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Medical Certificate of Cause of Death (MCCD)

Time-sensitive

The Medical Certificate of Cause of Death (MCCD) is the mandatory doctor-completed certificate recording the cause of death for every expected death in Australia; it must be submitted to the state or territory BDM registry before the body can be released to a funeral director and before death registration can be completed.

Issuing authority

State and Territory Births, Deaths & Marriages Registries (form issued by each state BDM; guidance provided by the Australian Bureau of Statistics)

Official source

abs.gov.au

Cost

Free (electronic submission via state BDM portals is free for medical practitioners; paper forms supplied at no charge by state BDM registries)

Deadline

Must be completed and submitted before the body can be released to the funeral director; no fixed number of days is legislated nationally but prompt completion is required to allow burial/cremation to proceed.

How to apply

  1. The attending medical practitioner (or coroner if cause of death is uncertain or reportable) determines the cause of death following clinical assessment.
  2. The doctor obtains a blank MCCD form from their state or territory BDM registry (in NSW, private hospitals and practitioners order via email to bdm-assets@customerservice.nsw.gov.au; in VIC the form is submitted electronically through the BDM online portal; other states supply paper forms via their BDM registry).
  3. The doctor completes the MCCD using the ABS Cause of Death Certification Guide as reference, accurately recording the sequence of conditions leading to death (Part 1) and other significant contributing conditions (Part 2).
  4. In VIC, the doctor submits the MCCD electronically via the BDM online system (free registration required); in other states a printed, signed copy is left with the body for the funeral director and a copy lodged with the state BDM registry.
  5. The funeral director receives the MCCD (or confirmation of electronic submission) and uses it to complete the Death Registration Statement with the BDM registry.
  6. If the death must be reported to the coroner (unexpected, violent, or uncertain cause), the doctor notifies the coroner instead, and the coroner completes the relevant certificate.
  7. After registration, the state BDM registry transmits MCCD data to the Australian Bureau of Statistics for national mortality statistics.

Related topics

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