For NRIs & OCIs
For NRIs — handling things back home
Practical help for Non-Resident Indians and OCI cardholders dealing with the district from overseas — obtaining a death or birth certificate, getting documents apostilled, settling succession and property, and giving a relative power of attorney.
Getting a death certificate
A death in Tamil Nadu must be registered within 21 days with the local body — the municipality, corporation or town panchayat in towns, and the Revenue Department / Village Administrative Officer in villages. Once it is registered, a certified copy can be obtained online through the Tamil Nadu e-Sevai or the national Civil Registration portal, or in person at the local body.
If a death was never registered, or you are applying late: between 21 days and one year it is allowed with a late fee; after one year it can only be registered on the order of the Sub-Divisional / Revenue Divisional Magistrate, again with a late fee.
Doing it from abroad — without flying back
You don't always have to travel. A certified copy can be applied for online through e-Sevai. Where a physical presence or a signature is needed, the usual route is to authorise a trusted relative in India through a Power of Attorney (see below).
Keep digital scans of the deceased's ID, your own passport or OCI card, and any hospital or burial/cremation record — these are what offices ask for.
Power of Attorney from overseas
A Power of Attorney lets a relative in India act on your behalf — collect a certificate, sign property papers, or represent you at an office. Executed abroad, it should be notarised locally or attested at the Indian Embassy or Consulate; the consulate's website lists the exact forms, documents and fee.
After it reaches India the PoA usually has to be adjudicated and stamped (assessed for stamp duty) at the local Sub-Registrar, generally soon after arrival. Confirm the local rule, as stamp duty and timelines vary by state.
Apostille & attestation for use abroad
If you need an Indian certificate — death, birth or marriage — recognised by authorities in another country, it must be authenticated. India is a member of the Hague Apostille Convention, so the Ministry of External Affairs issues an apostille for use in member countries; for non-member countries the document instead needs normal attestation followed by that country's embassy.
There is a mandatory first step: the document must be authenticated by the relevant state department (the State Home / General Administration Department for personal documents like a death certificate) before it goes to MEA. Since 2012 MEA does not accept documents directly from individuals — they are submitted through MEA's outsourced agencies or Regional Authentication Centres.
Succession, legal heirs & property
After a death, the document you need depends on the asset. A legal heir certificate ('Varisu'), issued by the Tahsildar / Taluk office through e-Sevai, is the quick administrative proof used for pensions, claims and simple transfers. For a disputed estate, or for movable assets such as bank balances and shares, a Succession Certificate from a civil court (under the Indian Succession Act) is usually required instead.
To transfer land or a house you'll deal with the Revenue Department for patta transfer and mutation, and you can check an Encumbrance Certificate — the property's charge and loan history ('Villangam') — from the Registration Department online.
NRI or OCI — which are you?
An NRI is an Indian citizen living abroad — it's about residence, and you keep an Indian passport. An OCI cardholder is a foreign citizen of Indian origin with a lifelong visa; it is not dual citizenship, and OCIs are exempt from FRRO registration but cannot vote or buy agricultural / plantation land.
For obtaining death or birth records the process is the same either way — you apply through e-Sevai or via Power of Attorney, and prove identity with your passport (and OCI card if you hold one).
Where this connects locally
For the offices, helplines and online portals that run the district, see the government services hub. For step-by-step civic procedures — including filing an RTI to obtain old records, or getting free legal aid — see the Know your rights guides.
Sources & verification
Sources: Tamil Nadu Public Health / CRS death & birth registration (tnhealth.tn.gov.in, crsorgi.gov.in), Tamil Nadu e-Sevai (tnesevai.tn.gov.in), Ministry of External Affairs apostille & consular services (mea.gov.in), Registration Department (tnreginet.gov.in), OCI Services (ociservices.gov.in), MHA Foreigners Division. Verified May 2026; procedures and fees may change — confirm with the issuing office.