As announced in the House of Assembly in February 2024, the Department of the Registrar General, through the amendments to the Registration of Births and Deaths Act 1949, now allow for the issuance of short-form death certificates.

Medical practitioners, Coroners, or funeral homes, who ordinarily confirm the death of an individual by applying for the long form certificate, are now able to submit the new Form F1 for processing.

If a medical practitioner is unable to determine the cause of death, the new short death notice can be submitted to the Registry General. The Registry General can then issue the necessary death certificate, which is required for probate to settle the deceased's affairs. This process will help families resolve matters more quickly and with less difficulty.

“These new certificates provide a simplified version of the death record, including only essential details such as the deceased's demographic information and the facts of death, while omitting the cause of death,” explained Deputy Premier and Minister of Home Affairs, the Hon. Walter Roban.

“In the interim, while we await updates to our existing computerized system from our System Vendor, the Department can produce short-form death certificates. This temporary measure ensures that medical practitioners can utilize this new option without delay.”

To date, the Registry General has not yet received any requests for short-form death certificates. For more information, please contact the Department of the Registry General at 444-1953 or apennyman@gov.bm