Register a death

After someone dies, a medical examiner will check the cause of death to make sure it’s accurate.

They will be a senior doctor and they will not have been involved in the care of the person who has died.

The medical examiner’s office will then contact you to:

• explain the cause of death
• answer any questions you have about this or the healthcare provided to the person before they died

This is voluntary and you do not have to speak to them.

Before you register the death

You’ll be contacted by the medical examiner’s office to confirm you can register the death.

You must then contact us to register the death within 5 days of being contacted. This includes weekends and bank holidays.

Who can register the death

You can register the death if:

• you're a relative
• you're the partner of the deceased
• you were there at the time of death
• you found the body
• you're an administrator at the hospital, hospice or care home where the person died
• you're in charge of making funeral arrangements
• you're the personal representative of the deceased

How to register the death

You must make an appointment to register a death.

Do not visit the register office unless you have an appointment.

What to bring to the appointment

You must bring the Medical Certificate of Cause of Death (MCCD) and if you have it:

• the birth certificate, passport and driving licence for the person who died
• their council tax bill
• their Blue Badge, if they had one
• their marriage or civil partnership certificate, if any

What information we need to know

We'll need this information about the person who died, if you have it:

• their full name and any previous names
• their job
• their address
• their NHS number
• date and place of birth
• date and place of death
• details of any benefits or entitlements they were getting, such as State Pension
• the full name, job and date of birth of their spouse or partner if they were married or in a civil partnership

We'll also need your name and address.

After you’ve registered the death

You’ll get a certificate for burial or cremation (often called ‘the green form’).

Give the certificate to your funeral director, crematorium or burial authority. You must do this before the funeral can take place.

Tell Us Once service

The Tell Us Once service on GOV.UK lets you report a death to most government organisations in one go. We'll give you a reference number when you register the death so you can use the service.