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Death Registration
Cambodia
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Cambodia
Death Registration
Procedure and Certificates
Procedure and Certificates
Place
Where must deaths be reported?
Place of residence of decedent or Place of occurrence
Recommended Practice based on International Guidelines
Registration may be place of occurrence of place of residence. The law should clearly state where deaths must be reported for purposes of registration.Reporting in the place of occurrence usually makes the registration process faster and easier for the informant, and also allows reporting of death at health facilities. Countries with electronic systems for civil registration may allow more flexibility and allow reporting from anywhere the civil registration system can be accessed.
A death may be registered at either the commune/sangkat civil registration office of the place occurence of the death or the place of residence of the deceased.
What are the reporting time periods for death registration specified in the law?
15 days/ 1 year/ after 1 year
Recommended Practice based on International Guidelines
The time period for reporting a death should be as short as possible, to facilitate accurate and current registration. Time periods vary by country, but are usually 3-5 days. Deaths in health facilities may have a shorter reporting deadlines. It is important to have uniform time periods across the country to register deaths. A late death registration occurs when a death is reported after the legally specified time period but within a grace period, usually one year after death. Delayed registration occurs after the expiry of grace period (after 1 year). Late notification should be permitted with a valid notice of death or alternative documentation that is not too burdensome, such as affidavit of witness or record of burial/cremation. Delayed registration may require additional evidence.
The informant must report a death to the civil registrar within 15 days (this is on-time registration). The law allows for a one-year grace period within in which to report a death with no additional evidence required. After the one year grace period, additional evidence of death may be required.
Are there any fees for on-time death registration?
No
Recommended Practice based on International Guidelines
It is not recommended that fee be charged for the timely registration of a death. To encourage registration, the legislation should clearly state that registration of a death within the time period prescribed by the law is free of charge.
Are there any fees or sanctions for late or delayed death registration?
No
Recommended Practice based on International Guidelines
Fees and sanctions for late or delayed registration discourage and disincentivize registration. If fees are applied to late or delayed registration policymakers should consider a fee-waiver for those for whom fee payment is a hardship. More effective results to increase registration rates are observed through educational programmes aimed at the public. Some countries have opted to impose a penalty for failure to register or, more precisely, refusal to register, rather than impose a fee for late registration.
What is the minimum information required by law to register death?
Minimum information is in accordance with UN guidance and registrar has no discretion to register death without all required information
Recommended Practice based on International Guidelines
The information required for legal purposes is minimal, and usually consists of: Name of deceased; place and date of birth; place and date of death; sex; unique personal identifier.
What evidence or documents are required for on-time death registration?
Notice of Death, identity documents for the deceased and informant, and residence document for the deceased
Recommended Practice based on International Guidelines
Registrars should require proof as to the veracity of the information to be registered. Proof or evidence required for registration must be sufficiently stringent to provide assurance of the accuracy of the information without being so burdensome as to discourage or prevent registration. Documentary evidence is always preferred. Ideally all deaths will have an accurate, detailed medical certificate of cause of death (MCCD). However, in many contexts this will not be possilbe. Lack of MCCD should not prevent death registration; evidence of fact of death should be sufficient to register death. Evidence of fact of death could be a notification of death or other similar document, Witness Statement or other similar evidence.
To register a death within the 15 day period, the informant must submit an application for death registration and the following: 1) Notice of Death from health facility, 2) Identity document of the deceased, 3) Identity document of the informant, and 4) Residence document of the deceased.
Are there additional or alternative documents required for late or delayed death registration?
Yes
Recommended Practice based on International Guidelines
While late and delayed reporting should be discouraged, the procedures should not be so restrictive as to prevent late and delayed reporting of events. Late registration (within 1-year grace period) can be permitted with notice of death or similar document. If such a notice is not available, the law may stipulate what alternative documentary evidence of fact of death may be accepted, such as affidavit from witness or record of burial or cremation. Declaration delayed by more than one year may require recourse to judicial procedures and decisions. However, to increase death registration rates, consideration should be given to creating a non-judicial procedure for delayed death declaration, with the provision of adequate documentation proving the fact of death.
For late death registration within the one-year grace period, the informant must provide the reason for failing to apply within 15 days. A civil registrar may not refuse the death registration application based on the explanation for the delay. For registration after the one-year grace period, in addition to the usual document, the informant must provide a statement by an adult witness who knows about the death, made before the civil registrar.
For those communes connected to the electronic system, the civil registrar at the commune/sangkat level can correct minor errors free of charge. If the communes/sangkat is not connected to the electronic CR system, the local registrar can correct minor errors in registrations made during the current year. After the close of the year, the informant must apply at the district level because the physical paper-based records are stored at the district level after the close of the calendar year.
