Every death has to be registered in the area where it happened, but you can arrange to register it in another area. To register the death you need to have a simple interview with the registrar at the Register Office. You will need to give the registrar:

• the full name of the person who has died;
  
• their full address;


• their date of birth;


• details of where and when the person died;

and their occupation (if any).

If the person who has died is a married woman, you will also need to give her maiden name and her husband’s full name and occupation.

You will also need to take along the ‘certificate of cause of death’ which the GP or hospital doctor gave you.

If the coroner (England and Wales) or procurator fiscal (Scotland) is involved (that is, if there has been or will be a postmortem or an inquest) there will be no certificate of cause of death and they will tell you when you can register the death. In some cases you may have to delay your plans for the funeral.

Please see our leaflet 'The role of the coroner' for more information.

The following people can register the death.

• Any relative of the person who has died.


• Any person present at the death.


• The person who lives in the house where the person died.


• The person arranging the funeral, but not a funeral director.

The registrar will give you a green certificate which you should give to us as soon as possible. They will also give you a white certificate which you should fill in and send to the social security office for the area where the person died.

You can buy copies of the ‘entry of death’ (often known as the death certificate) from the registrar. You will need these for official purposes such as closing bank accounts and pension schemes.