Register a death

How to register

You can register a death with us by booking an appointment online. You'll then need to come into a register office and register the death in person.

If you need help with everything that needs to be done after someone dies, read the GOV.UK guide on what to do when someone dies.

Before you book an appointment

Before you can book, the Medical Examiner must review the Medical Certificate of Cause of Death and send it to the registrar.

You should be contacted by the Medical Examiner to discuss the Medical Certificate of Cause of Death. If you do not hear from them, call the Medical Examiner's Office on 01296 831919.

Once we receive it, you can book an appointment to register the death.

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Who can register a death

You can register a death if you're:

a relative, such as a husband, wife or civil partner, brother or sister
a partner who was living with the deceased as partners in an enduring relationship
a person who was present at the death
the occupier of the premises where the death occurred (if they knew about it)
the person arranging the funeral (not the funeral director)
a personal representative acting on behalf of family, such as a solicitor

We can only register deaths that occurred in Buckinghamshire. See who to contact if the death occurred outside of Buckinghamshire.

When to register

You must register a death within 5 days of the registrars receiving the Medical Certificate of Cause of Death from the Medical Examiner or Coroner.

This is a legal requirement.

Registering a stillbirth

See our information about what to do if you need to register a stillbirth.

If the death occurred outside of Buckinghamshire

If the death occurred outside of Buckinghamshire, you should register the death at a register office in the area where the death occurred.

If the death occurred at:

Milton Keynes Hospital, contact Milton Keynes Register Office
Wexham Park Hospital, contact Slough Register Office
John Radcliffe Hospital, contact Oxfordshire Registration Office

You can also find your local register office online.

Registering by declaration

Due to essential system upgrades, appointments to register a birth or register a death by declaration will not be available in Buckinghamshire from 26th October to 6th November inclusive.

During this period, any birth or death that occurs must be registered in the district where the birth or death took place, as declaration appointments cannot be offered in Buckinghamshire.

If you cannot attend the register office in the area where the death occurred, you may be able to make a declaration at a Buckinghamshire register office.

If you make a declaration:

the death will not be registered at the office you attend
we'll not hold any records or be able to provide any copies of certificates

We'll send the details to the relevant register office. You'll need to contact them for copies of certificates, they'll send them by post which can take up to 10 days and may delay the funeral arrangements.

Before making a declaration, call us on 01296 383 005. This is so that we can obtain any necessary paperwork, such as a medical certificate or information issued by the coroner.

If the coroner is involved

If the death has been referred to the coroner, we need written authorisation confirming that registration can go ahead before we can register the death.

When booking your appointment, tell us that the Coroner has been involved.