Registering A Death

A death should be registered with the Registrar of Births and Deaths in the district where death has occurred within 14 days. Most register offices operate an appointment system to prevent unnecessary waiting. When you are in receipt of the Medical Certificate of Cause of Death, which is issued by a general practitioner, 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 on line 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 also cancel driving license and passport. You will need to take along these documents and also the national insurance number of the deceased. If a hospital doctor has completed the Medical Certificate of Cause of Death, you will make contact with the hospital’s Bereavement Officer who will arrange an appointment for you to register the death at the hospital.

See our current Covid-19 guidelines for details on registering a death.

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

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 post mortem 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.