Registering the death

A death should be registered within 5 days from when it occurred.

The registration should take place in the district where it occurred.

You will not be required to collect the certificate of death from the doctor/hospital,

the doctor issuing the certificate will send it to the registrar by email, this will happen

after the medical examiner has spoken with both yourselves and the doctor.

You will then need to phone the registrar (there is a list of local registrars at the end of this article) to make an appointment.

When you attend the appointment they will ask how many copies of the death certificate you require – you will need these for insurance policies, private pensions, bank accounts and they are £12.50 each, you will also receive a green form which we require.

If possible, you should also take the following documents. They are not absolutely essential but provide much of the additional information you need for the registration.

NHS card (also called the medical card)

Birth certificate

Driving licence

Council tax bill

Marriage certificate

If possible please take the National Insurance number of the deceased and the number of a surviving spouse or civil partner.

Passport

Proof of address (e.g. utility bill)

When you see the registrar, they will be as helpful as they can in registering the death. They will require the following information about the deceased:

Date and place of the death

The address of the person

Their full names (including the maiden name of a married woman).

Where and when they were born (the town or county is sufficient if the exact address is not known).

Their occupation

Details of their wife or husband or civil partner

Whether they had any government pension or other benefits

While it is not essential, you should also take supporting documents that show your name and address (e.g. a utility bill) but you can still register a death without them.

The registration process will take approximately 30 minutes. If a full Tell Us Once service is offered the appointment may be extended by about 15 minutes.