Registering The Death

Registering the Death

It is a legal requirement of the law that a death should be registered within 5 days of the death occurring. In order to process with the registration you will need to attend a registration appointment at your local registration office. Please do not hesitate to contact your funeral director if you require any assistance in making an appointment for the registration process.

Who can Register a Death?

The death must be registered by one of the following individuals:

A close surviving relative of the deceased, usually a spouse, child or parent.
A person present at the moment of death.
An occupant of the house in which the person died.
An appointed official from the nursing home or hospice in which they are a patient or resident.
A person who is making arrangements with the funeral director usually the executor of the deceased persons estate.

Most deaths are registered by a close relative, the registrar would normally only allow other people to do so if there are no living relatives available.

What Documents are Required to Register a Death?

There are several important documents and pieces of information that you will need in order to register the death. The documents that are required are as follows:

The medical certificate of the cause of death signed by the deceased persons GP or by a doctor who cared for them during their last illness.
If available the deceased's birth certificate, marriage certificate and NHS medical card should also be presented.

Facts and information that are required:

The persons full name at the time of death.
Any names previously used including maiden surname.
The persons date, town and country of birth.
The persons last address.
The persons current or former occupation.
The full name, date of birth and occupation of any surviving spouse or civil partner.
Details of any state pension and any other welfare benefits in which the person was in receipt.

What documents will be issued by the registrar:

If there is no investigation being conducted by HM coroner and there is to be no post-mortem investigation the registrar will issue the following documents:

A certified copy of entry into the registrar of death (the death certificate) this will be required for handling administrative affairs relating to the deceased estate such as banking and life insurance policies.
A certificate for burial or cremation (the green form) this gives permission for the body to be buried or to apply for the body to be cremated. This form must be handed to the funeral director as quickly as possible.
A certificate of registration of death (form BD8) this is issued for social security purposes if the person was in receipt of a state pension or benefit.

In some circumstances HM coroner will issue special documents permitting the burial or cremation of the body. If this is required, your funeral director will be able to advise you on any administrative and legal obligations and will be able to handle any necessary arrangements with the relevant authorities.

For Manchester register office please contact:

Heron House,

47 Lloyd Street,

Manchester,

M2 5LE

Phone:

0161 234 5005

For Tameside register office please contact:

Dukinfield Town Hall,

King Street,

Dukinfield,

SK16 4LA

Phone:

0161 342 5032

For Stockport register office please contact:

Stockport Town Hall,

John Street Entrance,

Stockport,

SK1 3XE

Phone:

0161 217 6007

Practical Funeral Advice

Our funeral directors are here to guide you through each step and assist you with the administrative process. We provide a compassionate and discreet service and aim to make the process as straight forward as possible. We can take complete care of the funeral arrangements.

Testimonial

"I would like to thank Julie, Craig and family at Heathcote’s for a very caring and dignified service for my late husband Graham Mcleod. I would just like to say a really big thank you from his wife Gail Mcleod and all of his family. I would highly recommend them to anyone in the future and I can’t thank you enough for all the help and support you gave us."

- Kim Hoole