Registering a Death

Registering a death

Before a death can be registered

A death must be registered by the Registrar of Births and Deaths for the district in which the death occurred. A death should be registered within five days unless the Registrar says that the period may be extended.

To prevent unnecessary waiting, Newport Register Office operate an appointment system. Please telephone 01633 414770 to make an appointment once the certifying doctor (who may be either the general practitioner or a hospital doctor) has issued his/her medical certificate of cause of death. Please take this certificate with you when you attend the register office.

Coroner

Due to registration law, sometimes it is necessary for the Registrar to report a death to the Coroner - this may mean a delay in registering the death whilst to Coroner conducts any investigation he/she deems necessary.

Who can register a death

The death should be registered by a relative of the deceased. If there are no relatives then it is possible for another person to register such as someone who was present at the death, a senior administrator of the establishment in which the death occurred, or the person instructing the funeral director.

Being an Executor of a Will alone does not qualify you to register a death.

You should allow approximately 30 minutes for the registration. If the Registrar has to refer to the coroner a return visit may be necessary.

The Registrar will need the following information:

the date and place of death
the full name of the deceased (and maiden name where appropriate)
the date and place of birth of the deceased
the deceased's occupation (even if retired) and the full names and occupation of her husband if she was a married women or a widow
the deceased's usual address
whether the deceased was in receipt of a pension from public funds or a works pension
whether the deceased was in receipt of any benefits from public funds
if the deceased was married, the date of birth of the spouse
either the National Health Service number of the deceased, if known, or the medical card itself, if available, should be handed to the Registrar. Please do not delay registration if the medical card is not available.

Certificates

After the death has been registered, the Registrar may issue you with two certificates free of charge:

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 complete it and return it to your local social security office.

Standard death certificates
You may also need to purchase some death certificates. A death certificate is a certified copy of the entry in the death register. These may be required by banks, building societies, insurance companies, solicitors or for pension claims. You may wish to ask for several death certificates at the time of registration as the price increases if you need one at a later date. The Registrar will advise you as to the type and number of certificates which you may need.

You can print an application for a Death Certificate (pdf file) here.

Further information

Leaflets relating to benefits, probate and help with funeral expenses are available from the Registrar and information is also available on the Directgov website.

For more information please contact: