Deaths

Register a death, get a copy of a death certificate and find out about funerals, burials and cremations.

How to register a death

You must register a death within 5 days of the Register Office receiving the medical certificate cause of death (MCCD) from the medical examiner's office. Find out more about how to register a death, what to bring to your appointment and the documents you'll receive.

How to register a death

Medical certificate of cause of death submissions

The following form is for authorised persons to provide us with scans of medical cause of death certificates, statutory forms for the registration of deaths, and to provide contact details of the deceased's next of kin.

Submit a medical certificate of cause of death or Coroner's form

Tell Us Once

Tell Us Once 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.

Watch the video - reporting a death using the Tell Us Once service (YouTube)

Tell Us Once

Death certificates

How to order a death certificate, what it costs and how long it takes.

Order a copy of a death certificate

Death certificate corrections

Mistake on a certificate? Don't worry, it's usually possible to correct it.

Death certificate corrections

Register a still-birth

The bereavement midwife will make an appointment for you to register the still-birth.

Register a still-birth

Coroners and mortuary

Guidance about coronor's decisions, inquests and the mortuary.

Coroners and mortuary

Out-of-hours emergency burial certificate service

An on-call service is available on Saturdays, Sundays, and Bank Holidays (excluding Christmas Day) between 9am and 12pm. This service is strictly for issuing burial certificates where the funeral is due to take place within 24 hours.

Conditions for issuing a burial certificate

The on-call registrar will issue the certificate only if:

  • You can confirm that the burial will take place within 24 hours.
  • You can provide the email address of the funeral director responsible for arranging the burial.
  • The death has been reviewed by the medical examiner and we have received the correctly completed Medical Certificate of Cause of Death (MCCD).
  • The death or stillbirth does not need to be reported to the coroner.
  • The body is not being removed from England or Wales.
  • You can provide the name, email address, and telephone number of the person responsible for booking a death registration appointment.

If these conditions are met, please contact our emergency burial certificate service on 020 8748 8588 between 9am and 12pm on Saturdays and Sundays.

Cemeteries and burials

Guidance about funeral bookings, memorials and cemetery management.

Cemeteries and burials

Client affairs service and council contract funerals

What happens if the council has to make the funeral arrangements and contact details for our client affairs team.

Client affairs service and council contract funerals

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