How to Register a Death

The legally responsible person must register a death. Colin Fisher Funeral Directors are able to provide you with advice and support during this process. Deaths must be registered within 5 days at any registrar across the Country.

We have outlined the details you need to know, to register a death.

To register a death, make an appointment to see a registrar. You can register the death with your local registrar, find them by going to the General Register Office website.

Don’t try to register the death until you’ve collected the death certificate from the doctor’s surgery or hospital. Find out what to do first when a death occurs:

When you visit the Registrar they will ask you to provide the following information:

• The date and place of their death
• Their full name
• The date and place of their birth
• Their occupation
• Their home address
• If they were in receipt of a pension or allowance from public funds
• If married, the date of birth of the surviving spouse
• The Medical Certificate of Cause of Death
• The deceased’s National Health Service medical card (if available)
• Birth Certificate and Marriage Certificate (if applicable)

You may purchase certified copies of the death certificate at the time of registration. It’s advisable to get 5-6 copies, dependant on how many people you need to contact regarding the death that will want to see the certificate.

The registrar will give you:

• A Certificate for Burial and Cremation – this is known as the green certificate. This gives permission for the body to be buried or for an application for cremation to be made, and you should give this to the funeral director
• A Certificate for Registration of Death. You’ll need this to deal with the person’s affairs if they were getting a pension or benefits

We recommend using this scheme if available to you, as it enables you to report a death to authorities and government organisations once, saving you time.

Ask your registrar if this service is available for you to use.