Registering a death
After someone has died, you need to register the death within five days. You can use any register office but it is recommended that you use one in the area where the person has died. Otherwise the process can take longer.
You will need to take with you the medical certificate showing the cause of death, signed by a doctor. If possible also take with you the persons NHS number or medical card, birth certificate and marriage or civil partnership certificate.
You will have to tell the registrar:
- The person's full name
- The person's date and place of birth
- Their date and place of death
- Their most recent occupation
- Their usual address
- Whether or not they were receiving benefits
- The name, occupation and date of birth of their spouse or civil partner
The registrar will give you a certificate of registration of death (form BD8). You will need to fill this out and return in the pre-paid envelope.
You will also need to provide information including:
- If the person was receiving benefits
- A certificate for burial or cremation which is known as the Green Form
- Leaflets about bereavement benefits
- A death certificate for which there will be a charge
You can buy extra death certificates if you would like. These are needed for the will and any claims to pensions, savings etc. It is best to pay for extra copies as copies required at a later date may be more expensive. Ordinary photocopies are not accepted by some organisations.
We hope that this article has helped you understand the process of registering a death. Please explore our website further for more information about bereavement and other subjects.