Checklist: what to do when someone dies in Ireland
Every list of what to do after a death has the same flaw: it lists everything, for everyone. You look for what concerns you among what does not, at a moment when you cannot think straight.
Six questions about the person who died, and you get the list of what actually applies to you — in the order of the Irish deadlines, from the first days to the months that follow, with what you risk by missing each one.
The deadlines and offices listed here apply in the Republic of Ireland. In Northern Ireland, Great Britain and the United States they differ.
Frequently asked questions
How long do you have to register a death in Ireland?
Three months, at any Civil Registration Service office, with the Death Notification Form completed by the doctor. Most families do it within the first two weeks, because banks, insurers and the Department of Social Protection all ask for a death certificate before they will do anything.
Does this checklist replace a solicitor?
No. It sorts and orders public steps according to what you tell it, so that nothing essential slips through. It is not legal advice, and your situation may call for more — the estate in particular needs a solicitor as soon as there is property or a will.
Read more
- Quelles démarches administratives faire après un décès ?Les démarches après la mort d'un proche, dans l'ordre : les 24 premières heures, la première semaine, les six mois qui suivent. Délais sourcés sur service-public.gouv.fr.
Contrat obsèques : à quoi ça sert ?Ce que couvre un contrat obsèques, la différence entre capital et prestations, et comment savoir si un défunt en avait souscrit un. Sourcé sur Légifrance et service-public.gouv.fr.
What to do with a loved one's belongingsWhen to start, how to sort without regret, and what to do with the things nobody can throw away.
The other tools
Eulogy templateAnswer a few questions and come away with a three-minute eulogy — structured, ready to read, and shaped by who they were to you.
Condolence message templateThree condolence messages written for your situation — a card, a text, or something to say in person — depending on who you are to them.
Memorial plaque wordingThree texts written for your plaque — from who gives it, what they were like and the tone — each with its character count, the unit an engraver charges by.
Obituary templateAn obituary written for your situation — a newspaper, a printed card, a post online — with a short notice alongside it, for a paper that charges by the line.