Procedure for Obtaining Death Records From the National Registration Office in Penang, Malaysia

To search for your Chinese roots, a death date is critical to the success of your search. (Note: Death certificates started to be required in about 1950; before that time, you take your chances as to whether there is a death record on file or not.)

1. Get death dates from ✦   Family records ✦    Personal Knowledge ✦    Other Relatives ✦    Gravestones ✦    Burial Records from the Clan Kongsi or Cemetery Office ✦    Newspaper Obituaries

2. Start the process of getting a death certificate from the National Registration Office (NRO - 3rd floor, Bangunan Persekutuan, Jalan Anson, 10400, Pulau Pinang - +6042265161)

◘   Pick up the forms necessary, which includes a sample form.

◘  Go home and prepare the forms. (Note: One of the forms, you will need to retype yourself.)

◘   Take the completed forms to the Commissioner of Oaths. (Lebuh Bishop, Georgetown, M-F 9:30 to 4:30)

◘   Pay a fee of 5.00 MR for each search requested.

◘   Go back home and wait two weeks.

◘   Go back to the NRO.

◘   Take a ticket and wait until your number is called.

◘   Present yourself; clerks will let you know whether or not they have the death certificate.

◘   If they do have the certificate, you have to fill out another application form (with a photostat of your Identification Card again) and pay 5 more ringgits to get the death certificate.

◘   Please note: the date of birth you see on the death certificate may be the date of registration, not the actual birth date. If the age at death is stated, you can do some quick math and put down an “about date” of birth.

◘   If you are not certain which year your ancestor died, you will need to pay 5 MR for each year searched, but at least you do not have to return to the Commissioner of Oaths again.

Submitted November 4, 2013

Website for National Registration Office: