How to Register a Death

A death can be registered by a relative, someone present at the death, an official of a hospital, occupant of a house or person planning with the funeral directors.

To register a death you must contact the local registrar’s office to where the death occurred, this should normally be done within five days.  Please note you cannot register a death until you have the Medical Certificate of Cause of Death issued by a doctor.  Click here for more advice on how to get this.

Please note you cannot register a death until you have a Certificate Of Death issued by a doctor. Click here for more advice on how to get this.

Information needed for death registration

You will need to provide this information at the registrar’s office so they can register the death:

  • Date of death
  • Location of death
  • The deceased’s full name
  • The date and place of the deceased’s birth
  • Their occupation
  • Their home address
  • Details about their pension
  • DoB of the spouse (if applicable)
  • The Medical Certificate of Cause of Death

And one of these three are needed:

  • The deceased’s National Health Service medical card (if available)
  • Birth Certificate
  • Marriage Certificate (if applicable)

What next?

The registrar will provide you with two certificates:

‘The Green Certificate‘ – A certificate for burial and cremation 

This certificate grants you permission for the body to be buried or make an application for cremation. This certificate will need to be given to the funeral directors.

A Certificate for Registration of Death

This certificate is needed to deal with the deceased’s pension or benefit payments. You need to inform the registrars as to how many copies of the Certificate of Death are required. All banks, building societies, insurance companies will require an original copy of the certificate.

Get in touch

If you need further advice on the registration process, please don’t hesitate to contact our team. We’ll be able to provide support and talk you through the procedure.