How Many Death Certificates Do You Need in Australia?

Most executors order one or two death certificates and then spend the next three months making extra trips to Access Canberra (or the equivalent registry in their state) because institution after institution refuses to work with a photocopy. Each extra certificate costs money and time. Ordering enough upfront—based on what you're actually about to do—saves both.

The short answer: order at least six certified copies, and more if the estate includes multiple bank accounts, superannuation funds, interstate property, or a business.

Why You Cannot Use Photocopies

Original death certificates are printed on secure, watermarked government paper and often include a registry seal. Most institutions will not accept a photocopy because they cannot verify authenticity. Some institutions will accept a copy certified by a Justice of the Peace (JP) or solicitor, but not all—and getting documents JP-certified takes additional time and scheduling.

The safest approach is to have enough originals to run all your processes simultaneously rather than sequentially.

Who Typically Requires a Death Certificate

Each of the following commonly requires its own certified copy:

Financial institutions

• Each bank or credit union where the deceased held an account (even a joint account)
• Superannuation funds (each fund separately)
• Share registries
• Investment platforms

Government agencies

• Services Australia (Centrelink) — one copy for the bereavement claim
• Department of Veterans' Affairs (DVA) — one copy for funeral benefit and War Widow(er)'s Pension applications
• Australian Taxation Office — one copy when lodging the deceased estate tax return
• State or territory revenue office — one copy for property duty exemption applications

Courts and legal processes

• ACT Supreme Court (probate) — the court requires the original death certificate filed with the probate application, not a copy. You must order a sufficient number of originals because you cannot retrieve the one filed with the court.
• Interstate courts (if resealing the ACT grant in another state) — each reseal requires its own certified copy

Property and titling

• Access Canberra Land Titles Office — one copy with each property transfer form (Form 015-ND or Form 032-TA)
• For each property title separately, if there are multiple properties

Insurance

• Life insurance providers (each policy separately)
• Private health insurers (for policy continuation or cancellation)
• Home, contents, and vehicle insurers for estate management purposes

Utilities and service providers

• Some utilities require it to cancel accounts or transfer them; others accept a bill payer declaration

How Many Is Enough: A Practical Estimate

For a typical ACT estate—one or two bank accounts, a superannuation fund, a property, Centrelink, and standard probate—six originals covers most scenarios without excess.

For more complex estates, add one copy per additional:

• Superannuation fund
• Share registry or investment platform
• Overseas institution or foreign death certificate requirement
• Interstate property requiring a reseal

If the deceased was a veteran and you are claiming the DVA funeral benefit, the DVA War Widow(er)'s Pension, and resealing probate in another state, you could easily need eight to ten.

What It Costs to Order Death Certificates in the ACT

In the ACT, death certificates are issued by Access Canberra (Births, Deaths and Marriages). The current fees are approximately:

• Standard certificate: $52.00 per copy (verify current amount with Access Canberra)
• Express service: higher fee, faster processing
• Interstate or overseas postage: additional charge (approximately $12.00 registered post)

If you order six copies at the standard fee, that is around $312 upfront. This feels expensive in the immediate days after a death, but it is far cheaper than the administrative delays caused by running out of certificates mid-process.

In other states and territories, the issuing authority and fees differ:

• NSW: Births, Deaths and Marriages NSW — currently around $60 per certificate
• Victoria: Births, Deaths and Marriages Victoria — currently around $51.40 per certificate
• Queensland: Queensland BDM — currently around $57 per certificate

All prices are subject to change. Check the relevant state BDM website for current amounts before ordering.

Can You Order More Later?

Yes—you can order additional certificates at any point after the initial registration, as long as you are an authorised applicant (typically next of kin, executor, or someone with a legitimate reason). There is no deadline for ordering additional copies.

However, ordering later creates delays in parallel processes. If you are running five concurrent claims—probate, Centrelink, DVA, super, and a bank account release—and you only have three certificates, three of those processes move forward while two sit idle waiting for the next certificate to arrive.

How to Order Death Certificates in the ACT

The death registration is submitted by the funeral director shortly after the death. The official death certificate is then available to order from Access Canberra. You can apply:

• Online through the Access Canberra website (fastest for standard delivery)
• In person at an Access Canberra service centre in Canberra
• By mail

You will need to provide proof of identity and confirm your relationship to the deceased. If you are not the spouse, parent, or child, you may need to explain your authorised interest (such as being the named executor in a will).

Allow processing time of several business days for standard applications. Express processing is available for urgent needs.

Certified Copies vs. Original Certificates

Some institutions accept a copy certified by a JP or solicitor. If you only have one original certificate and need to use it in two places simultaneously, getting a JP-certified copy may bridge the gap. In the ACT, JPs are available at Access Canberra service centres and many Canberra libraries on a rotating schedule, free of charge.

However, the ACT Supreme Court Probate Registry requires an original death certificate filed with the probate application—it does not accept JP-certified copies for this purpose. Plan your originals accordingly.

After the Estate Is Settled

Extra certificates have no expiry date. If you order eight and only use six, the remaining two are valid indefinitely. Some families keep a spare certificate on file permanently—it can be useful years later for property disputes, life insurance reviews, or genealogical purposes.

The ACT Survivor Benefits Navigator includes a document tracker that maps which institution requires an original, which accepts certified copies, and what supporting documents each agency needs alongside the death certificate—so you can plan your orders and run all your processes in parallel.

See more Australian Capital Territory guides →