a qualified adult dependant (such as a spouse, civil partner, or cohabitant), that social welfare payment often continues for 6 weeks after the death [6]. Depending on your relationship to the deceased, a surviving spouse, civil partner, or eligible cohabitant may qualify for the Widowed or Surviving Civil Partner's (Contributory or Non-Contributory) Pension / Bereaved Partner's Pension, as well as the once-off Widowed or Surviving Civil Partner Grant (€8,000 where there is a dependent child) [6][7].
   • Additional funeral cost assistance (Additional Needs Payment): If you have low income or face financial hardship meeting funeral expenses, you can apply to the Department of Social Protection Community Welfare Service for a means-tested Additional Needs Payment under the Supplementary Welfare Allowance scheme [1][6].
5. 5

   Notify Banks, the Revenue Commissioners, and Complete High Court Probate

   To administer your family member's estate, bank accounts, and tax affairs [1][8]:

   • Notifying banks, credit unions, and insurers: Present an original Death Certificate to all banks, An Post (for State Savings), credit unions, life insurers, and private pension schemes [1]. Joint accounts held with right of survivorship typically transfer to the surviving joint holder upon presentation of the Death Certificate (subject to any Revenue clearance requirements for large balances), and credit unions pay funds nominated under a statutory Credit Union Nomination (up to the statutory cap) directly to the nominee without probate [1].
   • Tax clearance and filing with the Revenue Commissioners: Notify the Revenue Commissioners (National PAYE Helpline: +353 1 738 3636 or online via MyAccount / MyEnquiries) to finalize your family member's income tax up to the date of death [1][8]. Before applying for probate, the executor or administrator must submit the online Statement of Affairs (Probate) Form SA.2 through Revenue's myAccount or ROS portal [8]. Once submitted, Revenue issues the Notice of Acknowledgment (Probate), which is required by the Probate Office, and beneficiaries may have Capital Acquisitions Tax (CAT) reporting obligations depending on their relationship group threshold [8].
   • Applying for a Grant of Probate or Letters of Administration: Locate the original will [1]. If the estate holds sole real property or sole bank balances above the financial institution's small-estate release threshold (commonly around €25,000, depending on the bank), the executor named in the will (or the next of kin if there is no will) must apply to the High Court Probate Office or District Probate Registry (part of the Courts Service of Ireland) for a Grant of Probate or Grant of Letters of Administration, either through a solicitor or via the Probate Office Personal Applicants process [1][8].

Official Authorities & Verified Contacts

Official Sources Checked by Clarvia

1. [1]
   Information for those affected by bereavement — Citizens Information Board
2. [2]
   Registering a death in Ireland — Citizens Information
3. [3]
   Register a death in Ireland (Death Notification Form and MyGovID) — Government of Ireland (gov.ie)
4. [4]
   Irish Association of Funeral Directors (IAFD) Directory — Irish Association of Funeral Directors
5. [5]
   How to register a death in Ireland — Health Service Executive (HSE)
6. [6]
   Social welfare payments and bereavement — Citizens Information
7. [7]
   Widowed or Surviving Civil Partner's / Bereaved Partner's Pension — Department of Social Protection (gov.ie)
8. [8]
   Death and Bereavement - Tax and Statement of Affairs (Probate) Form SA.2 — Revenue Commissioners