Register a death

Death Registration

Who should register a death?

When someone dies in England or Wales the death needs to be registered at the register office for the district in which it happened. There is a legal requirement to register the death within five days of the register office receiving the medical certificate of cause of death (MCCD) from the Medical Examiner. 

Unless there is Coroner involvement, the next-of-kin can expect to receive a telephone call from the Medical Examiner’s Office to discuss the details and the cause of death.  The finalised medical paperwork is then sent to the register office. Once received, we will call you to book an appointment to register the death as soon as possible. 

In the meantime, we would be grateful if you would complete our ‘Pre-registration of a death’ form below. 

If the person died in a house or hospital, the death can be registered by:

• a spouse, relative or partner 
• someone present at the death
• an occupant of the house or official from the hospital (if that is where the death occurred)
• the person making the arrangements with the funeral directors
• a legal representative of the deceased.

Deaths which occur anywhere else can be registered by:

• a spouse, relative or partner
• someone present at the death
• the person who found the body
• the person in charge of the body
• the person making the arrangements with the funeral directors
• a legal representative of the deceased.

The majority of deaths are registered by a relative of the deceased. 

In extenuating circumstances where you are unable to travel to the register office in the district where the death took place, it may be possible to register the death by declaration in your local register office. For more information about this, please email us at registrar@rbwm.gov.uk or leave us a voicemail on 01628 796422.

Please fill in our online form below with the necessary details for us to contact you to make an appointment to register the death.

Apply for: Pre-registration Form for a death registration