Register the death
On Monday, 9 September 2024, the process for handling the Medical Certificate of Cause of Death (MCCD) changed and every death must be reviewed by a Medical Examiner.
If you are registering a death that:
- occurred before 9 September 2024
- and the MCCD was issued before 9 September 2024
Follow the previous registration process
You should register a death with us if it happens in the Â鶹ÊÓƵ area. If it has happened in a different council area, you should contact that council.
To give us your contact details and to check if the correct paperwork has been received send an email to
Appointment to register the death in person
The doctor who completes the Medical Certificate of Cause of Death (MCCD) on or after 9 September 2024 will forward it to a Medical Examiner (ME).
The ME will review all deaths not referred to the coroner and scrutinise the cause of death. Once the review is complete and the MCCD is approved, it will be sent to the Register Office. You will be notified when the MCCD is forwarded and advised to book an appointment through our online system to register the death.
An appointment cannot be booked until you have received this notification from the Medical Examiner.
Who can register the death?
The death must be registered by a “qualified informant” who will attend the office to complete the registration. A qualified informant is:
- a relative by blood, marriage or adoption of the person who has died
- the partner of the person who has died
- a person who is not related but was present at the death
- a person who is arranging the funeral
- an occupier of a building such as a care or nursing home manager
- the personal representative of the deceased i.e. someone appointed by them or their family such as a Solicitor
How to book an appointment
When the Medical Examiner notifies you that the MCCD has been sent to the Register Office, you can schedule an appointment through our booking system.
Booking online is the fastest and simplest way to arrange an appointment.
The death should be registered within 5 days of the registrar receiving the MCCD from the Medical Examiner.
We may contact you using the details provided by the ME if you have not booked an appointment and registered the death within this timeframe. We make every effort to offer as many appointments as possible, but due to high demand, we will reach out to you as soon as we can.
You must not arrange a date for the funeral until you have an appointment to register the death.
Attending the appointment
If you prefer to wait for your appointment in a quieter area away from the main reception, let us know upon arrival, and we will direct you to a more private space if possible.
If you are deaf or hard of hearing and require support during the appointment, or if you or anyone in your party cannot use the stairs in an emergency, email us at to inform us of your requirements.
At the appointment, we will:
- complete the registration of death
- ask you how many death certificates you want to buy
Each death certificate cost £12.50. You can only pay by debit or credit card.
It is a good idea to buy several copies of the death certificate.
If you need additional copies later, you can use our online certificate ordering system. The cost remains £12.50 per copy, with additional charges for postage.
After registration is complete
We will send your funeral director a Certificate for burial or cremation (green form). This authorises the funeral to take place and is a very important document. We can only issue this once.
If you have chosen not to have a funeral director, you can arrange the funeral yourself at this point.
When the coroner is involved
Coroners are officers who investigate deaths that are referred to them.
The death cannot be registered until the coroner has decided whether a postmortem or inquest is required. If the coroner decides to open an inquest, they may issue an interim certificate. This will allow you to use the Tell Us Once service.
If the process is taking a long time, you may want to hold a memorial service before the body is released.
Registering a death at short notice – Monday to Friday
We cannot offer you an appointment until we have received the paperwork from the Medical Examiner or Coroner. Once we are notified that you have an urgent need to Register the Death we will contact you to discuss your requirements.
Once you have attended the appointment your chosen funeral director will be sent the Certificate for burial or Cremation (green form). This authorises the funeral to take place and is a very important document. We can only issue this once.
On Saturdays and bank holidays, you should contact our out-of-hours bereavement team.
Tell Us Once service
Tell Us Once is a government service that lets you tell various government departments that someone has died. It means you do not have to contact all the departments one at a time.
At your appointment to register the death, we will give you a reference number to use this service. Use the Tell Us Once service
Page last updated: 11 September 2024