HomeBlog › Affidavit of Death Tutorial
Legalia Tutorial Affidavit of Death Philippines

How to Generate an Affidavit of Death in the Philippines — Step-by-Step Tutorial

Fill the form, review the live preview, and export a notary-ready PDF — for insurance claims, estate settlement, and bank account release.

May 25, 2026 · 5 min read

An Affidavit of Death is a sworn declaration attesting to the fact of a person's death. It is used in situations where a death certificate is unavailable or insufficient — including insurance claims, estate settlement, bank account release, and government benefit applications. Because it is a notarized sworn statement, it carries legal weight and is accepted by many institutions as documentary evidence of death.

Legalia automates the drafting. This tutorial walks you through the complete process of generating a notary-ready Affidavit of Death online — from logging in to saving a print-ready PDF — in five steps.

What you need before you start

  • A free Legalia account — sign up here
  • The affiant's full name, civil status, address, and relationship to the deceased
  • The deceased's full name, date of death, place of death, and cause of death
  • The purpose for which the affidavit is being executed

Step 1: Log In and Open Your Dashboard

Sign in to your Legalia account at https://legalia.ph. After logging in you will land on the document library dashboard, which lists all available document types grouped by category — Affidavits, Contracts, Deeds, and more.

Legalia document library dashboard — grouped by Affidavits, Contracts, and other Philippine legal document types

Step 2: Select Affidavit of Death

Under the Affidavits category, click Affidavit of Death. The document editor opens in a two-panel layout:

  • Left panel — the guided form with all required and optional fields
  • Right panel — the live document preview, updated in real time

Every change you make in the form is immediately reflected in the preview — you always see exactly what will print.

Step 3: Fill In the Form

Complete the fields on the left panel. The form is divided into three sections:

Affiant Information

FieldNotes
Full NameExactly as it appears on a government-issued ID
Civil StatusSingle / Married / Widowed / Legally Separated
AddressComplete residential address including barangay, city/municipality, and province
Relationship to DeceasedDescribe the relationship — e.g., "spouse," "son/daughter," "sibling," or "attending physician"

Deceased's Information

FieldNotes
Full NameDeceased's complete legal name
Date of DeathExact date the death occurred
Place of DeathMunicipality/city and province where the death occurred
Cause of DeathAs known to the affiant; use "natural causes" if the exact cause is unknown

Purpose

FieldNotes
PurposeState the reason the affidavit is being executed — e.g., "for insurance claim purposes," "for bank account release," "for estate settlement," or "for government benefit application"

Step 4: Review the Live Preview

The right panel shows the document exactly as it will print. Review the full text carefully — especially the affiant's declaration of knowledge, the deceased's details, and the jurat block at the bottom.

The following optional tool appears at the top of the preview panel:

  • Polish with AI — rewrites the narrative paragraphs in formal legal Philippine English while preserving all facts. Useful when the information was provided in informal language.

Step 5: Print or Save as PDF

When the document looks correct, click the Print button in the action bar. Your browser's print dialog opens.

  • To print on paper: select your printer and click Print.
  • To save a PDF: change the Destination to Save as PDF. The output is a clean document with no UI chrome, headers, or footers — formatted for standard 8.5×11 or A4 paper with correct margins and line spacing for notarial use.

Bring the printout to your commissioned notary public for the affiant's oath and signature.

That is the complete workflow — from opening the dashboard to a notary-ready Affidavit of Death.

Generate Your Affidavit of Death — Free

No credit card required. Draft, preview, and print a notary-ready Affidavit of Death for insurance claims, estate settlement, or bank account release — Philippine format, correct jurat included.

Generate Free with Legalia

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Legalia replace the notary?
No. Legalia handles the drafting. The affiant still needs to sign the document before a commissioned notary public. Notarization is done the usual way — Legalia simply removes the writing step.
When is an Affidavit of Death required?
An Affidavit of Death is required when a death certificate is unavailable, for bank account release, insurance claims, government benefit applications, or estate proceedings where formal sworn documentation of the death is needed alongside or in lieu of a civil registry record.
Who can execute the Affidavit of Death?
Any person with direct personal knowledge of the death may execute the affidavit — usually a spouse, child, sibling, attending physician, or another individual who can attest to the facts of the death.
Is an Affidavit of Death the same as a death certificate?
No. A death certificate is an official civil registry document issued by the PSA or Local Civil Registry. An Affidavit of Death is a sworn personal statement by a private individual. Some institutions require both documents; others accept the affidavit when the certificate is unavailable.
Is this sufficient for bank account release?
Banks in the Philippines typically require a PSA-certified death certificate plus an affidavit or notarial attestation, along with other supporting documents. Requirements vary by bank and account type. Always verify the specific requirements with the institution holding the account before submitting.
Is Legalia free to use?
Yes. You can generate, preview, and print an Affidavit of Death on the Free plan with no credit card required. Premium plans unlock additional document types and AI-assisted drafting.
Can I edit the document after generating it?
Yes. Every field on the left panel is editable at any time. Changes are reflected in the preview instantly. You can also use the "Polish with AI" feature to refine the language before printing.

Related Guides