Registering a death
A death in the family is distressing and the following
information aims to make the formalities less stressful.
- Formalities after a death
- Where to register a death
- How to register a death
- Certificates
- Other useful information
Formalities after a death
By law, a death must be registered within 5 days unless a
registrar agrees that this may be extended or a coroner is
involved.
The doctor who was attending the deceased will sign and issue
a medical certificate showing the cause of death. This may be the
family doctor or a duty doctor if the deceased died in hospital.
This sealed envelope containing this document must be handed to the
registrar.
In some circumstances the death will
have to be referred to the coroner, either by the doctor or the
registrar.
The coroner will decide to:
- take no further action and inform the registrar of the decision
- carry out an after death examination (post mortem). In this case the coroner will issue the cause of death certificate and send it to the registrar
- hold an inquest. Until the coroner's decision is known it will not be possible to register the death
The death must be registered in the district in which
the death occurred. If it is not convenient to visit the
register office for the district it is possible to go to any other
register office in England or Wales to make a declaration of the
particulars required for the registration.
In that case, any death certificates required and paid for,
the form issued for social security purposes and the one issued for
the burial or cremation to proceed will be sent by post. This may
cause the funeral arrangements to be delayed.
To register a death at Peterborough Register Office, please
contact the register office before
attending in order to make an appointment, which will usually last
some 30 minutes.
It is usual for a relative of the deceased to register the
death. If there are no relatives then it is possible in certain
circumstances for other individuals to register, for example
someone who was present at the death or the person who is
responsible for organising and paying for the funeral. Please
contact any register office for specific advice where a relative
will not be able to attend to register.
It is useful to bring the deceased's birth certificate,
marriage certificate (where appropriate) and NHS medical
card.
The registrar will ask for the following details:
- date and place of death
- full names of the deceased, including maiden name where appropriate
- the deceased's date and place of birth
- the deceased's occupation where appropriate
- if the deceased is a married/widowed woman, the full names and occupation of her husband/late husband
- the deceased's usual address
- if the deceased was married, the date of birth of the spouse
- if the deceased was receiving any pensions or allowances from public funds, including pensions from previous employment or sickness/retirement pensions
Two forms for specific purposes will be issued:
- The certificate for burial or cremation, sometimes called the green form. This is the certificate to take to the funeral director so that arrangements can be made for the funeral to take place. In certain circumstances a form will be issued by the coroner.
- The certificate of registration of death, sometimes called form BD8. This is for Department of Work and Pensions purposes. It should be completed and sent to the local DWP office as directed.
Certified copies of the death entry (death certificate) are
needed for the following purposes:
- probate or letters of administration
- bank and building society accounts
- life insurance policies covering the deceased
- dealing with stocks and shares owned by the deceased
- applying for a tax rebate
They can be purchased from the registrar at a fee of
£3.50 at the time of registration or for £7.00 at a
later date.