Registering a Death

A death must be registered by the Registrar of Births and Deaths for the district in which the death occurred. A death should be registered within 5 days, unless the Registrar says the period may be extended.

To prevent unnecessary waiting, most of the offices operates an appointment system. 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. Please take this certificate with you when you attend the Register Office.

Coroner

In certain circumstances the death will have to be refered to the Coroner by the doctor or the Registrar. The Coroner may do one of three things:

• He may decide no action is necessary and inform the Registrar accordingly.
• He may decide to hold a post-mortem examination, in which case a Pink Form 100B will be issued by the Coroner to be used instead of the Medical Certificate.
• He may decide to hold an inquest. The Coroner`s Officer or Registrar will advise you what to do in these circumstances.

How to Register a Death

The death should be registered by a relative of the deceased. If there are no relatives, 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.

You should allow approximately 30 minuted for the registration. However in some circumstances the Registrar may have to refer to the Coroner which may result in further time being necessary.

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 married woman or a 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 od birth of the spouse.
• Either the National Health Service number of the deceased, if known, or the medical card itself, if available, should be handed to the Registrar.

Please do not delay registration if the medical card is not available.

"Tell us Once"

The Registrar is now able to let Government and Council Departments know about a death, on your behalf, which will save you the time and expense of contacting them.

Certificated

After the death has been registered, the Registrar may issue you with two certificates free of charge. These are as follows:

A Certificate for Burial or Cremation

(known as the Green Form) is for you to take to the Funeral Director so that the funeral can take place. In some circumstances this is issued by the Coroner.

A Certificate of Registration of Death

(Form BD8/344) is for the Social Security purposes. Please read the back of the form in your own time. If any of the information applies, please complete it and return it to your local Social Security Office.

Standard Death Certificates

You may also need to purchase some death certificates. A death certificate is a certified copy of the entry in the death register. These may be required by banks, building societies, insurance companies, solicitors or for pension claims. You may wish to ask for several death certificates at this time of registration as the price increases if you need one at a later date. The Registrar will advise you as to the type and number of certificates which you may need.

Information Leaflets

Leaflets relating to benefits, probate and help with funeral expenses are also available from the Registrar.