Death Certificate in Pakistan: Punjab, Sindh, KP and Islamabad (2026)

In short

Who issues it: the Union Council in Punjab, the Village or Neighbourhood Council in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the Citizen Facilitation Center in Islamabad, or the Cantonment Board in a cantonment. NADRA needs it: "A death certificate issued by Union Council, Cantonment Board or CDA is mandatory" for CNIC cancellation, per NADRA's FAQ. Punjab: the 2025 Rules give a relative one year to report a death and set no fee, free for the first year of the Rules and then open to review; the e-Khidmat Markaz page says Rs 200 within 60 days and court after that. Confirm the fee at your Union Council. Sindh: the provincial cabinet approved a waiver of the death certificate registration fee (CM's office, 7 October 2025). Death abroad: NADRA accepts the foreign country's death certificate for CNIC cancellation; in Punjab, a relative can register the death within six months.

A death certificate is the first document a family needs after a death in Pakistan. It is issued by the local council where the death is registered (the Union Council in Punjab), not by NADRA, and NADRA asks for it before it cancels the deceased's CNIC or issues a succession certificate. This guide covers each province; it is not legal advice, and a dispute between heirs needs a lawyer.

Why you need a death certificate

NADRA will not cancel a deceased person's identity card without one: "Cancellation of identity documents due to death cannot be processed without it" (NADRA cancellation FAQ). The CNIC cancellation certificate, in turn, is one of the documents for a NADRA succession certificate, whose requirements list starts with "Death Certificate of the deceased". See our guides to CNIC cancellation after death and the NADRA succession certificate.

Punjab: Union Council death certificate

Punjab's procedure is in the Punjab Local Government (Registration of Births and Deaths) Rules 2025, notified on 2 May 2025 and printed in the Punjab Gazette on 14 May 2025. The "registration office" is "the office of the Union Council concerned" (rule 2(n)).

Within one year (rule 11). "A relative of the deceased shall report the death as soon as possible but not later than one year." The relative applies on Form-B, on paper or online, with:

1. copies of the CNIC of the applicant and the deceased;
2. the hospital's death slip showing the cause of death, if the death was in a hospital;
3. the burial slip from the graveyard management committee, "if available".

An online applicant may be asked to visit the office to verify the details, sign and give a thumb impression. The office then issues the certificate.

After one year, within seven years (rule 12). The relative applies on Form-B and gives the reasons for the delay, with an affidavit "on stamp paper of three hundred rupees witnessed by two persons present at time of burial", copies of the CNIC or birth certificate of the deceased and the relative, the hospital death slip if the death was in a hospital, and the burial slip "if available". A committee that includes a NADRA representative orders a notice in a daily national newspaper calling for objections within ten days, at the applicant's cost, and decides within thirty days. A refusal can be appealed within fifteen days.

After seven years (rule 13): the death "shall be registered after court decree".

Punjab fees: the Rules and e-Khidmat differ

Rule 21 sets registration and issue of a death certificate at NIL, late registration of a death after seven years at Rs 1,000, a correction at Rs 500 and a duplicate at Rs 200. Under the table: "Issuance of birth or death certificate shall be free for one year after which this may be reviewed by the Government." That year from May 2025 has passed, and we could not confirm the fee charged now.

The e-Khidmat Markaz death certificate page, read on 2 November 2026, says something different. It lists Form B, the hospital slip, both CNICs, the burial slip, an affidavit (Rs 300 each) and witnesses' CNICs, with "Original documents along with Attested photocopies from officer of grade 17 or above", and says: "Certificate Issuance Fee is Rs. 200 Within 60 days." It adds that "All cases after 60 days must be processed through court", gives 7 working days for the original certificate, sends cantonment cases to the Cantonment Board, and says: "In case of Death at home, please contact nearest e-Khidmat Markaz". The page carries no date.

Within 60 days both let you apply directly, with no committee or court, so if you can, apply within 60 days of the death. After that, ask your Union Council or the nearest e-Khidmat Markaz which applies before you pay or go to court.

Fees as of November 2026.

Sindh

On 7 October 2025 the Sindh Chief Minister's office reported that the cabinet "approved the waiver of the death certificate registration fee for the general public across Sindh" at the municipal, union council and town committee levels, with the government bearing NADRA's service charges "ensuring that citizens can obtain death certificates free of cost." We could not find an official Sindh page on the documents or the late-registration procedure, so ask your union council or town committee.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

The Local Government department's CRVS page says registration of births, deaths, marriages and divorces is the mandate of the Village and Neighbourhood Councils under section 29(1)(c) of the Local Government Act 2013. The applicant fills Form-D, verifies it, signs or thumb-marks it and writes their CNIC number on it, and may be asked for the "certificate or parchi, issued by Ghorkan of the graveyard or person in charge of the concerned graveyard", if there is one. The page gives no fee or deadline, and the province's CRVS Rules were not readable on the department's site, so we could not confirm either.

Islamabad

The ICT Administration's Death Registration page says to apply at the Citizen Facilitation Center, Mauve Area, G-11/4, with the deceased's particulars and the date, time and cause of death, and gives a processing time of 7 days; a collection date is given when you submit. The centre is open Monday to Friday, 9:00 am to 6:00 pm, with a Friday break from 12:30 to 2:30 pm. Its fee line reads "Rs/- 200 – 1500 (depending on age of child)", which does not say what a death certificate costs; confirm the fee at the centre. NADRA also accepts a death certificate issued by the CDA. The page is undated, and we could not confirm which areas of Islamabad register deaths elsewhere.

Balochistan, cantonments and deaths abroad

• Balochistan: we did not find an official page on death registration, so this guide does not cover it; ask the union council.
• Cantonments: the Cantonment Board issues the certificate (NADRA's FAQ and the e-Khidmat page both name it).
• Death abroad: NADRA's FAQ says cancellation "can be processed by providing a foreign death certificate of deceased individual issued by the relevant authority of the country." In Punjab, rule 15 lets a relative register the death on Form-B within six months, with "the death certificate issued by the hospital attested by the Pakistan Embassy or Consulate" and attested copies of the CNIC of the deceased and the relative. After six months it goes through the rule 12 late-registration route.

After the death certificate

1. Cancel the CNIC at any NADRA centre: CNIC cancellation after death.
2. Apply for the NADRA succession certificate; if NADRA declines, the court route is next.
3. Work out each heir's share with the inheritance calculator, then the land mutation: inheritance mutation in Punjab, at your land record office.

Frequently asked questions

Death certificate kaise banwayen?

A relative applies at the Union Council (Punjab), the Village or Neighbourhood Council (KP), the Citizen Facilitation Center G-11/4 (Islamabad) or the Cantonment Board. In Punjab that means Form-B with the rule 11 documents above.

Can I apply for a death certificate online in Punjab?

Rule 11 of the 2025 Rules allows an online application on Form-B, but the office may ask you to visit to verify, sign and give a thumb impression.

Union council death certificate or NADRA death certificate?

The certificate comes from the local council, and NADRA needs it to cancel the CNIC. NADRA's name comes up because the councils work with NADRA's system: in Sindh, the government bears "NADRA's service charges" so the certificate is free (CM's office, 7 October 2025).

What if the death was years ago?

In Punjab, the 2025 Rules send a death reported after one year to a committee and one reported after seven years to court; the e-Khidmat page says every case after 60 days goes to court. Ask your Union Council which it follows.

Sources

1. NADRA: Cancellation Certificate page and FAQs (checked in a browser on 2 November 2026) nadra.gov.pk
2. NADRA: Succession Certificate requirements (checked in a browser on 2 November 2026) nadra.gov.pk
3. Punjab Local Government (Registration of Births and Deaths) Rules 2025, LG&CD Notification No. SOR(LG)8-3/2025 of 2 May 2025, Punjab Gazette (Extraordinary), 14 May 2025 lgcd.punjab.gov.pk
4. Punjab e-Khidmat Markaz: Death Certificate service page (undated; checked on 2 November 2026) ekhidmat.punjab.gov.pk
5. Sindh Chief Minister's office: Sindh Cabinet approves major reforms (7 October 2025) cm.sindh.gov.pk
6. Local Government Khyber Pakhtunkhwa: Civil Registration and Vital Statistics (CRVS) page (checked on 2 November 2026) lgkp.gov.pk
7. ICT Administration: Death Registration page (undated; checked on 2 November 2026) ictadministration.gov.pk