What is the main purpose of a death certificate?

The main purpose of a death certificate is to provide legal evidence of death for various purposes. This document is crucial as it serves multiple functions, including but not limited to, facilitating the settling of the deceased's estate, enabling the notification of government agencies, and allowing for the processing of insurance claims, benefits, and pensions. It acts as an official record that confirms the individual has died, which is fundamental for legal proceedings and administrative purposes.

While the other options touch on aspects related to death or the deceased, they do not encapsulate the primary legal function of a death certificate. Documenting personal achievements is not a relevant purpose of a death certificate; such information is typically captured through other means, such as obituaries or memorial services. Additionally, though a death certificate can support insurance claims, limiting its importance solely to that function underestimates its broader legal significance. Serving as identification for the deceased is also not a primary role of the document, as its main purpose is to confirm and record the fact of death itself.