Register a death

Thorpe Road currently cannot be accessed from the Queensgate roundabout due to road works. A diversion is in place. Please allow extra travel time for appointments at the register office.

Easter opening times for Peterborough Register Office

  • Thursday 28 March 2024 - open as usual, 9am to 4pm
  • Friday 29 March 2024 - closed - on call service, 9am to 1pm
  • Saturday 30 March 2024 - ceremonies as usual - on call service for registrations, 9am to 1pm
  • Sunday 31 March 2024 - closed - no on call service
  • Monday 1 April 2024 - closed - on call service, 9am to 1pm
  • Tuesday 2 April 2024 - open as usual, 9am to 4pm

By law, a death must be registered within five days, unless a registrar agrees to extend this period, or if a coroner is involved.

A death must also be registered in the district in which the death occurred.

Please note that Yaxley and Whittlesey are not in the Peterborough district. For deaths that occurred in these towns, you need to contact Cambridgeshire Registration Service.

It is possible to come to Peterborough for a death that took place in another district. However, the information we take at the appointment will then need to be sent to that district for them to complete the registration. We cannot say how long they will take to do this. It may delay the issuing of certificates and the forms needed for the funeral to proceed. 

You can see the Peterborough registration district by referring to this map:

Maps-PboroUnitaryAuthority727KBpdf
Peterborough Unitary Authority area map
Size: 727KBFile format: pdf

How to register a death

To register a death please contact the Register Office on 01733 864646 or book an appointment online.

Your appointment

Your appointment will take place in person at Peterborough Register Office.

We are located at 33 Thorpe Road, Peterborough, PE3 6AB. Parking is available.

Coming to the Register Office

  • Please arrive at the Register Office five minutes before your appointment time. If you are late it may not be possible to proceed with your appointment.

  • When you arrive, please remain in your car or in the car park until you are contacted by the registrar

  • During cold weather and if you have arrived by public transport and wish to wait in the warm, please come to the main entrance and ring the doorbell

  • We will contact you on the mobile number that you provided when you booked the appointment. Please make sure that you have this mobile phone with you, and that it is charged. Please note that when we call you it may appear as a withheld number.

  • The registrar will then direct you to wait by one of the entrances to the building - A, B or C. Please go to this entrance and please wait outside until the registrar comes to collect you.

  • Hand sanitiser stations are available at entrances - all visitors must use these before entering the building

  • Toilets and baby changing facilities are available

  • Death certificates cost £11 each. We can only accept contactless payment by card. We cannot accept cash.

Please see below for important information about the medical certificate that will be needed for the registration, and about the information you will need to give to us.

The medical certificate

This is the main document needed for us to register the death.

The hospital or GP practice should usually retain the original medical certificate, and will not give it to you. Instead, they should send us a copy by email, and we can use this copy for the registration.

However, if you have been given the original medical certificate by the hospital or GP, please bring it with you to your appointment.

Please do not book a registration appointment until the doctor has told you that they have issued the medical certificate.

If we do not have the medical certificate at the time of your appointment, we will not be able to register, and will need to reschedule.

Who can register a death

It is usual for a relative to register a death. However, if there are no relatives it is possible for someone else to register, such as:

  • a person present at the death
  • the person responsible for arranging and paying for the funeral

Information we need to register a death

These are the main details we need to know for the death registration:

  • Where and when the death occurred
  • The full name of the deceased, and any changes to their name (including maiden name)
  • The date and place of birth of the deceased
  • The last occupation of the deceased, and their most recent address
  • If applicable, the full name, date of birth and occupation of the spouse or civil partner of the deceased
  • To help answer these questions, you may find it useful to refer to documents such as the deceased's birth, marriage or civil partnership certificates, or their passport. However, we do not need to see these documents ourselves
  • If the deceased was in receipt of a pension from a Government department - such as teaching, NHS or Armed Forces - please let the Registrar know at your appointment

You will be given the opportunity to check that the information is correct and then the register will be signed. It is an offence to give false information. 

Any mistakes noticed after the registration has been completed are likely to require a lengthy correction process and a fee. There may be some delay before corrected certificates can be issued. See the paragraph below for guidance on how to correct a registration and the fees charged.

Certificates

You can purchase certified copies of the death certificate at £11 per certificate. These are needed for the following:

  • 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

After the registration, should you find that you need more certificates you will be able to order them at the same fee of £11 each. You can find out more information on our certificates page.

Peterborough Coroner

You can find out more about when a death is reported to a coroner from GOV.UK. If you need to contact the coroner's office for Cambridgeshire & Peterborough you can use the following details:

Senior Coroner's Office (Cambridgeshire & Peterborough)
Lawrence Court
Princes Street
Huntingdon
PE29 3PA

Tel: 0345 045 1364
Email: coroners@cambridgeshire.gov.uk

Tell Us Once service

When someone has died there are lots of things that need to be done at a time when you least feel like doing them. At your appointment to register the death, the registrar will set you up on the Tell Us Once service, which you can then use to notify government departments and local council services of the death. This is a free service, and you can contact them by telephone or online - instructions will be given to you at your appointment.

The organisations that can be contacted by you include the Department of Work and Pensions, HM Revenue & Customs, Identity & Passport Service and the DVLA and Local Authority services such as Council Tax, Adult Social Care and Housing Benefit.

Watch a video explaining the Tell Us Once service by Department for Work and Pensions (DWP).

Corrections

After the death has been registered, if you need to make any corrections please contact us. The process for correction is lengthy and may need to be authorised by the Registrar General which will add to the delay in the corrected certificate being issued. You may also be required to make a statutory declaration.

There are fees payable for the consideration of the correction and for any corrected certificates requested. The following national fees apply:

  • Corrections which we are able to authorise locally: £75.00
  • Corrections which we need to refer to the Registrar General: £90.00

In addition, you will also need to pay again for any certificates you require with the corrected information and, if it is required by the Registrar General, you may also need to pay for a statutory declaration.

For more information, please visit the GOV.UK website.

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