What has to be done, and when
Every death in South Africa must be registered with the Department of Home Affairs, and a death certificate must be issued before a burial can go ahead. The paperwork runs in a set order, and each document depends on the one before it.
- Notification of Death (BI-1663). A doctor completes this form together with the medical certificate of the cause of death. It is the document that starts everything.
- Death Report (BI-1680) and the Death Certificate. With the BI-1663 and the deceased's ID, Home Affairs issues the death report and then the official death certificate.
- Burial order (BI-14). This is the permit that allows the burial to take place. No cemetery or authority will proceed without it.
We are registered to carry this process for you. We complete the BI-1663 steps, take the documents to Home Affairs, obtain the death certificate and burial order, and bring you certified copies. You keep the originals, you will need them for the bank, for pensions and for any policy.
SASSA, UIF and other claims
There may be support the family can claim. We help you gather and submit the documents. These benefits are paid by the government or by an insurer, not by MFS, and we do not give financial or legal advice; we simply point you to the right office and prepare the paperwork.
- SASSA. If the person received a grant, it must be reported and stopped. A surviving spouse or child may qualify for other support. Your nearest SASSA office or 0800 60 10 11 can confirm what applies.
- UIF death benefit. If the person was employed and contributed to the Unemployment Insurance Fund, their dependants may claim the death benefit through the Department of Employment and Labour. There are time limits, so it is worth starting early.
- Funeral policies and burial societies. Notify any funeral policy, employer scheme or burial society (umasingcwabisane) as soon as you can. Most pay out quickly once they have a certified death certificate.
- Estate and bank. Banks freeze the deceased's accounts once notified. For larger estates the Master of the High Court becomes involved. We can explain the first steps and refer you on where needed.
How we make it easier
Bring us the deceased's ID and your own ID, and tell us about any policies. From there we do the running: forms completed correctly the first time, documents delivered, copies made, and a plain checklist of what you still need to do. If something is missing, we help you find it rather than turning you away.
