Death Registration and Death Certificate

The first step is to obtain a death card (death confirmation) from a doctor.

Who issues the death card:

• The doctor who treated the deceased during their final illness
• The doctor who confirmed the death — if the attending physician is unavailable
• In a hospital — the duty doctor or attending physician
• At home — the GP (POZ) or the out-of-hours medical service doctor

What the death card contains:

• Personal data of the deceased
• Date, time and place of death
• Cause of death

The death card is free and should be issued immediately after the death is confirmed.

The death must be reported at the civil registry office (USC) for the place of death — within 3 days of the date of death.

Who may report the death:

• Spouse or closest family member of the deceased
• Person living in the premises where the death occurred
• Authorised representative of one of these persons
• Funeral home acting on behalf of the family

What to bring to the civil registry:

• Death card issued by the doctor
• ID card of the person reporting (for presentation)
• ID card of the deceased (will be invalidated)

The registrar will draw up a death certificate and issue 1 free abridged transcript.

If the death occurred abroad, the foreign death certificate must be entered (transcribed) into the Polish civil register.

How to do it:

1. Obtain the death certificate issued by the foreign authority
2. Have the certificate translated by a sworn translator into Polish
3. Submit a transcription application at any civil registry in Poland (or through the Polish consul)
4. The civil registry will enter the foreign certificate into the Polish register and issue a Polish death certificate transcript

Fee:

• 50 PLN — stamp duty for transcription

Transcription takes up to 7 working days (or longer if document verification is required).

After registering the death, the civil registry issues 1 free abridged transcript. If you need more transcripts:

Types of transcripts:

• Abridged transcript — most commonly sufficient (for ZUS, bank, insurer)
• Full transcript — contains complete data, needed less often (e.g. for inheritance proceedings)

Fees for additional transcripts:

• Abridged transcript — 22 PLN
• Full transcript — 33 PLN

You can obtain a transcript in person at any civil registry or online via gov.pl (with a Trusted Profile).

After registering the death at the civil registry, the deceased's PESEL number is automatically deactivated in the PESEL register. No separate application is needed.

What happens automatically:

• Deregistration from permanent or temporary address
• Invalidation of the ID card
• Deactivation of the PESEL number

What you must do yourself:

• Inform ZUS of the death (to stop benefits and establish entitlement to the funeral allowance)
• Inform the tax office (filing the final tax return for the deceased)
• Close or transfer bank accounts and contracts

After reporting the death and obtaining the death certificate, it is advisable to begin inheritance formalities.

Basic steps:

1. Establish the circle of heirs — based on a will or by law (spouse, children, parents)
2. Submit a declaration of acceptance or rejection of the inheritance — you have 6 months from the day you learned of your entitlement
3. Obtain confirmation of inheritance — from a notary (deed of inheritance certification) or in court (ruling on inheritance)
4. File the SD-Z2 tax declaration (exemption from inheritance tax for close family) — within 6 months of the court ruling becoming final or the notarial deed being drawn up

Fees:

• Deed of inheritance certification by notary — approx. 50–150 PLN net + VAT
• Court ruling on inheritance — 100 PLN (court fee)