Register a death

Steps to follow, advise and support when registering a death.

Why is a coroner sometimes involved?

Some circumstances require the registrar to report a death to the coroner before it can be registered. Examples of this include:

  • where the cause of death is unknown
  • where the cause of death is believed to be unnatural or suspicious
  • where the death happened during an operation or before recovery from an anaesthetic
  • where the death is due to industrial disease or industrial poisoning.

The coroner must then decide whether there should be further investigation into the death - and the registrar cannot register the death until the coroner notifies him / her of their decision.