On death, the family members of the deceased are provided with a death certificate by a doctor. The death must be notified to the District Commissioner as soon as possible after the certificate is issued.
A person who orders a death certificate from the National Registry must have some connection with the deceased person. The certificate indicates the date and place of death as well as marital status at the time of death.
The death certificate is either electronic or on paper. A medical doctor shall inform the family members whether the death certificate will be issued electronically or on paper.
The District commissioner will forward the death certificate to the National Registry of Iceland, which shall record the deceased in the National Registry.
An electronic death certificate is automatically sent to the sheriff by the doctor who issues the death certificate. This is accompanied by information on the family member who will report the death to the District commissioner electronically.
Next working day after receiving an electronic death certificate from the District commissioner the family member receives a letter in the mailbox of Iceland.is with further instructions. The electronic notification may designate another family member if necessary.
A death certificate on paper must be retrieved by a family member from the healthcare institution where it was issued and taken to the District commissioner´s office to report the death. The death may also be notified electronically once the death certificate has been passed to the District commissioner.
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District Commissioners