Registration of the Death
Unless the death is sudden or unexpected, a registered medical practitioner will propose a cause of death, which will be independently scrutinised by a Medical Examiner reviewing relevant medical records.
Once the registered medical practitioner and the Medical Examiner have made their declarations and the cause of death is finalised, and if there is no requirement to notify the H M Coroner, the Medical Certificate of Cause of Death (MCCD) is sent to the local Registrar’s office. This notification will then commence the 5-day period in which to register the death. It is not possible for a death to be registered in non-coronial cases without the Medical Examiner approving the MCCD.
The Medical Examiner’s office will notify the family member or friend appointed as the registration informant, that they can now contact the Registrar to book an appointment and register the death.
Deaths referred to H M Coroner
For deaths referred to the Coroner, the Coronial Services will contact the family member or friend appointed as the registration informant once the cause of death has been determined and inform them of the next steps.
Registrar's Contact Details
Book an appointment to register a death:
Information required by the Registrar:
- The Medical Certificate, as previously mentioned
- The full name of the deceased
- Including aliases and maiden name
- The date and place of birth of the deceased
- Birth certificate is helpful but not essential
- The usual residence of the deceased
- The normal home address of the deceased
- The occupation of the deceased
- Or past occupation if retired
- The husband’s occupation
- If applicable
- The date and place of death.
The registrar will then issue two Certificates.
- Green Disposal Certificate (this must be given to us)
- The Death Certificate
The Death Certificate
The Death Certificate is a copy of the entry into the register, it is not required by us for any part of the funeral arrangements. You should obtain sufficient copies of the Death Certificate for insurance companies and banks, etc. There is a small fee to be paid for the Certificates.
