When someone dies, their death must be registered within five days (unless the death has been referred to a coroner).
You can register a death in any register office – it usually takes about 30 minutes.
If you use the register office in the area where the person died, you will be issued with the documents you need on the day.
If you use a different register office; you will have to wait a few days for the documents to be sent to you.
Who is allowed to register a death?
Most deaths are registered by a relative of the person who has died. If no family member is available – or the deceased person has no relatives – then the death can be registered by someone else.
This might be the person arranging the funeral, the executor of the person’s estate, someone who was present at the death, or even a hospital administrator.
What information do you need?
To register a death you must have a medical certificate stating the cause of the death, signed by a doctor.
You will also need to tell the register:
- the person’s full name at the time of their death
- any previous names, for example, their maiden name
- their date and place of birth
- their last address
- their occupation
- the full name, date of birth and occupation of a surviving or late spouse or civil partner
- whether they were receiving a State Pension or other benefits.
If possible, take along any documents that might be useful, for example, the person’s birth certificate, passport, proof of address and NHS medical card.
Tell Us Once
Tell Us Once is a voluntary scheme to make it easier for people to inform multiple government departments and local council services of someone’s death.
Your local registrar will tell you if it is available in your area.
What does it cost?
There is no cost to register a death; however, you will be charged for extra copies of the death certificate.
If someone dies abroad
You need to register the death according to regulations in the country where the person died. You will be given a local death certificate. This will be accepted in the UK; however, if it’s not in English, you may need to get a certified translation.
For more information, visit What to do if someone dies abroad.