Registering a Death: What Happens and What You Need to Do

You do not need to book the appointment immediately

Before a death can be registered, the cause of death must be confirmed.

For most deaths, a doctor will complete the medical paperwork and a medical examiner will independently review it. The medical examiner is a senior doctor who was not involved in caring for the person who died.

Their office may contact you to explain the recorded cause of death and give you an opportunity to ask questions. You do not have to have this conversation if you would rather not.

The medical examiner then sends the Medical Certificate of Cause of Death directly to the registrar. You no longer need to collect the certificate from a hospital or doctor’s surgery and take it to the appointment yourself.

You should wait until the medical examiner’s office tells you that the death is ready to be registered before booking your appointment.

When must the death be registered?

The death should normally be registered within five days of the medical examiner or coroner confirming that registration can go ahead.

This is five days from receiving that confirmation, rather than five days from the date of death. If you cannot register within that time, contact the registration service and explain the situation.

In East Sussex, you can book an appointment after the medical examiner or coroner has told you that the paperwork is ready.

Where do you register the death?

If the person died in East Sussex, excluding Brighton and Hove, the appointment can take place at an East Sussex register office.

If the death happened somewhere else, you should usually contact the registration service for the area where the person died. Different arrangements apply when someone dies overseas, and we can help you understand what needs to happen.

Who can register a death?

A relative will often register the death, but it does not always have to be a close family member.

In East Sussex, registration can also be completed by:

• the person’s partner;
• someone who was present when the death occurred;
• the owner or manager of the residential home where the person died;
• the person responsible for arranging the funeral; or
• a personal representative appointed by the family.

A personal representative could be a friend, solicitor or funeral director. East Sussex County Council says that the family can make this appointment without a formal legal process.

This can be particularly helpful when relatives live overseas, are unwell or would find attending the appointment especially difficult. The person registering will need enough accurate information about the person who died to answer the registrar’s questions.

What information will the registrar need?

It helps to collect the information before the appointment. The registrar will normally ask for:

• the person’s full name and any other names they used;
• their date and place of birth;
• the date and place of death;
• their usual home address;
• their most recent or main occupation, including whether they had retired;
• their marital or civil partnership status;
• the name of their spouse or civil partner, including a spouse or partner who has already died; and
• their maiden surname, where applicable.

Documents such as a passport, driving licence, utility bill, birth certificate or marriage certificate can help confirm the details. Do not worry if some of these are unavailable—the death can still be registered.

Take a little time to check names, dates and spellings before the appointment. Correcting a registration afterwards is possible in some circumstances, but it involves a separate application and may incur a fee.

What will you receive after registration?

You can purchase certified copies of the death certificate during the booking process or at the appointment.

These copies may be needed when dealing with banks, insurance companies, probate, pensions and other organisations. You may not need as many as families once did, as some organisations now return certificates or accept verified digital services, but having several copies can still be useful.

The registrar will also issue the authorisation for burial or cremation, traditionally known as the green form. In East Sussex, this is normally sent directly to the funeral director you have chosen.

What is Tell Us Once?

The registrar will explain the government’s free Tell Us Once service and give you a reference number.

Tell Us Once can notify several government departments and local authority services, including HM Revenue and Customs, the Department for Work and Pensions, the Passport Office, the DVLA and relevant council services.

It does not contact private organisations such as banks, insurers, utility companies or private pension providers, so these will still need to be told separately. Our guide to dealing with post and notifying account providers explains some of the other steps.

The Tell Us Once reference must normally be used within 28 days.

What if the coroner is involved?

Some deaths must be reported to the coroner—for example, where the cause is uncertain or the death was unexpected, violent or unnatural.

This does not necessarily mean that anything suspicious has happened. The coroner’s role is to establish who died and how, when and where the death occurred.

The process may be different from an ordinary registration, depending on whether the coroner decides that a post-mortem examination or inquest is needed. The coroner’s office will explain what happens next and tell you when registration can proceed.

Can funeral arrangements begin before registration?

Yes. You do not have to wait for the registration appointment before contacting us or beginning to discuss the funeral.

We can bring the person who has died into our care, talk through the available choices and start making arrangements. Some details, particularly the final funeral date, may remain provisional until the necessary authorisation has been received.

Our guidance about what to do when someone dies explains the immediate practical steps, while our arranging a funeral guide takes you through the decisions that follow.

We are here to help

Registration can feel like one more unfamiliar responsibility at an already difficult time. We can explain the process, help you gather the information you will need and, where appropriate, discuss acting as the family’s personal representative.

If you are unsure what to do next, call Wealden Funeral Services on 01435 868844. A member of our family team is available 24 hours a day.