It is best if a relative of the person who has died registers the death. If there are no relatives, other people can register the death. Those people may include someone present at the death, a senior administrator of the establishment in which the death happened, or the person instructing the funeral director.
You should allow about 30 minutes to register the death. However, in some cases the registration may take longer. The registrar will need the following information.
- The date and place of death.
- The full name of the person who has died (and maiden name if appropriate).
- Their place and date of birth.
- Their occupation.
- The full names of her husband if she was a married woman or a widow.
- The usual address of the person who has died.
- Whether they received a pension from public funds.
- If they were married, the date of birth of their husband or wife.
- You should give the National Health Service number of the person who has died, if know, or the medical card itself, if available, to the registrar. (Please do not delay registering the death if you do not have the medical card.)
If you choose to use our tell us once service, you will need to bring a little extra information to your appointment to register the death. You will need to bring along:
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Details of any benefits or services the deceased was receiving
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The deceased's driving licence or driving licence number
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The deceased's passport or passport number and town and country of birth
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The name, address and telephone number of the next of kin (closest relative by blood or marriage to the deceased), as well as their national insurance number and/or date of birth (this is because their entitlement to benefits may change as a consequence of the death)
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The national insurance number of the deceased and of any surviving spouse or partner
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The name and address of the person dealing with the estate (if different)
The verbal permissions of the last three people listed above must be obtained before you provide us with this information about them.
More on tell us once
After we have registered the death, we will give you two certificates.
- A certificate for burial or cremation (known as the green form)
This is for you to take to the funeral director so that the funeral can take place. In some circumstances this is issued by the coroner.
- A certificate of registration of death (form BD8/344)
This is for social security purposes. Please read the back of the form in your own time. If any of the information applies, please fill it in and return it to your local Social Security Office.
