Registering a Death
Notifying the Authorities
The first step is to register the death at a Registrar’s Office, this must be done within five days and can only be done once the Confirmatory Medical Certificate of Cause of Death has been issued you will need the following information.
- Confirmatory Medical Certificate of Cause of Death Birth certificate
- Marriage certificate (if applicable)
- NHS Medical Card
- The deceased’s full name and any previous names used
- Their last address
- Their occupation
- The details of a surviving spouse or civil partner
- Whether they were receiving any state benefits
If there is no post-mortem being held, the register office will supply you with;
- Certified Copy of Entry of Death (The Death Certificate)
- Certificate for Burial / Cremation (BD8) that should be handed to the Funeral Director)
- Social Security Certificate (For the Local Department of Works and Pensions – DWP)
- Advice leaflets with additional information
Please note: A nominal fee will be charged for the certified copy of the entry of death. Financial institutions such as Banks, Building societies or Insurers will require official copies of this document, which you can obtain when registering. It is usually cheaper to obtain them at this point and payment for such extra copies can be made by cash or cheque.