Register a death

During your appointment, you'll need to provide information about the person who died.

For your appointment, you'll need documents showing the correct spellings for the person who died, this could be their:

• UK passport
• driving licence
• utility bill
• birth or marriage certificate
• passport or photo driving licence
• proof of address, for example, a utility bill

You'll also need the medical card of the person who died showing their NHS number (if available).

We can still register the death without these documents, but they can help to ensure accuracy.

We'll need to know the:

• full name and surname of the person that died (and any other names used)
• maiden surname for women
• date and place of death
• date and place of birth
• occupation and usual address

If the person who died had a spouse or civil partner, we'll also need to know their:

• name
• occupation
• date of birth

At the end of the appointment you'll be asked how many copies of the death certificate you would like. Certificates cost £12.50.

You may need copies of the death certificate for:

• dealing with the Will
• bank and building society accounts
• insurance companies
• tax rebates
• stocks, shares and premium bonds
• a solicitor
• probate
• company pensions

You can buy extra copies of death certificates online.

Once the registration is complete, we'll give you:

• any death certificate(s) you want to purchase
• instructions about the Tell Us Once service (including the reference number)

If you have appointed funeral directors, we can send the certificate for burial or cremation, known as the 'green form' to them directly. This authorises the funeral director to proceed with the funeral. If you have yet to appoint funeral directors, we will give you the green form which you should pass to the funeral directors when you appoint them.

View the list of cemeteries and crematoria we operate.

You can also find out if we can help with the cost of the funeral.