One of the first things families ask us after someone dies is how to register the death. The way deaths are registered in England and Wales changed on 9 November 2026, so this guide explains how it works now, including who will ring you, what to have ready and whether you can register by phone.
- The Medical Certificate of Cause of Death (MCCD) will be sent by the GP practice of the person who died to the local Medical Examiner (ME).
- The ME your GP practice works with is typically based at the nearest acute NHS Trust hospital.
A medical examiner’s office will call you to ask some questions about the circumstances surrounding the death, giving you the opportunity to raise concerns or ask questions about what has happened. Once the medical examiner has reviewed the paperwork, they send it digitally and securely to the local register office, which will contact you to arrange your registration appointment. Depending on your local register office, you may be able to register by phone from home or in person. Every death in England and Wales must be registered before a funeral can take place. You have five days to register, counted from when the register office receives the medical examiner’s paperwork, not from the date of death, so you won’t be penalised if the paperwork is delayed.
- A medical examiner’s office will call you to ask some questions about the circumstances surrounding the death.
- The medical examiner sends the paperwork digitally to the register office, which will contact you to arrange your appointment.
- You can register by telephone from home or in person at the register office.
- Every death must be registered before a funeral can take place, within five days of the registrar receiving the paperwork.
If someone dies suddenly or unexpectedly
The death may be referred to the coroner for investigation on the cause and circumstances of the death, whereupon a post-mortem examination may be requested. If this happens, the person who died is arranged to be collected by a firm of funeral directors who take them to a designated mortuary. Once investigation is completed, you may begin preparations with the funeral director of your choice and all paperwork will be issued to them shortly. You can find our more in our Guide to coroner service for bereaved people.
The medical examiner responsible for the coroner’s office will inform you as to when and how you can register the death.
Obtaining a death certificate
When a person dies, one of the first steps is for their representative (usually a family member) to obtain a death certificate. Depending on the reason for the circumstances surrounding their death, there will either be an investigation by a coroner, or an independent review by a medical examiner.
If the registrar is notified by the coroner of the death, the registrar will provide the necessary paperwork to your nominated funeral director and issue a ‘certified copy of the entry in the register’ or ‘death certificate’.
Most often the death will be reviewed by a medical examiner, who sends the Medical Certificate of Cause of Death (MCCD) digitally to the relevant register office. The register office will contact you to let you know this has happened and invite you to arrange an appointment to register the death. You can choose a telephone appointment from home or a face-to-face appointment at the register office.
During your appointment, you will be asked for your chosen funeral director’s contact details. Straight after the appointment, the registrar emails the Certificate for Burial or Cremation (often called the ‘green form’) directly to your funeral director, so you do not need to collect or carry it. You can buy certified copies of the death certificate during the appointment; we recommend up to six additional copies to help with closing bank accounts, notifying insurance companies and administering the estate. You cannot make your own copies of these certificates.
This ‘green form’ or ‘disposal certificate’ is emailed to the funeral director of your choice and allows the funeral to legally proceed. In the case of coroner intervention an alternative will be directly emailed to your funeral director.
Certified copies of a Death Certificate
You can buy ‘certified copies’ of the entry in the register during your registration appointment, and these are what is meant when banks and other organisations ask for an ‘original’ death certificate. The cost per copy is £12.50 in England and Wales, £15.00 in Northern Ireland and £12.00 in Scotland. You can obtain more copies at a later date. The more complex the estate, the more certified copies you may need, especially if you do not use a professional to administer the estate. We recommend up to six additional copies. You can order more copies online later if you need them.
Where to register a death
From 9 November 2026 you can choose how to register. You can complete the whole process by a scheduled telephone call from home, or book a face-to-face appointment at the register office if you prefer. Either way, there is no paper register to sign; you will confirm the details digitally. Appointments are booked with the register office for the area where the person died, and you will find its details on your local council website. Your funeral director can also send you a direct link. It is important to remember that the location registered on the certificate is where they died, not where they lived.
If you cannot travel to that register office, a telephone appointment means you do not need to. More information can be found on the gov.uk website.
At your registration appointment, whether by telephone or in person, it helps to have these to hand:
- Birth certificate
- Council Tax bill
- Driving licence
- Marriage or civil partnership certificate
- NHS medical card
- Passport
- Proof of address (such as a utility bill)
You will also be asked for the following information about the person who has died:
- The person’s full name at the time of death
- Any names previously used, eg maiden name
- The person’s date and place of birth
- Their last address
- Their occupation
- The full name, date of birth and occupation of a surviving or late spouse or civil partner
- Whether they were getting a State Pension or any other benefits
Tell Us Once:
Tell Us Once is a free government service that allow you to report a death to most government departments in one go, such as council departments, HM Revenue & Customs, the Passport Office and the DVLA. You will be issued with a unique 12-digit code which will allow you to access the service online.
You may also be given a BD8 form for the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP). This form is free and is used if the deceased person was in receipt of a state pension or any other benefits. If there is to be an inquest, you can either make an appointment with the registrar to obtain this form OR you can use the coroner’s certificate to inform the DWP.
Once the death has been registered, the registrar emails the burial or cremation paperwork straight to your chosen funeral director, who can then confirm the date of the funeral with you.