Warish Certificate in Bangladesh: Who Issues It, Documents, Online Application and Checking

In this guide: Who issues a warish certificate · Documents you need · How to apply, step by step · Applying online · How to check that a warish certificate is genuine · When a warish certificate is not enough · Mistakes that cause trouble later

The short answer

A warish certificate (also called a warishan or heir certificate) is a document from the Union Parishad, Pourashava or City Corporation that lists a deceased person’s legal heirs. You apply to the office for the area where the deceased last lived, with the death certificate and the heirs’ NIDs or birth certificates. After local verification it is signed, usually within two to four weeks. It proves who the heirs are; it does not decide disputes, and banks often want a court succession certificate as well.

Who issues a warish certificate

Since 2024 many elected local posts have been run by administrators or assigned officers. The certificate is still valid if signed by the person lawfully doing that job; check the name and designation on it.

Documents you need

• The application form of the local office, signed by one heir.
• The death certificate. Register the death online through the birth and death registration system; it is free within 45 days of the death.
• The deceased’s NID or birth certificate.
• NIDs of all adult heirs and birth certificates of minor heirs.
• Passport-size photos of the applicant.
• A simple family tree showing every heir and anyone who died before the deceased.
• Sometimes an affidavit before a notary that the list of heirs is complete. Some offices also want a holding tax or utility receipt as proof of address.

How to apply, step by step

1. Register the death and print the death certificate.
2. List every heir. Under Muslim law that means the widow or widower, sons, daughters and parents who are alive, and the children of a son or daughter who died earlier (section 4 of the Muslim Family Laws Ordinance 1961).
3. Submit the form with copies of the documents. Keep the receipt or tracking number.
4. Local verification. The office checks with neighbours, the ward member or village police. This is where most delays happen.
5. Collect and check. Compare every name, father’s name and date with the NIDs before you leave. A spelling mismatch will stop a mutation or a bank claim later.

Fees are set by each office and are usually small. Ask for an official receipt.

Applying online

Many Union Parishads, Pourashavas and city corporations now take applications online, either through their own e-service page or through a Union Digital Centre operator who uploads your documents. You get a tracking number and later collect the signed certificate or download a copy with a QR code. The system is not the same everywhere, so check the citizen charter on your local office’s page on the national portal before you start. Verification is still done locally.

How to check that a warish certificate is genuine

• Look for a memo number, date, office seal and the signer’s name and designation.
• If it has a QR code or tracking number, scan or check it against the office’s system.
• When buying inherited land, ask the issuing office to confirm the certificate against its register. Banks and land offices often do this themselves.
• Compare the heirs listed with the family tree. A missing daughter or widow is the most common sign of a problem.

When a warish certificate is not enough

• Bank deposits, savings certificates, shares and insurance: most institutions want a succession certificate from the court under the Succession Act 1925, especially for larger amounts.
• Disputed heirs: a warish certificate does not settle a dispute over who is an heir or whether a marriage was valid. That goes to the civil court.
• Land: the certificate supports namjari in the heirs’ names. To divide or sell, the heirs need a bontonnama or everyone’s signature.
• Use abroad: foreign authorities usually want the certificate notarised and attested by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, or an apostille.

Mistakes that cause trouble later

• Leaving out daughters, the widow or the children of a predeceased child. The certificate can be challenged and every later deed is at risk.
• Names spelt differently from the NID or land records.
• Listing someone who died before the deceased as a living heir.
• Heirs signing “no objection” papers they have not read.

A wrong certificate can be corrected or cancelled by the issuing office on application with proof. If the office refuses or another heir objects, a declaration from the civil court settles it.