How to register a death

Registering the death of a loved one will give you the required documents to allow the funeral to proceed.

Every death in England must be registered in the district in which it takes place within 5 days of the date of death - unless the Coroner is investigating the circumstances relating to the death.

Under normal circumstances, the doctor – your GP or a hospital doctor – will issue a doctor’s certificate outlining the cause of death. If the Coroner has been involved and an inquest is held the coroner will release the certificate so you can register the death.

This certificate is taken to the Registrar’s Office with, if possible, the deceased’s medical card and birth certificate.

The procedure for registering a death is a simple question-and-answer interview between the registrar and the person reporting the death.

Who can register the death?

The person who registers the death is normally a relative of the deceased. If no relatives are available, then the death can be registered by:

Anyone who was present at the death
The person who's taking responsibility for arranging the funeral

The person who registers the death will need to visit the local Registrar. Please note you may need to make an appointment.

What you will need to give the Registrar

You will need to provide the Registrar with the following information on the person who has died:

The date and place of their birth Full name of deceased (maiden name if applicable)
The date of death, and where it happened
Their occupation
Their home address
If they had a pension or allowance from public funds
If married, full name and occupation of surviving spouse

The Registrar will also need you to provide the following documents:

Medical Certificate of Cause of Death)
National Health Service medical card (if you have it)
Birth Certificate
Marriage Certificate (if they were married)

What the Registrar will do

The registrar will issue a disposal certificate (Green) to allow the funeral to proceed.

You will also need to purchase a death certificate (White) from the registrar for can be obtained from the registrar for:

Investment and Insurance Policies
Probate
Solicitors
Post Office
Vehicle registration
Inland revenue
Local council
Utility companies
Banks and Building societies
Credit card companies
Store cards

You may need to purchase additional copies of the death certificate at the time of registering.

Finally, a Social Security certificate will be sent to the Department for Work and Pensions offices with any pension books (BD8).