How to register a death

When someone dies the last thing on your mind will be to consider the practical things. But one of the first practical things that needs to be taken care of is to register their death. Don’t worry, registering a death in the UK is quite simple.
We will run through a simple step-by-step guide of what you need to know and do.

If you’re in England the time limit for registering a death is five days.

However, if the coroner is investigating the death, you can’t register it until they give you permission.

If you’re loved one passed away at home, then ideally you need to register their death at a Registrar office in the same district as your loved one’s house.

If they passed away in a nursing home or hospital you will need to refer to their district Registrar office.

All of the above aren’t always practical if you live far away from the deceased. Any Registrar office in the country can be used, but choosing one too far from the loved ones residence can cause paperwork delays and risk missing the five-day limit.
It’s important to call ahead and make an appointment, as Registrar offices tend to be quite busy places.

You must register your loved ones death in the country where they passed away.

If your loved one has passed away abroad, your nearest British Embassy will be able to help guide you through this. It’s important to note that you must also register the death with the foreign and commonwealth office in the UK.

Usually, a close relative would be the one to register a death. This person is also known as the informant.

If a close relative is not available to do so, the following are also allowed to register the death:

• Any relative (including in-laws)
• Any person present when the person died.
• Someone who lives at, or is responsible for, the address where the person died.
• The person who is taking care of the funeral arrangements, but not a funeral director.

You cannot delegate responsibility for registering the death to anyone else.

The only document you really need to register a death is a ‘Medical Certificate of Cause of Death’. This is given to you by the hospital or the GP who tended to the person when they died and lists your loved ones cause, date and place of death, as well as name and age.
Other documentation is not essential for registering a death, however providing as much additional information as possible can help speed up the process.

It helps the registration if you can also present these (but don’t worry if you can’t as its not essential):

• The deceased’s NHS medical card
• Birth and marriage/civil partnership certificates
• Driving license
• Council Tax Bill
• Proof of address and passport

You will also need to provide the registrar with the following information:

• The full name of the person that died.
• Their full home address
• Their date and place of birth
• Details of where and when the person died
• Their occupation, if applicable
• If they were receiving any benefits, inc. pensions or allowance from public funds.
• The name, occupation and date of birth of their spouse or civil partner, if applicable.

Bringing supporting documents for the above is useful but not vital.

You will receive a green certificate for burial or cremation, which should be given to the Funeral Director. There is no charge for the certificate.

The Registrar will also give you a form to send to the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). This allows them to deal with the persons pensions and other benefits.

The final thing you will be given is the Death Certificate. This will require a small fee. You may require this for legal reasons, and several copies would be useful as you will probably need them for dealing with the estate, insurances, banks, pensions etc. Photocopies are not usually accepted.

When a loved one sadly dies unexpectedly, someone is unhappy about the cause of death, or the loved one hasn’t been to their Doctors within the last 2 weeks then a coroner may be called to investigate the death. It is their duty to identify how, when and where the person died for official records, as well as giving some level of understanding to friends and family of the deceased.

If this is the case, the death must be reported by the doctor, hospital or Registrar to the coroner.

A death reported to a coroner cannot be registered until the coroner’s investigations are complete and a certificate has been issued allowing registration to take place.

A coroner can investigate a death if the body is in their district, even though the death took place somewhere else, for example, abroad.

Unfortunately, this may delay your funeral plans as a post-mortem or inquest will usually take place. Where a post-mortem has taken place, the coroner must give permission for the cremation.

You will need to register the death according to local regulations and get a Death Certificate. The local police, British Consulate or tour guide can advise you on how to do this.

If a loved one dies abroad, most families will go through the process of bringing the body or ashes home for a funeral in the UK. This process is known as body repatriation.

Once you have informed the nearest British Embassy of your loved ones death, and registered their death at the local registrar office. You will then need to get the Death Certificate translated and liaise with the coroner.

Also, check whether your loved one had travel insurance which may include repatriation insurance. Repatriating a body can be costly, so its important to check whether this is covered in the insurance policy.

You will then be able to start liaising with your chosen Funeral Director who can help guide you through the next steps.

Once you’ve finished registering a death, your next steps are:

• Contact your chosen Funeral Director who will be able to arrange for your loved one to be collected and brought into their care at the soonest time available.
• Work with your Funeral Director to arrange the funeral.
• Notify others – full list in ‘Practical Matters’ section