Register a Death

Registering the death will give you the documents you need for the funeral, though you can start making arrangements before registering.

Who can register the death?

• Anyone who was there when the person died.
• Someone who lives in the place where the person died.
• The person who is taking responsibility for arranging the funeral.

The person who is to register the death, will need to make an appointment with the local registrar.

What you will need to give the registrar 

The registrar will need to know some things about the person who has died:-

• The place and date of death
• The full name of the person who has died- this should be the name they used at the time of their death
• Any other names they may have been known as. For example they may have changed their name by deed poll
• Their date and place of birth (town and county if possible)
• What their job was and whether they were retired
• Their usual address
• Whether they were getting a state pension or any other benefits
• The registrar will also need to see their medical certificate of cause of death.
• National health service medical card (if you have it)
• Birth Certificate
• Marriage certificate (if they were married)

The registrar will give you:-

• As many copies of the death certificate as you think you will need ( there is usually a charge for these)
• A certificate for burial cremation (the ‘green’ form) which you will need to give to us