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Burials | Coroners | Cremations | Doctors | Exhumation | Funeral directors | Help with funeral expenses from the DSS | Professional Associations | Registration | Repatriation to England or Wales | Repatriation to a foreign country | What to do initially after a death

Death must be registered by the registrar in the area in which death occurred. If it is difficult to travel to this registry office, you can go to a registrar in a more convenient place anywhere in England or Wales. They will note the information required to register the death and send it to the correct registrar for you. If you do go to a registrar outside the area where the death occurred he/she will not be able to give you any certificates, these will be sent to you by post at a later date by the registrar in the area where death occurred. Any registrar will require the death certificate issued by the doctor or Coroner before they can accepted details. If death is registered at the registry office in which death occurred, death certificates would be available immediately. If death is registered outside the area in which death occurred there will be a delay in receiving the correct certificates and therefore organising the funeral. It is therefore advisable to inform the funeral director and registrar for the area in which death occurred so they are aware of the situation. The address of your area's registrar can be found in the phone book under REGISTRATION OF BIRTHS, DEATHS AND MARRIAGES, from the doctor, local hospital or police station. The death should be registered by the next of kin and there are certain documents the registrar will need:

Medical Certificate of the Cause of Death
War Pensions order book of the deceased if applicable
Pink form (form 100). Issued by the Coroner if applicable - this will probably be sent to the registrar so it will be waiting for you when you register the death

The registrar will need the following details:

The deceased's last home address
The deceased's first names and surname, including maiden name if applicable
The deceased's date and place of birth
The deceased's occupation and the name and occupation of her husband if appropriate
Whether the deceased was getting a pension or allowance from public funds
If the deceased was married the date of birth of the surviving widow or widower

Once all of this is complete the registrar will issue a Death Certificate of which copies can be obtained. It is advisable to obtain multiple copies at the time as they become more expensive afterwards and copies are often needed for insurance purposes and such like. The registrar will also give you: A Certificate for Burial and Cremation also known as the Green Form. If the Coroner was involved he will have issued an CR6 form and the Green Form is not needed.

A Certificate of Registration of Death Form BD8 (rev). This is for Social Security purposes. The instructions are on the form.

If the death is to be certified by the doctor you will need to register death due to the fact that you will need documentation from the registrar to proceed with the funeral. Doctors will normally charge a fee for completing paperwork and your funeral director will advise of this.

If the death has been referred to the coroner he/she will issue the necessary paperwork to go ahead with the funeral and death should be registered within 5 days.