After a death in the family

After a death in the family
Where and within how many days to register the death, and how to get the death certificate.
For whom: Families in Telangana who have lost someone.
Published on 30-10-2026. Not every fact has been checked against its official source yet: confirm at the office.

In an emergency, call at once

📞 112
Police, medical and fire emergency (Dial 112)
📞 108
Ambulance
📞 100
Police

Only if

Where did the death happen? In a hospital or health centre
1.
When the death is in a hospital, the hospital must report it to the registrar. You do not need to report it yourself.
✋ You do this yourself
2.
Ask the hospital for your copy of the medical certificate of the cause of death. It is free.
🏛️ The hospital
💰 Fee: Free
3.
Ask the hospital where the death certificate is given, and collect it there. Government health centres and hospitals (PHCs, CHCs, area, district and teaching hospitals) are registration units, where the medical officer or RMO is the registrar. Otherwise the registrar of the area where the hospital is gives it.
🏛️ Hospital registration unit, or the registrar of that area
💰 Fee: Free · The first certificate is free.
⏱️ within 7 days · The registrar must give it within 7 days of the registration.

Only if

Where did the death happen? At home · How long ago did the person die? Within 21 days / 22 to 30 days / 31 days to one year
4.
When the death is at home, the head of the household must report it. If they are not there, the nearest relative present does it; if no one else, the oldest adult present.
✋ You do this yourself
5.
If a doctor treated the person in their last illness, get the medical certificate of the cause of death from that doctor. It is free.
🏛️ The doctor who treated the person
💰 Fee: Free

Only if

Where did the death happen? At home · Where is the home? Village (gram panchayat) · How long ago did the person die? Within 21 days
6.
Go to the gram panchayat office and tell the panchayat secretary about the death. Write your name and address in the register and sign it (or give your thumb mark if you cannot write).
🏛️ Gram panchayat office (panchayat secretary)
📎 Medical certificate of the cause of death (from the doctor)
💰 Fee: Free · Registration within 21 days is free.
⏱️ within 21 days · Report the death within 21 days of the day it happened.

Only if

Where did the death happen? At home · Where is the home? Another town or city (municipality) · How long ago did the person die? Within 21 days
7.
At the municipal office, tell the registrar of births and deaths about the death. Write your name and address in the register and sign it (or give your thumb mark if you cannot write).
🏛️ Municipality or municipal corporation office (registrar of births and deaths)
📎 Medical certificate of the cause of death (from the doctor)
💰 Fee: Free · Registration within 21 days is free.
⏱️ within 21 days · Report the death within 21 days of the day it happened.

Only if

Where did the death happen? At home · Where is the home? Village (gram panchayat) · How long ago did the person die? 22 to 30 days / 31 days to one year
8.
Go to the gram panchayat office and tell the panchayat secretary about the death. It can still be registered after 21 days. Write your name and address in the register and sign it.
🏛️ Gram panchayat office (panchayat secretary)
📎 Medical certificate of the cause of death (from the doctor)
💰 Fee: A late fee applies.
Not confirmed: The Act says a late fee applies. Telangana follows the Andhra Pradesh Registration of Births and Deaths Rules, 1999 (adapted in 2016), whose text we could not find. The Model Rules they follow set ₹2 for 22 to 30 days and ₹5 for 31 days to a year. Ask the office what the fee is, and ask for a receipt.

Only if

Where did the death happen? At home · Where is the home? Another town or city (municipality) · How long ago did the person die? 22 to 30 days / 31 days to one year
9.
At the municipal office, tell the registrar of births and deaths about the death. It can still be registered after 21 days. Write your name and address in the register and sign it.
🏛️ Municipality or municipal corporation office (registrar of births and deaths)
📎 Medical certificate of the cause of death (from the doctor)
💰 Fee: A late fee applies.
Not confirmed: The Act says a late fee applies. Telangana follows the Andhra Pradesh Registration of Births and Deaths Rules, 1999 (adapted in 2016), whose text we could not find. The Model Rules they follow set ₹2 for 22 to 30 days and ₹5 for 31 days to a year. Ask the office what the fee is, and ask for a receipt.

Only if

Where did the death happen? At home · How long ago did the person die? 31 days to one year
10.
After 30 days, the written permission of the District Registrar is needed. In Telangana the District Registrar is the District Medical and Health Officer (DMHO); in GHMC, the GHMC Commissioner. Ask the registrar of births and deaths for your area how to get it.
🏛️ District Registrar (births and deaths): the District Medical and Health Officer (DMHO); in GHMC, the GHMC Commissioner
📎 Self-attested document
💰 Fee: A fee applies.
Not confirmed: The Act lets the rules name another authority instead of the District Registrar, and set the fee and the self-attested document; we could not find the text of Telangana's rules. The Model Rules set ₹5. Ask the registrar's office for your area.

Only if

Where did the death happen? At home · Where is the home? Village (gram panchayat) / Another town or city (municipality) · How long ago did the person die? Within 21 days / 22 to 30 days / 31 days to one year
11.
Collect the death certificate from the office where you registered the death. The first certificate is free.
🏛️ The office where you registered the death
💰 Fee: Free
⏱️ within 7 days · The registrar must give it within 7 days of the registration.

Only if

Where did the death happen? At home · Where is the home? Hyderabad (GHMC area) · How long ago did the person die? Within 21 days / 22 to 30 days / 31 days to one year
12.
Get a receipt from the burial or cremation ground where the last rites were held, or have them enter the details in their app.
🏛️ Burial or cremation ground
13.
At a MeeSeva centre, apply with the "GHMC Death Home" service (registering a death at home). Hand in Form No. 2, the burial or cremation ground receipt, an affidavit, proof of the address at the time of death, and two attested proofs of identity each of the applicant and of the person who died; also the doctor's medical certificate of the cause of death, if there is one.
🏢 At a MeeSeva centre
📎 Form No. 2 (death information), Receipt from the burial or cremation ground, Self-affidavit, Proof of the person's address at the time of death, Two proofs of identity of the applicant and two of the person who died (attested), Medical certificate of the cause of death (from the doctor)
💰 Fee: ₹80 · This is MeeSeva's user charge for its service (GST included, since 1 April 2026), not a registration fee: under the Act, registering within 21 days is free. GHMC's own page still shows the older ₹45.
⏱️ within 7 days · 7 working days, by MeeSeva's service page.

Only if

Where did the death happen? At home · Where is the home? Hyderabad (GHMC area) · How long ago did the person die? 22 to 30 days / 31 days to one year
14.
Because more than 21 days have passed, a late fee is also charged.
🏢 At a MeeSeva centre
💰 Fee: Late fee
Not confirmed: The Act says a late fee applies. Telangana follows the Andhra Pradesh Registration of Births and Deaths Rules, 1999 (adapted in 2016), whose text we could not find. The Model Rules they follow set ₹2 for 22 to 30 days and ₹5 for 31 days to a year. Ask the office what the fee is, and ask for a receipt.

Only if

Where did the death happen? At home · Where is the home? Hyderabad (GHMC area) · How long ago did the person die? Within 21 days / 22 to 30 days / 31 days to one year
15.
When the registrar (the circle's Assistant Medical Officer of Health, AMOH) approves it, you get an SMS. Then get the death certificate at a MeeSeva centre with the "Birth and Death Certificate GHMC" service.
🏢 At a MeeSeva centre
💰 Fee: ₹62 · This is MeeSeva's user charge for its service (GST included, since 1 April 2026). Under the Act, the registrar's first certificate is free for the person who reported the death.
⏱️ within 3 days · 3 working days, by MeeSeva's service page.

Only if

Where did the death happen? At home · How long ago did the person die? One to two years / More than two years
16.
At a MeeSeva centre, apply for the non-availability certificate (the death is not in the register): in a village or town with the "Non Availability Death Application CDMA" service (issued by the gram panchayat or the municipal commissioner), in GHMC with the "Nonavailability Certificate GHMC" service. In GHMC, MeeSeva asks for the burial or cremation ground receipt, a notarised affidavit on ₹10 stamp paper and a proof of residence.
🏢 At a MeeSeva centre
💰 Fee: ₹80 (CDMA) or ₹62 (GHMC): MeeSeva's user charge, GST included, since 1 April 2026.
⏱️ within 7 days · 7 working days, by MeeSeva's service page.

Only if

Where did the death happen? At home · How long ago did the person die? One to two years
17.
At a MeeSeva centre, apply for late registration of the death with the "Late Registration of Birth Death" service. The non-availability certificate, a copy of the ration card (or another proof of identity or address) and a self-affidavit are required. It goes to the Revenue Divisional Officer (RDO).
🏢 At a MeeSeva centre
📎 Non-availability certificate (the death is not in the register), Ration card, Self-affidavit
💰 Fee: ₹80 · MeeSeva's user charge, GST included, since 1 April 2026. MeeSeva's page gives the late fee under the rules for registering after a year as ₹10 (rule 9(3)).
⏱️ within 60 days · 60 working days, by MeeSeva's service page.
18.
Wait for the District Magistrate, the Sub-Divisional Magistrate or an Executive Magistrate they have authorised to check the death and issue the order.
✋ You do this yourself

Only if

Where did the death happen? At home · How long ago did the person die? More than two years
19.
For a death more than two years ago, since 1 October 2026 registration needs an order of the Judicial Magistrate of the first class for the place of death. The magistrate checks the facts, takes the prescribed fee and issues the order.
🏛️ District court complex (Judicial Magistrate)
Not confirmed: MeeSeva's late registration service still goes to the RDO; it was set up before this change. Up to 30 October 2026 we found no Telangana Government order (goir.telangana.gov.in), High Court notification (tshc.gov.in) or district court notice on how to apply to the court for a death now, or the fee. Ask at a MeeSeva centre, the RDO office or the District Legal Services Authority.

Only if

Where did the death happen? At home · How long ago did the person die? One to two years / More than two years
20.
Once the order is issued, collect the death certificate from the gram panchayat or the municipality.
🏛️ Gram panchayat (village) or municipality (town)

For everyone

21.
If you need more copies, apply at a MeeSeva centre with the "Birth and Death Certificate GHMC" or "Birth and Death Certificate CDMA" service. Each copy has a fee.
🏢 At a MeeSeva centre
💰 Fee: ₹62 · MeeSeva's user charge, GST included, since 1 April 2026; ₹2.50 a page more for scanning or printing beyond four pages.
⏱️ within 3 days · 3 working days, by MeeSeva's service page.
Not confirmed: MeeSeva's page shows only this user charge; it does not say whether a fee for each copy is added. Ask at the centre and keep the receipt.
22.
Keep the death certificate safe. It is needed to inherit property and to claim insurance.
✋ You do this yourself

Only if

Are you the nominee, or a joint holder, of the person's bank account? Yes
23.
At the bank branch, hand in the claim form, the death certificate and your proof of identity and address.
🏦 At the bank
📎 Bank claim form, Death certificate, Your proof of identity and address
⏱️ within 15 days · The bank must settle the claim within 15 calendar days of receiving all the documents.

Only if

Are you the nominee, or a joint holder, of the person's bank account? No, or I am not sure
24.
Ask the bank branch for the claim forms and the list of documents. They must also be on the bank's website.
🏦 At the bank

For everyone

25.
If you need legal help, for example about property or inheritance, go to the District Legal Services Authority (DLSA) in your district court complex. Toll-free number: 15100.
🏛️ District Legal Services Authority (district court complex)
💰 Fee: Legal services are free for the weaker sections of society.

Documents you need

If you don't have it:
The doctor who treated the person must give it free of charge.
Not confirmed: Which document, in which form, is set by Telangana's rules (the Andhra Pradesh rules of 1999, adapted in 2016), whose text we could not find. Ask at the office.
If you don't have it:
Issued by the gram panchayat or the municipal commissioner (in GHMC, by GHMC); you get it through MeeSeva in the step before.
If you don't have it:
From the burial or cremation ground where the last rites were held.
If you don't have it:
On GHMC's website, under "Birth and Death Forms".
Not confirmed: MeeSeva's page does not say who attests them. Ask at the centre.
If you don't have it:
At the bank branch and on the bank's website.
Not confirmed: The RBI directions do not say original or copy. Take both and ask at the bank.
Not confirmed: The RBI directions do not say original or copy. Take both and ask at the bank.

If something goes wrong

If it is rejected
If the registrar refuses the registration or the certificate, you can appeal to the District Registrar within 30 days (section 25A of the Act). The District Registrar is the District Medical and Health Officer (DMHO); in GHMC, the GHMC Commissioner. The District Registrar must decide within 90 days. Against that order, you can appeal within 30 days to the Chief Registrar: the Director of Public Health and Family Welfare, Telangana, Hyderabad.
District Registrar (births and deaths): the District Medical and Health Officer (DMHO); in GHMC, the GHMC Commissioner
If it is late
If the certificate does not come within 7 days of the registration, you can appeal to the District Registrar within 30 days.
District Registrar (births and deaths): the District Medical and Health Officer (DMHO); in GHMC, the GHMC Commissioner
If you are asked for more money
Registration within 21 days is free, and the Act says the registrar gives the person who reported the death one certificate free. MeeSeva's user charge (₹62 or ₹80, GST included) is set by a Government order. If you are asked for more than the official fee, you can appeal to the District Registrar within 30 days.
District Registrar (births and deaths): the District Medical and Health Officer (DMHO); in GHMC, the GHMC Commissioner
If it is late
If the bank delays the claim, first complain to the bank. If there is no reply within 30 days, or you are not satisfied with it, complain online to the RBI Ombudsman. It is free. Call 14448 for guidance and to check the status.
RBI Ombudsman (CMS portal)
cms.rbi.org.in ↗📞 14448
→ Birth certificate→ Land mutation after buying or inheriting land→ Property tax / house tax: paying it and changing the name
Updated on 30-10-2026
Sahayam is not a government service. We take no applications, documents or money.
About Sahayam