Registering a death
Every death in England and Wales must be
registered in the registration district in which the death takes
place within five days of the death, unless the registrar agrees
that this period may be exceeded, in which case they will need
confirmation, in writing, that a medical certificate of the cause
of death has been signed by the doctor attending.
If it is more convenient, the information for
registration may be given to any registrar in England and
Wales and the declaration will be forwarded to the registrar in the
sub-district where the death took place, where it will be
registered. Note that there may be some day's delay in certificates
being issued as this cannot be done until the death has been
registered.
The person who registers the death, will need
to attend the chosen registrar's office to make a declaration of
the particulars of the deceased. They must take the medical
certificate issued by the doctor who treated the deceased. It is
recommended that you telephone the Registrars Office to make an
appointment, although it is usually possible to visit and wait. You
should allow about half an hour to complete the registration
process.
The registrar will need to know the following
information:-
- Date and place of death
- Full name of the deceased
- Maiden name in the case of a woman who has been married
- Date and place of birth of the deceased
- Occupation of the deceased and in the case of a woman who is
married or widowed, the full name and occupation of her
husband
- The address of the deceased
- If the deceased was still married, the date of birth of their
spouse
- If readily available the Medical card or the National Health
Service Number
- Whether the deceased was in receipt of a pension or benefits
from public funds
The General Register Office provides excellent guidance
on
registering a
death and dealing with all circumstances, eg registering
an overseas death, removing the body out of England &
Wales.
Further information for Parents regarding registering a death
and dealing with
Death &
Bereavement is available from the Directgov website.