Documents you will need

You must visit the Registry Office in person and it is worth making an appointment beforehand to avoid waiting or missing opening hours. Before your appointment gather the following documents together to enable registration of the death and to start funeral arrangements

• Medical certificate of the cause of death, signed by a Doctor unless the Coroner is involved and there has been a Coroner’s post mortem
• Birth certificate*
• Marriage/civil partnership certificate*
• NHS number/NHS medical card*
• Organ donor card (if appropriate)*

*It is not necessary to have these document but you will need to provide information contained in them

The registrar will also ask for you for the following information:

• the person’s full name at time of death
• any names previously used, including maiden surname
• the person’s date and place of birth (town and county if born in the UK and country if born abroad)
• their last address
• their occupation
• the full name, date of birth and occupation of a surviving spouse or civil partner
• whether they were receiving a state pension or any other state benefit

The whole registration process takes between 20 and 30 minutes.