Use only the current Michigan Department of Community Health form DCH0483 "Certificate of Death". Learn what happens in a probate estate in Michigan after a person's death.From the Probate and Estate Planning Section of the State Bar of Michigan. An estate must be opened if a person dies with property in their name alone (not joint), or owns an insurance policy or retirement benefits. The name, and if known, the date of death, and date of birth of the decedent. The name and address of the personal representative. The court may allow you to open an estate, but request or require you to obtain an official death certificate and file it at a later date. Is a letter of authority from probate court in michigan necessary if you are beneficiary on a savings account of the deceased? If the decedent lived outside Michigan, file the Petition for Assignment in the county where the decedent had real property. After someone dies, notify the government programs and businesses they used.