Registering a death
With effect from 16 February 2019, the issue of all death registration certificates in England and Wales will incur a new fee of £11, regardless of when the registration took place.
This replaces the previous fees of £4, £7 and £10.
The General Register Office is part of Her Majesty's Passport Office and oversees civil registration in England and Wales. The GRO maintains the national archive of all births, marriages and deaths dating back to 1837.
Increased charges for this service were published in Statutory Instrument No 1268, 'Registration of births, deaths & marriages, etc., England and Wales', in January, which is available to read on the UK government's legislation website.
The increased fees are the first pricing changes at the GRO since 2010.
Who can register a death?
One of the following persons has a legal obligation to register the death:
- A relative of the deceased
- A person present at the death
- A person arranging the funeral (not the undertaker)
- In certain circumstances others, such as the administrator of any elderly persons home, can register the death
If you are unsure whether you can register the death please telephone the Register Office for advice.
When can I register a death?
By law, a death must be registered within 5 days. If the Coroner has been informed registering within 5 days may not be possible and the time limit for registration is sometimes extended. The Coroner's Officer will advise you what to do and when.
Where can I register a death?
By law, a death must be registered in the registration district where it occurred. However, you can visit any Register Office in England or Wales and give the details for the registration and these will be passed on to the appropriate district by post. (Registering a death outside of the area it occurred in will result in a delay in receiving the death certificate) .
Book an appointment
To register a death you will need to book an appointment, you can do this either by following the online link below or telephoning us on 01642 444440.
You will be seen in a private room. At this distressing time, we are here to guide you as easily as possible through the process of registering a death. The registration will take about 30 minutes. The registration is free but there will be a charge for any death certificates you require. If at any time you are unsure of what you should do please telephone the register office and we will help you to understand what you need to do next.
You can
book an appointment online to register a death.
If you have any issues accessing the online form, please contact the team via telephone on 01642 444440.
What will I need to bring with me?
You will need to bring the medical certificate of cause of death issued by the doctor.
The registrar will ask you for the following information about the deceased:
- Full forenames and surnames (maiden surname if applicable)
- Date of the death
- Date of birth
- Place of birth (town and country)
- Occupation
- Usual address
- If married at the time of death, name and date of birth of spouse and their last occupation
- National health service number (if available bring the medical card)
- Details and reference numbers of any pension or allowance from public funds e.g. civil service, army pension, and war pension, teachers, NHS or Royal Mail.
Please bring the deceaseds medical card and any identification that you have for them. If you are registering the death you will need to bring identification with you to the appointment.
Death Registration Corrections
Please note from the 1st November 2017 any death entries which require a correction to be made to the entry will now occur a fee. Please contact the Register Office on 01642 444440 to speak to a member of staff who will be able to advise you further.
Will the registrar give me any documents on completing the registration?
Yes, the registrar will issue to you, free of charge:
- A form to take to the undertaker (in some cases it may be issued by the Coroner)
- A notification of death form, which should be taken or forwarded, to the Department for Work and Pensions (formerly the DSS) this form is in respect of state pensions and benefits.
Death Certificates
There is a fee payable for each death certificate you require. However, the Registrar will be happy to issue you with as many death certificates as you feel you need. The standard death certificate can be used for any business you have to conduct in dealing with the estate of the person who has died. They can be used for banks, building societies, insurance companies, probate, Post Office; company pension schemes etc. or kept as a family history record.
You can purchase more copies of the death certificate at any time after the registration if you need to.
Tell Us Once Service
A new service called 'tell us once' designed to make life easier for residents who have just recently lost a loved one is available within Redcar and Cleveland. This is a free service and will be offered to you immediately after the death registration.
If you would like to use the Tell Us Once service we can help to cancel the following on your behalf:
Passport, driving licence, council blue badge and bus pass.
We can also inform the tax office and cancel any benefits and pensions the deceased may have been receiving through them.
