Medical Death Certificate - China

The procedure to register death in China varies by areas and location of the death. For cities and counties that are under the surveillance of the Ministry of Health for deaths and causes of deaths, a Medical Death Certificate is issued after the death occurs. The certificate contains information on age, sex, marital status, place of permanent residence (where Hukou is), place of death, education attainment, occupation and causes of deaths.  Such certificate is required to cancel the Hukou registration and to bury the deceased person. Completing the Medical Death Certificate is required for areas under the Ministry of Health Surveillance, including 41 cities and 85 counties in 2005. 10% of the overall population is covered under this death surveillance system, about half is urban population and half is rural.

For areas that fall out of the surveillance system, the use of the standard Medical Death Certificate is recommended but not enforced. 

There are two attachments - the Medical Death Certificate and the regulation from the Ministry of Health regarding the use of Medical Birth and Death Certificate. Both documents are in Chinese only.