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

1. 1

   Obtain Medical Verification and the Notification of Death (Form DHA-1663 / BI-1663)

   The initial procedure depends on whether the death resulted from natural causes under medical care or occurred suddenly or unnaturally [1]:

   • Natural death in a hospital, care facility, or at home: When a person dies of natural causes in a hospital or clinic, or at home under the care of a registered medical practitioner who is satisfied that the death was natural, the attending doctor (or authorized professional nurse where applicable) examines the deceased and completes and signs the medical sections of the official Notification / Register of Death / Stillbirth (Form DHA-1663, formerly BI-1663) [1].
   • Unnatural, sudden, or unexplained death outside a hospital: If the death occurred suddenly at home without a treating doctor able to certify natural causes, in a public place, or from an accident or unnatural cause, call the South African Police Service (SAPS emergency phone: 10111) immediately [1]. Do not move the body before police arrive. SAPS opens an inquest docket and arranges for the provincial Department of Health Forensic Pathology Service to transfer the deceased to a state medico-legal mortuary for a statutory post-mortem examination under the Inquests Act [1]. Once the forensic pathologist completes the autopsy, the forensic medical officer completes the medical section of Form DHA-1663 so the family's appointed funeral undertaker can collect the deceased [1].
2. 2

   Check Funeral Policies and Appoint a Designated Funeral Undertaker

   Before making out-of-pocket commitments, check whether your family member held a funeral insurance policy, bank or retail funeral cover, medical scheme burial benefit, or trade union/employer funeral benefit (many South African funeral policies pay out within 24 to 48 hours of receiving the Death Certificate and DHA-1663/BI-1680) [1].

   • Requirement for a designated funeral undertaker: Under the Births and Deaths Registration Act, the informant and a registered funeral undertaker holding a valid municipal Certificate of Competence and Department of Home Affairs designation number must complete their respective sections of Form DHA-1663 to obtain a Burial Order [1]. You can verify or locate an accredited funeral provider through the National Funeral Directors Association of South Africa (email: [email protected]) [3]. Clarvia provides directory information for orientation only and does not endorse, recommend, or rank individual funeral providers.
   • Burial and cremation permits: No burial or cremation may legally take place in South Africa until the Department of Home Affairs has issued the Burial Order (Form BI-14 / DHA-14), and for cremations, the additional statutory medical referee cremation certificates required by provincial cremation regulations have been signed [1].
3. 3

   Register the Death with the Department of Home Affairs (DHA)

   Your appointed funeral undertaker normally assists the family informant in submitting the completed Form DHA-1663 (sealed medical cause-of-death page plus demographic pages), the deceased's original South African barcoded ID book or Smart ID card (or passport), and a certified copy of the informant's ID to the local office of the Department of Home Affairs (Contact Centre phone: 0800 60 11 90) or an on-site DHA hospital registration desk [1]:

   • Burial Order (Form BI-14) and Death Certificate: Upon registering the death on the National Population Register, the Department of Home Affairs issues the Death Report (Form BI-1680), the Burial Order (Form BI-14) required by the cemetery or crematorium, and an abridged Death Certificate free of charge on the day of registration (you can also apply for an unabridged Death Certificate where needed for foreign assets or cross-border matters) [1].
   • If a South African citizen dies abroad: When a death occurs outside South Africa, report it to the nearest South African Embassy or Consulate or the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO Consular Section in Pretoria, phone: +27 12 351 1000) so the foreign death certificate can be transmitted to the Department of Home Affairs in Pretoria [1][4].
4. 4

   Claim Statutory UIF Death Benefits, SASSA, and Survivor Pensions

   Once you have the official Death Certificate and Death Report (BI-1680), notify social security and pension bodies promptly [1][5]:

   • Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF) Death Benefits: If your family member was employed and contributed to the UIF, surviving dependants (a surviving spouse or life partner, or dependent children under 21, or up to 25 if full-time learners, or disabled children) can claim UIF Dependant's / Death Benefits through the Department of Employment and Labour (UIF call centre phone: 0800 030 007) at a local Labour Centre or via uFiling [5]. Submit Form UI-2.5 (or UI-2.6 for children), the employer's Form UI-19 and salary schedule (UI-2.7), bank confirmation Form UI-2.8, certified copies of the Death Certificate, the deceased's and claimant's IDs, and marriage/birth certificates within 18 months of the death [5].
   • South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) and occupational pensions: If the deceased received a SASSA older person's, disability, or war veteran's grant, report the death to SASSA (phone: 0800 60 10 11; DHA registration also updates the population register) so grants are stopped [1]. If the deceased belonged to the Government Employees Pension Fund (GEPF, phone: 0800 117 669) or a private retirement fund, contact the fund administrator regarding funeral benefits, spouse's/orphan's pensions, and Section 37C death benefit distributions [1].
5. 5

   Report the Deceased Estate to the Master of the High Court (Within 14 Days) and Notify SARS and Banks

   Under Section 7 of the Administration of Estates Act 66 of 1965, every deceased estate in South Africa with any assets must be reported to the Master of the High Court within 14 days of the date of death [2][6]:

   • Reporting the estate (Form J294) and threshold at R250,000: Report the estate either online via the Department of Justice Deceased Estate Online Registration portal or at the Master of the High Court office (or designated Magistrate's Court service point for smaller estates) in the jurisdiction where the deceased ordinarily resided [2][6][7]. Submit the Death Notice (Form J294), original or certified Death Certificate, original Will (if any), Next-of-Kin Affidavit (Form J192 if intestate), Inventory of assets (Form J243), and Marriage Certificate or declaration of marital regime [2][6].
     • Estates valued at R250,000 or less (Section 18(3)): You also submit the Undertaking and Acceptance of Master's Directions (Form J155), and the Master issues Letters of Authority, enabling the appointed representative to administer and distribute the estate without a full Liquidation and Distribution Account [2][6].
     • Estates valued above R250,000: You submit the Acceptance of Trust as Executor (Form J190), and the Master issues Letters of Executorship; for complex or higher-value estates, appointing an attorney, trust company, or chartered accountant as agent is usually required to prepare the formal Liquidation and Distribution Account [2][6].
   • Notifying banks and insurers: Banks in South Africa freeze the deceased's sole accounts upon notification of death (though they may allow limited release toward verified funeral expenses before Letters of Executorship or Authority are issued). Once the Master issues Letters of Executorship or Letters of Authority, present them to banks and life insurers to collect estate funds [2][6].
   • Tax compliance with the South African Revenue Service (SARS): The executor or authorized representative must notify the South African Revenue Service (phone: 0800 00 7277 or via SARS eFiling / online query system) to code the profile as a deceased estate, submit income tax returns up to the date of death, manage any post-death estate tax or Estate Duty (Form REV267 for dutiable estates above the R3.5 million abatement), and obtain the SARS Deceased Estate Compliance (DEC) letter required by the Master of the High Court before final winding up [8][9].

Official Authorities & Verified Contacts

Official Sources Checked by Clarvia

1. [1]
   Register a death - Department of Home Affairs — South African Government (gov.za)
2. [2]
   Report a deceased estate to the Master of the High Court — South African Government (gov.za)
3. [3]
   National Funeral Directors Association of South Africa (NFDA) — National Funeral Directors Association of South Africa
4. [4]
   Death of a South African Citizen Abroad - Consular Services — Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO)
5. [5]
   How to claim UIF death benefits (Dependant's benefits) — South African Government (gov.za)
6. [6]
   Master of the High Court - Deceased Estates (Forms J294, J155, J190) — Department of Justice and Constitutional Development
7. [7]
   Deceased Estate Online Registration Portal — Department of Justice and Constitutional Development
8. [8]
   Deceased Estates - Tax Compliance and Estate Duty — South African Revenue Service (SARS)
9. [9]
   Notify SARS of a death and request a Deceased Estate Compliance (DEC) letter — South African Revenue Service (SARS)