How to Register a Death in the UK: Deadlines, Documents, Tell Us Once

To register a death in the UK, a qualifying relative or other informant must attend the local register office within five days of the death in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, or within eight days in Scotland, taking the deceased’s personal details and receiving in return the green form that authorises the funeral along with any certified copies of the death certificate they wish to buy. Since September 2024, the medical certificate of cause of death now travels directly from a statutory medical examiner to the registrar, so in practice you wait for the examiner’s office to confirm the paperwork has been sent before you book your appointment.

The Deadlines and When the Clock Starts

In England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, a death must be registered within five days.¹ The five days include weekends and bank holidays. In Scotland, the deadline is eight days from the date of death.²

Under the medical examiner system now operating in England and Wales, the five-day clock starts when the registrar receives the medical certificate of cause of death from the medical examiner’s office, not necessarily from the date of death itself.³ If the death has been referred to a coroner or procurator fiscal, the deadline is suspended until the investigation is resolved.

The statutory penalty for late registration is nominal under the Births and Deaths Registration Act 1953.⁴ The real pressure is practical. No burial or cremation certificate is issued until the death is registered, the funeral cannot go ahead, and any probate application stalls.

Who Is Entitled to Register the Death

The Births and Deaths Registration Act 1953 lists in priority order who can act as the “informant,” and the registrar works down that list until a qualified person comes forward.⁵ For a death that occurs in a house or known location, the order is:

A relative or civil partner who was present at the death, or who attended during the final illness
A relative or civil partner living in the sub-district where the death occurred
The personal representative of the deceased, such as an executor named in the will
Anyone else present at the death
The occupier or another resident of the property, provided they knew the death had happened
The person arranging disposal of the body, typically whoever is organising the funeral

Once one qualified informant registers the death, everyone else on the list is discharged from the duty, so multiple family members do not need to attend. Scotland’s equivalent priority list under the Registration of Births, Deaths and Marriages (Scotland) Act 1965 is broadly similar, and adds any person who found the body.²

Waiting for the Medical Examiner

Before you can register, a doctor must complete a Medical Certificate of Cause of Death. Since 9 September 2024, every death in England and Wales that is not being investigated by a coroner must also be scrutinised by a statutory medical examiner.³ The medical examiner reviews the proposed cause of death and offers a conversation with the bereaved, giving the family a chance to raise concerns or ask questions.

Once the medical examiner is satisfied, their office sends the certificate directly to the registrar and notifies the family that registration can proceed.³ Under the old process the family collected the certificate in person and carried it to the register office; that no longer happens. In practical terms, you wait for the medical examiner’s office to contact you before booking your appointment.

What to Bring and What the Registrar Will Ask

The registrar will ask a standard set of questions about the deceased. Have the answers to hand:

Full name and any former names, including maiden name
Date and place of birth
Last known home address
Occupation, or last occupation if retired
Full name and occupation of any surviving or deceased spouse or civil partner

Supporting documents are not always mandatory, but the deceased’s birth certificate, marriage or civil partnership certificate, and NHS medical card help the registrar verify spellings and dates. Check details against paperwork rather than relying on memory. A wrong middle name or misspelled place of birth causes real problems later when the executor tries to match the death certificate against bank records, property deeds, or insurance policies, and correcting a registration after the fact requires a formal application costing £83 or £99 depending on the type of correction.⁶

What Happens at the Appointment

Registration takes place at the local register office, almost always in person by appointment. During the appointment the registrar enters the details into the register, and you review the draft entry for accuracy before it is finalised. You can usually register at any register office in the district where the person died, or in the district where you live. Registering in a different district means the paperwork is forwarded on, which adds a short delay before documents are issued.

The Green Form

At the end of the appointment the registrar issues a Certificate for Burial or Cremation, known as the “green form.”⁷ This authorises the funeral director, cemetery, or crematorium to proceed. It is provided free of charge, and the funeral cannot legally take place without it.

Certified Copies of the Death Certificate

You can buy certified copies of the death certificate at the appointment. In England and Wales each copy costs £12.50.⁸ In Scotland the first copy is £12 and additional copies of the same certificate are £10 each.⁹

Order more copies than you think you need. Banks, insurers, pension providers, and solicitors handling probate each want to see an original certified copy, and passing one certificate around in sequence takes weeks. Three or four is a reasonable starting point for a straightforward estate; complex estates with many financial institutions will need more. Ordering later costs the same, but doing it at the appointment saves time.

Tell Us Once: The Next Step After Registration

The registrar will give you a unique reference number for the Tell Us Once service, which lets you notify most government departments in one go rather than contacting each of them separately.¹⁰ You can use it online or by phone. A single notification reaches HM Revenue and Customs to deal with personal tax and cancel tax credits, the Department for Work and Pensions to cancel benefits and the State Pension, the Passport Office, the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency to cancel the driving licence and remove the deceased as registered keeper of up to five vehicles, and the local council for Housing Benefit, Council Tax Reduction, the Blue Badge, and the electoral register.

The reference number must be used within 28 days of receiving it.¹⁰ Have the deceased’s National Insurance number and the next of kin’s details ready when you log in. Tell Us Once does not cover banks, insurers, or utility companies; those you still contact yourself.

When a Coroner or Procurator Fiscal Is Involved

The standard process does not apply if the death has been reported to a coroner in England, Wales, or Northern Ireland, or to the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service in Scotland. A coroner must hold an inquest if the cause of death is unknown, the death might have been violent or unnatural, or the person died in prison or police custody.¹¹ Deaths may also be referred by the attending doctor, the registrar, or the police if the circumstances are unclear.

Where a coroner takes over, the registration timeline is paused. The death cannot be registered in the usual way until the inquest concludes, at which point the coroner sends the required information directly to the registrar. In the meantime the coroner can issue an interim death certificate if you need proof of death for probate or Tell Us Once.¹¹ The interim certificate is not the final death certificate and will be replaced once the inquest finishes.

In Scotland the procurator fiscal investigates all sudden, suspicious, and unexplained deaths, and a doctor cannot issue a death certificate without agreement from the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service in those cases.¹² Most referrals are resolved quickly after discussion with the doctor; more complex cases may require a post-mortem or a fatal accident inquiry, which delays registration.

If the Death Happened Abroad

A death overseas is registered in the country where it occurred, following the local rules; the UK five-day and eight-day deadlines do not apply.¹³ You can also register the death with UK authorities if you want a permanent record held here, but this is optional. If the body is being brought home for burial or cremation, the General Register Office will record the burial or cremation independently.

Bringing a body home requires a certified English translation of the foreign death certificate, permission from a coroner or equivalent abroad, and an international funeral director to coordinate the process.¹⁴ Do not cancel the deceased’s passport until repatriation is complete; it is needed along the way. If the cause of death was unknown, violent, or unnatural and you expect a coroner at home to hold an inquest, avoid cremation abroad, because cremation destroys evidence an inquest may need. Repatriation to Scotland goes through the Death Certification Review Service, which reviews the paperwork and authorises the burial or cremation.

1
GOV.UK. Register a Death
2
National Records of Scotland. Registering a Death
3
GOV.UK. Guidance for Medical Practitioners Completing Medical Certificates of Cause of Death in England and Wales
4
Legislation.gov.uk. Births and Deaths Registration Act 1953 – Section 36
5
Legislation.gov.uk. Births and Deaths Registration Act 1953 – Section 16
6
GOV.UK. Correct a Death Registration – How to Apply
7
GOV.UK. Cremation Guidance for Applicants for Deaths That Occurred in England and Wales
8
GOV.UK. Order a Birth, Death, Marriage or Civil Partnership Certificate
9
ScotlandsPeople. Order a Certificate
10
GOV.UK. What to Do After Someone Dies – Tell Us Once
11
GOV.UK. When a Death Is Reported to a Coroner
12
Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service. Guide for Bereaved Family Members
13
GOV.UK. Death Abroad
14
GOV.UK. What to Do After a British National Dies Abroad