Register a death

How do I register a death?

A death must be registered in the district in which it occurred and should be registered within five days unless the coroner is involved. However, details of the death may be given to any registrar who will then forward them on to the relevant registration office. This registration by declaration may cause a delay to the funeral arrangements as the burial or cremation forms will have to be posted out by the registering office.

Deaths that happened in the East Riding of Yorkshire can be registered at any of the registration offices in the East Riding of Yorkshire.

Find out how to register a death that occurred outside of the East Riding.

You can make an appointment to register a death by phone:

Telephone

If you are unable to book an appointment online, please contact your local registration office.

Quick burials and out-of-hours contact

An out-of-hours service is available if you require a burial or cremation certificate only (providing that the coroner is not involved).

These are often for religious purposes where a quick burial or cremation is required. The registration will then be carried out during office hours. Please call the out-of-hours number for urgent inquiries only on 07876 444759.

What happens next?

Appointments take approximately 45 minutes. To register a death you will need to supply the registrar with certain key pieces of information, find out what information is needed to register a death.

The hospital or surgery who has dealt with the death your loved one will email the necessary document to our office and make you aware that they have done so.

You can then contact us on (01482) 393600. Our office hours are Monday-Thursday 9am - 4.30pm, Fridays 9am - 4pm to make an in person appointment.

The death occurred outside the East Riding, where should I register the death?

A death must be registered in the district in which it occurred. However you can register by declaration from another district. For example, this would allow you to register a death that occurred in London through an East Riding registrar.

To register a death by declaration, you need to make an appointment at your local registration office as detailed above, and bring the required documents to your appointment. The registrar will then forward this information onto the registering district i.e. London. Once the registration has been completed the registering district will post out the death certificate and burial or cremation certificate to you. 

Please note: This may be a more convenient option but can take longer to process which may cause a delay to the funeral arrangements. 

How soon should a death be registered?

A death must be registered within five days unless the coroner is involved, the appointment takes about 45 minutes. 

If the coroner is involved it can take between 1 day and one year to register. Find out what a coroner does and why they would be involved. 

Who can register a death?

If the person died in a house or hospital, the death can be registered by:

• a relative
• someone who was present at the death
• someone who was living in the house
• an official person from the hospital
• the person making the arrangements with the funeral directors.

If the death happened anywhere else can be registered by:

• a relative
• someone who was present at the death
• the person who found the body
• the person making the arrangements with the funeral directors.

Most deaths are registered by a relative. The registrar would normally only allow other people if there are no relatives available.

What information is needed at the registration?

The following information will be required:

• A medical certificate of death issued by a doctor (unless there has been a coroner's post-mortem)
• When and where the death happened
• Full name and address of the person who has died (the deceased)
• Maiden name if the deceased was a married women
• Full name and occupation of husband/wife or civil partner of the deceased
• Date and place of birth of the deceased
• Occupation of the deceased
• You will also be asked if the deceased was receiving any pensions from any government department
• If possible, either the medical card or the national health service (NHS) number of the deceased.

The General Register Office recommends that all persons attending a register office for the purpose of registering a death, bring with them a form of ID and proof of address for themselves and for the person who has died the following documentation is recommended for their own reference, if available, deceased's birth certificate, marriage or civil partnership certificate, death certificate of late spouse of civil partner, proof of address in the form of a utility bill, bank statement, council tax bill or driving licence.

What identification do I need to bring with me?

 The General Register Office recommends that all persons attending a register office for the purpose of registering a death, bring with them:

Person(s) registering the death:

• A form of identification (e.g. Passport or Driving Licence)
• Proof of address (e.g. Utility bill or bank statement). 

For the deceased

If the following documents are available, please bring them with you for your own reference:

• A form of identification (e.g. Passport or Driving Licence)
• Proof of address (e.g. Utility bill or bank statement)
• Birth certificate
• Marriage or civil partnership certificate
• Death certificate of late spouse of civil partner (if applicable). 

What happens during the registration?

All death registrations will be carried out in private interview rooms. The registrar will enter details onto the computer and print out the register page based on information given by a legally qualified informant. It is very important that this is accurate as the register is a historical legal record. If any corrections are required, there is a formal procedure to follow which is time-consuming and currently costs up to £100. The onus is on the informant to provide evidence so the correction can be made.

To avoid this informants are asked:

• to BRING documents to the appointment which confirm important details about the deceased and themselves for their own reference

• to CHECK the draft and the register entry very carefully before signing the register

• to TELL the registrar before signing the register if something is incorrect

If you discover an error after the register has been signed, you should refer to www.gov.uk/correcting-a-death-registration for information as to how to correct it and for confirmation of the fee which will apply.  

A green form will be issued by the registrar or, in some circumstances another form may be issued by the coroner. This form should be taken to the funeral director to enable the funeral to be arranged.

The registrar will provide you with a document for you to use the Tell Us Once service provided by the Department of Work and Pensions: it is a free government service that allows you to report a death when you suffer a bereavement and need to tell central and local government. It is sometimes necessary to obtain a copy death certificate from the registrar; this is a certified copy of the information held in the register. A registration or notification of death form will be issued for social security purposes and provided with any death certificates purchased.

The registration usually takes about 45 minutes.

How much does it cost to register a death?

There is no charge for registering a death. Forms will be given to you free of charge for use by the funeral director and the Department of Work and Pensions. You may purchase copies of the register entry in the form of a death certificate. They cost £11.00 each. Payment can be made by credit or debit card or online after the appointment.

What is a coroner? 

The coroner is a doctor/lawyer who has responsibility for investigating deaths occurring in particular situations. A coroner can arrange for a post-mortem examination of the body. A judicial investigation is often conducted which is a legal inquiry into the causes and circumstances of a death.

A coroner is responsible for:

• investigating human deaths
• determining a cause of death
• issuing death certificates
• maintaining death records
• responding to deaths in mass disasters
• identifying unknown dead
• other functions depending on local laws.

Why would a death be reported to a coroner?

There are a number of reasons why a death might have to be reported to the coroner. It may be because:

• there was no doctor treating the deceased during the last illness and therefore there is no doctor who is legally qualified to issue a medical certificate of the cause of death
• the doctor certifying the death has not seen the deceased after the death or within 14 days of the death the death was the result of an accident, injury, self neglect
• the death occurred during an operation or was the result of an industrial disease related to the deceased's occupation.

In all these circumstances the registrar is legally required to report the death to the coroner in order to properly establish the cause of death. The registrar 
cannot register until the coroner has notified the registrar.

What if the person registering the death does not speak much English?

It's helpful for someone to come with the person to the registration office to act as interpreter, however, the person must register the death personally. The helper/interpreter cannot register the death.

Who else do I need to tell about the death?

Please be aware that due to the current Covid-19 situation, the Registrar will issue you with a unique reference number for Tell us Once following the registration of the death. This will enable you to use the 'Tell Us Once' service either on line or via the telephone service. 

In some circumstances the Tell Us Once service can be used following the issue of a Coroner's interim certificate. 

Our Tell Us Once service allows you to share information about the death with other government and local council services following the completion of the registration.

This can be done either online or over the phone.

When someone has died, their death must be registered with the registrar. Once completed several other organisations may have to be contacted and given the same information. We can help by giving the information to the Department for Work and Pensions and they can pass on this information to a number of other government departments and local council services on your behalf. 

If you wish to use this service it may be useful to have available the deceased’s:

• National Insurance number
• Passport
• Driving licence 
• Blue badge
• Vehicle registration document.

The following is a short video about Tell Us Once which may be helpful:

GOV.UK includes useful information:

GOV.UK - After a death (external website)

Can I order a copy death certificate online?

You can order a copy death certificate online.

How much does it cost for a copy certificate?

Death certificates are available at a cost of £11 each.

You may need several depending on how complicated the deceased person’s affairs were. Photocopies will not be accepted by institutions.