Deaths, funerals and cremations

Practical necessities - what to do first

• inform the family doctor, contact a funeral director if you intend to use one; their help can be invaluable and if the death occurs in a nursing home or at home, the funeral director will move the deceased to a chapel of rest,
• obtain a medical certificate of cause of death signed by a doctor or, if the coroner is involved, take instructions from the coroners officers regarding registration of the death,
• contact the relevant minister of religion if appropriate,
• register the death at the register office,
• find out if there is a will, and if so, where it is and who is responsible for dealing with it,
• begin arrangements for the funeral; check for any special requests.

Registering the death

A death should normally be registered within five days of the date of death. However, there may be exceptions, for example, when the coroner is involved. If the death has been referred to a coroner; it cannot be registered until the registrar has received authority from the coroner to proceed with the registration.

Please contact the Registration Service for further information and advice if you think the coroner is involved.

What documents and information will the registrar require?

• In order to register the death, you must have;
• the medical certificate of cause of death issued by the doctor who was treating the deceased. You must bring this within five days of receiving the certificate,
• birth certificate,
• marriage / civil partnership certificates,
• NHS number / medical card

If the coroner is involved -

Confirmation that the necessary paperwork is available to the registrar from the coroner’s office. After a post mortem has taken place, a form is sent directly from the Coroner’s Office to the registrar or the district where the death has occurred so that the death can be registered

Addition information needed to register the death

About the deceased -

• full name and surname of the deceased or the Maiden name in the case of an unmarried woman or widow
• the date and place of death 
• 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 usual address of the deceased
• if the deceased was still married, the date of birth of their spouse
• whether the deceased was in receipt of a pension or benefits from public funds
• in the case of a child, the father and mother’s full names and occupations and the child’s full address.

See above for links to a number of different charities that specialise in grief counseling and what to do after a person dies.