A death must be registered by the Registrar of Deaths for the district in which the death occurred. A death should be registered within 5 days, unless the Registrar says that this period may be extended.
If it is not convenient for you to visit the Register Office for the district, you can go to any Register Office in England and Wales to make a declaration of the particulars required for the registration. In that case any forms and death certificates you require will be sent by post. Contact local Register Office for advice.
Please telephone to make an appointment as soon as the Medical Certificate of Cause of Death has been issued to you by the doctor of the deceased, who may be either the General Practitioner or a hospital doctor. The registration takes approximately 30 minutes.
You will need to provide a Medical Certificate of Cause of Death to the registration officer.
Care should be taken to give full and detailed information to the Registrar. Missing or incorrect information may lead to delays in administering the deceased's estate.
After the registration the Registration Officer will issue two forms.
A certificate for burial or cremation (known as the green form). This should be handed to the funeral director so that the funeral can take place. Occasionally this form is issued by the Coroner.
A certificate of registration of death (form BD8/344). This form is for the Social Security office to enable them to deal with benefits and state pensions. The form contains instructions and a questionnaire which should be completed and forwarded to the local Benefits Office.
There is no charge for the registration.
To deal with the deceased's estate, you may need to purchase Death Certificates which are certified copies of the entry. These may be required for banks, building societies, insurance claims, solicitors and some pension schemes. There is a fee of £3.50 for Death Certificate. The fee increases to £7.00 if a certificate is purchased at a later date when a register is completed.
It is preferred that a relative of the deceased registers the death. If there are no relatives then it is possible for other persons to register. Such persons may be someone present at the death, a senior administrator of the establishment in which the death occurred, or the person instructing the funeral director.
If you are unsure our staff will be pleased to explain further.
For full contact details, see the Registration Office Contact Details
| A to Z Names | Death - registering, Death - registering |
|---|---|
| Keywords | undefined |
| PID No. | 321 |
| IPSV Category | Registration of deaths |
| Level 1 Name | Death - registering |
| IPSV ID | 4592 |