An appointment must always be made with the Registrar and unless permission is given by the Registrar, the death must be registered in the county the death occurred. 

When you go to the Registrar Office you should take:

  • The medical certificate which shows the cause of death
  • The person’s passport and proof of address, if you have them
  • The person’s medical card, if possible, and
  • The person’s birth and marriage or civil partnership certificates, if you have them

You should tell the registrar:

  • The date and place the person died
  • The person’s usual address (their only or main home)
  • The person’s first names and surname (and any other names they were known by)
  • The person’s date and place of birth (the town and county if they were born in the UK, and the country if they were born abroad)
  • The person’s occupation and the name and occupation of their husband, wife or civil partner (if the person was married or in a civil partnership)
  • If the person was getting a pension or benefit from the government, and
  • The date of birth of their surviving husband, wife or civil partner.

The registrar who registers the death will give you:

  • A certificate for burial or cremation (known as the ‘green form’), unless the coroner has given you an order for burial (form 101), or a certificate for cremation. These give permission for the body to be buried or for you to apply for the body to be cremated. You should take this to the funeral director so that the funeral can be held.
  • A certificate of registration of death (form BD8). You should read the information on the certificate about the DWP Bereavement Service and call them to tell them about the death. They can do a benefits check of what you may be able to get, take your claim for certain benefits over the phone and tell you who to contact to claim other benefits. If you call the DWP Bereavement Service to report the death you do not have to send in the BD8 form.

Phone 0345 606 0265 or 0345 606 0275 (if you speak Welsh and live in Wales) then:

Select the option ‘if you are calling to tell us about someone who has died, or check what help may be available following a bereavement’.

If you register the death away from the area where the death took place, the registrar will post this information to you.