Upon death (whether at home or in a nursing home) the first call will be to the team responsible for their care, they should then send someone to confirm the death, this is usually a community nurse. Once confirmation has been done, the nurse will complete a form for us to collect and you can then ring us on our 24-hour call line which is available 365 days a year.

Registering A Death

The death cannot be registered until the Medical Certificate of Cause of Death (MCCD) has been completed and checked by the Medical Examiner. This can take several days, even with an expected death, and you should get a phone call when you are able to make an appointment at the registrar’s office.

A death should be registered with the Registrar of Births and Deaths in the district where death has occurred within 5 days following completion of the documents. Most register offices operate an appointment system to prevent unnecessary waiting. When you have been notified by the Medical Examiner, it is advised that you telephone the Registrar of Births and Deaths to make an appointment or we can do this for you. Appointments can also be made online which makes life easier when you have part time registration offices.

When making an appointment the registrar may ask you if you would like to take advantage of the ‘Tell us once’ service. Basically, this means that the registrar, at the time of registration, can also inform various other organisations including the DWP, and cancel driving license and passport. You will need to take along these documents and the national insurance number of the deceased. If a hospital doctor has completed the Medical Certificate of Cause of Death, you will contact the hospital’s Bereavement Officer who will arrange an appointment for you to register the death at the hospital.

How Do I Register A Death?

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, someone present at the time of death, a senior administrator of the establishment in which the death occurred or the person instructing the funeral director i.e. the executor. Approximately 30 minutes should be allowed for the registration procedure, and the registrar will require the following information:

  • The date and place of death
  • The full name of the deceased (and maiden name where appropriate)
  • The date and place of birth of the deceased
  • The deceased’s occupation and the full names and occupation of her husband if she was a married woman or widow
  • The deceased’s usual address
  • Whether the deceased was in receipt of a pension from public funds
  • If the deceased was married, the date of birth of the spouse
  • Either National Health Service Number of the deceased, if known, or the medical card itself, if available, should be handed to the Registrar

Please take along some personal identification for yourself i.e. driving license

Following Registration

Following Registration

Following registration, the Registrar will issue three certificates:

A Certificate for Burial or Cremation

This form is green and is for you to take to the funeral director to allow the funeral to take place. In some circumstances this is issued by the coroner.

A Certificate of Registration of Death

(Form BD8/344) is for Social Security purposes. You may need to complete information on the reverse of the form and forward it to your local Social Security Office.

Death Certificate

A death certificate is a certified copy of the entry in the death register. A copy of the certificate may be required by banks, building societies or for pension and insurance claims, and as many copies as required may be purchased from the Registrar.

If the coroner is involved and a postmortem has taken place, the coroner will issue the necessary documents to enable the funeral to take place. If there is to be an inquest, this will usually be opened and adjourned, a certificate for burial or cremation should be issued and an interim death certificate can be issued to the family.