Help & Guidance

When someone dies at home:

You should first contact the family doctor. The doctor will normally call at the house and will issue the Cause of Death Certificate. You may need to collect this from the surgery if the death occurs "out of hours" of the doctors surgery. If for any reason the doctor is unable to issue this certificate the death will be referred to the Coroner.

You funeral director will require the following information;

  • Your name, address, telephone number and your relationship to the deaceased.
  • The name of the deceased and address where the death occurred.
  • The name of the family doctor and whether a death certificate will be issued.
  • If you prefer the deceased to remain at home or to be transported to the funeral home.
  • Whether you have decided upon a burial or cremation.
  • If the deceased had a prepaid funeral plan.

When someone dies in a hospital or nursing home:

You will normally be dealing with the ward sister or staff nurse in charge, they will advise you on when and where to collect the Cause of Death Certificate. You should let the staff know if the funeral is to be a cremation or burial, as the doctors will need to prepare the papers and advising them at this early stage may help to prevent delays later. Hospitals usually have a mortuary where the deceased will be cared for while the necessary paperwork is arranged and collection by your choice of funeral director is carried out. If the death occurs at a nursing home then the staff will need the funeral director to remove the deceased as soon as possible, nursing homes dont usually have the facilities to care for deceased for long periods of time. You will need to contact the funeral director you have chosen who will take the relevant details from you and arrange to have the deceased brought into the funeral directors care at their premises. You will also need to make an appointment to complete the funeral arrangements, this usually takes place at the funeral home although it is perfectly acceptable to have the funeral director make a home visit.

When a death is referred to the coroner:

In the best interests of the community, any sudden, unexpected or unexplained death is investigated by the Coroner. Coroners are judicial officers, independant of the local and central goverment and are required to act in accordance with certain rules of procedure and are "on call" and available twenty four hours a day and seven days a week. A death referred to a coroner is not necessarily a cause for concern, for example, the deceased may not of seen a doctor for a long period of time. The Coroners inquiries will not necessarily delay the funeral and you should contact your funeral director to begin making arrangements as your funeral director will be able to advise you further.

When to register a death:

By law, all deaths in England and Wales must normally be registered within five days. If you have the medical Cause of Death Certificate, you should register as soon as possible. If the Coroner is investigating the death, the Coroner or your funeral director will inform you when you can register.

Who is responsible for registering the death:

If the Cause of Death Certificate has been obtained, duty to provide the information to the registrar lies with the following people;

  • A relative of the deceased, present at time of death.
  • A relative of the deceased, in attendance during the last illness.
  • A relative of the deceased, residing or being in the sub district where the death occured.
If the any of the above cannot be found, duty passes on to one of the following;
  • The person present at the time of death.
  • The caretaker or *occupier, if he or she knew of the death.
  • The person causing the disposal of the body.
If the death has been referred to the Coroner, duty to provide information to the registrar lies with the following people;
  • Any relative of the deceased having knowledge of any of the particulars required to be registered.
  • Any person present at death.
  • Any person who found the body.
  • Any person in charge of the body.
  • The person causing the disposal of the body.
  • "occupier" in relation to a public institution includes the governor, keeper, master, matron, superintendant or other chief resident officer.

Where to register the death:

In England and Wales, you must register the death at the registrars office within the district in which the death occured, or in the district where the deceased resided.

The following link will take you to a Goverment website so that you can search for the local registrars office addresses throughout the uk.

Directgov local registrar search

How to register the death:

You will most likely need to make an appointment with the registrar, contact the registars office you need to register with to do this.

The registrar will need to know the following details about the deceased;

  • Date and place of death.
  • Full name, including maiden name if the deceased was a married woman.
  • Date and place of birth.
  • Occupation, (If the deceased was a married woman, the name and occupation of her husband)
  • Usual address
  • If the deceased was in receipt of any state or occupational pensions
  • If the deceased was married, the date of birth of the widow or widower.

The registrar will require the folowing documents;

  • Medical Certifcate of Cause of Death (If the death has not been referred to the Coroner and if easily available)
  • The deceased medical card, birth certificate and if applicable, marriage certificate.
  • Any book or document relating to any pension or allowance the deceased recieved from public funds.
You may not need to produce all of these documents if you provide the necessary information. Please check with the registrar before obtaining documents or copies if you dont have them to hand. your funeral director can also advise you further if you have any concerns.