Registering a Death
By law all deaths have to be registered before a funeral can take place. It is a requirement that this is carried out by a relative of the deceased or their executor whenever possible. We will explain the procedure in detail, but we are unable to actually register on your behalf.
The death usually has to be registered within 5 days of death and at the correct Registrar's Office and is usually carried out before any funeral arrangements are made. See information about local Registrars Offices
Under normal circumstances the Registrar will require the Doctor’s Certificate of Cause of Death and if possible, the deceased medical card. The Doctor or Hospital staff will advise you where and when to collect this certificate.
Upon completion of Registration the Registrar will issue you with the following documents:
- A Certificate for Burial or Cremation (known as the green form), which should be delivered to our office or handed to us as soon as possible.
- If applicable a white notification certificate for cancellation of any state pension, which has to be completed and returned to your local DSS Office. The Registrar usually supplies a pre-paid envelope for this purpose.
- Copies of the death certificate on request (current fee of £11 each), which may be required by insurance companies, banks, solicitors etc.
PLEASE NOTE financial organisations will NOT accept privately made photocopies of the Death Certificate. They will only accept original copies purchased from the Registrar or Certified Copies made by a Solicitor.
The Registrar will also require the following information about the deceased when you register:
Full Name
Date & Place of Birth and Death
Home Address
Marital Status
Date of Birth of any Surviving Partner
Occupation, or Previous Occupation
Burial or Cremation
In the case of a female death the Registrar will require this extra information:
The Maiden Name (married or widow)
Husbands full name and Occupation (even though he may be deceased)
Tell Us Once Service
When someone dies, there are lots of things that need to be done. One of these is contacting government departments and local council services that need to be told. Hull City Council are now providing a service which should make things easier.
The Tell Us Once Service provides customers with the opportunity to share information about the death with other government and local council services at the same time as completing the registration.
This can be done face to face during the registration appointment, or over the telephone at a more convenient time. If you wish to use this service take along the national insurance numbers for the deceased (and any surviving spouse, if applicable) and any passports, driving licence or blue badge that belonged to the deceased.
Coroner's Procedure
If the death has been reported to the Coroner (usually in the case of sudden or accidental death) the procedure is slightly different. It is the Coroner’s duty to establish the cause of death when a doctor cannot issue a medical certificate. If he can establish that the death was due to natural causes a certificate will be issued allowing the registration procedure to take place.
If the Coroner confirms that the death was due to an accident or other cause then he will decide that an inquest will be necessary to establish the details surrounding the person’s death. Following the ‘Opening of the Inquest’ the Coroner will normally issue a certificate to allow the funeral to take place but the death cannot be registered until the inquest is completed.
Under these circumstances the Coroner’s Officer and ourselves will explain what will happen. This is not an isolated, or unusual procedure and in the majority of cases will not delay the funeral by more than one or two days.