A death certificate is either a legal document issued by a medical practitioner stating the date of death or a document issued by a government civil registration office declaring the date, place and cause of death, as recorded in an official register of deaths.

An official death certificate is typically necessary when applying for probate or administration of a deceased individual's estate. Additionally, they are sought for genealogical research. To allow government agencies to update their records, such as electoral registers, government benefits paid, passport records, transfer of inheritance, etc., the government registration office would often be expected to provide data about deaths, even in the absence of a death certificate.