Where can I register a death?

A death should be registered in the district where it occurred. If it will be difficult for you to travel to the right register office to register the death, you can go to a registrar in a more convenient place in England or Wales if you like. They will note the information needed to register the death and send it to the registrar in the right district for you. However, if you see a Registrar outside the area where the death occurred, they will not register the death. They will not be able to give you the certificate for the funeral director nor any other certificates. These will be posted to you a few days later by the Registrar who registered the death in the district where it took place. This may cause delays for you in organising the funeral.

Before they can take any information from you the registrar must see the medical certificate issued by the doctor, or by a coroner if there has been a post mortem. If you do not have this certificate, you may need a notification from the Coroner. If there are any problems, the Registrar may not be able to take the information straight away.

Before you go to a register office outside the area where the death took place it would be a good idea to tell the following people:

• The funeral director who is arranging the burial or cremation
• The registrar for the district where the death took place, who will have to register the death.