Registering a death is usually the first formal step after someone dies, and it has a legal deadline attached – which can make it feel urgent on top of everything else you’re dealing with. This guide covers exactly what’s required in each part of the UK, what you’ll need to bring, and – the question most families get wrong – how many certified copies of the death certificate to order. For everything that follows registration, see our funeral planning hub.
The short answer
You must register the death within 5 days in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, or 8 days in Scotland, at a register office, once a doctor or medical examiner has confirmed the cause of death (gov.uk: register a death). Take proof of identity and, where possible, the deceased’s birth certificate, marriage or civil partnership certificate, and NHS medical card. Registration is free, but each certified copy of the death certificate costs money – £12.50 in England and Wales, £8 at registration in Northern Ireland – and you should order several, since most organisations you’ll deal with want their own copy.
If the death has been referred to a coroner (England, Wales, Northern Ireland) or the procurator fiscal (Scotland), you can’t register until their office says you may – this is common for sudden, unexplained, or unwitnessed deaths, and it isn’t a sign anything is wrong. See our guide to what to do when someone dies at home for what happens in that situation, or what happens at an inquest for a full explanation of the coroner process. If the death happened outside the UK, the registration process is different again – see our guide to repatriation of a body from abroad for what to do first.
Registering a death: process by nation
The UK has three separate registration systems, and the process differs in each. Use this table to find yours.
| Where | Deadline | Where to register | Certificate cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| England & Wales | 5 days | Any register office, though it's faster to use the one covering where the death happened | £12.50 per certified copy |
| Scotland | 8 days | Any registration office in Scotland – doesn't need to be local, and can be done by phone or video call | Set locally – ask the registration office |
| Northern Ireland | 5 days | Any district registrar's office, via NISRA | £8 per copy at registration, £15 for the first copy (£8 each further copy) if ordered later |
Sources: gov.uk: register a death, National Records of Scotland, nidirect: registering a death. Last verified 16 August 2026.
England and Wales
Contact a register office to register the death – many areas require a booked appointment, and some offer registration by phone or video call after an initial contact. Anyone can use any register office, but it’s quicker to use the one covering the area where the death happened, since the registrar there will already have the medical certificate.
A relative usually registers the death. If no relative is available, the person can be registered by someone who was present at the time of death, a hospital administrator (if the death happened in hospital), or the person arranging the funeral.
Scotland
You have 8 days, and – unlike England, Wales, and Northern Ireland – you can register at any registration office in Scotland, not just one covering the area where the death happened. Since September 2022, registration can also be done remotely by phone or online call rather than requiring an in-person visit, which can help if travel is difficult in the days after a death (National Records of Scotland).
A wider range of people can register a death in Scotland than in England and Wales, including a relative, someone present at the death, an executor, or the occupier of the premises where the death happened.
Northern Ireland
The doctor or hospital sends the Medical Certificate of Cause of Death electronically to the General Register Office for Northern Ireland (GRONI), which forwards it to the district registrar covering the deceased’s home address. The registrar then contacts you by phone to arrange registration, which can usually be completed over the phone or in person at the register office (nidirect: registering a death).
Registering the death itself is free in Northern Ireland. Certificates cost £8 each if bought at the time of registration, or £15 for the first copy (£8 for each further copy) if you order them afterwards from GRONI – so it’s cheaper to order everything you need at registration rather than going back for more later.
What you need to bring
| Document | Required or helpful |
|---|---|
| Proof of your own identity | Usually required |
| Medical Certificate of Cause of Death (MCCD) | Sent directly to the registrar by the doctor or medical examiner – you don't usually need to bring this yourself |
| Deceased's birth certificate | Helpful, not always required |
| Deceased's marriage or civil partnership certificate | Helpful, if applicable |
| NHS medical card or NHS number | Helpful |
| Council Tax bill or proof of address | Helpful |
| Driving licence or passport (deceased's) | Helpful |
Source: gov.uk: register a death. Don’t delay registering if you can’t find some of these – the register office will tell you what to do if any documents are missing, and most of the “helpful” items simply speed the appointment up rather than being strict requirements.
You’ll also need to tell the registrar, from memory if necessary: the deceased’s full name and any previous names (such as a maiden name), date and place of birth, last address, occupation, and – if they were married or in a civil partnership – their spouse or partner’s full name, date of birth, and occupation. The registrar will also ask whether the deceased was receiving a State Pension or other benefits.
How many death certificates do I need?
This is the detail most families underestimate, and it’s worth getting right at the appointment rather than going back later. As a rough guide, order one certified copy for each organisation that’s likely to ask for its own copy, which commonly includes:
- Each bank or building society account
- Each pension provider (State Pension and any private or workplace pensions)
- Life insurance policies
- The Land Registry, if property needs to be transferred or sold
- HMRC, if a tax return needs finalising
- The probate registry, if a grant of probate or letters of administration is needed
Most families end up needing somewhere between 5 and 10 copies. Some organisations return the original once they’ve verified it, but many – especially larger pension schemes and insurers – keep it. Since a copy ordered at registration costs the same as one ordered later in England and Wales (£12.50 either way), there’s no saving to ordering fewer and going back for more – only the inconvenience and delay of a second application. Northern Ireland is the exception: ordering at registration (£8) is cheaper than reordering afterwards (£15 for the first extra copy).
If you run out, extra certified copies can always be ordered later:
- England and Wales: via the General Register Office – £12.50 per copy, sent within 4 days if you have a GRO index reference number (15 working days without one), or £38.50 for next-working-day priority delivery if ordered by 4pm.
- Scotland: via the National Records of Scotland or the registration office where the death was registered.
- Northern Ireland: via GRONI – £15 for the first copy, £8 for each additional copy ordered at the same time.
What you receive after registering
Once the death is registered, you’ll be given:
- A certificate for burial or cremation (often called the “green form”) – you must hand this to the funeral director, crematorium, or burial authority before a funeral can go ahead.
- A Certificate of Registration of Death (form BD8), if the deceased was receiving a State Pension or other benefits, with a pre-paid envelope so you can return it.
- A unique reference number to use with the Tell Us Once service, which reports the death to most government departments – HMRC, DWP, the DVLA, and the Passport Office among them – in one go, rather than contacting each separately. See our Tell Us Once guide for how it works and what it does and doesn’t cover.
- As many certified copies of the death certificate as you paid for.
Sources: gov.uk: register a death, gov.uk: after a death.
What happens if you miss the deadline
Contact the register office as soon as you realise, rather than waiting. In England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, if you can’t register within 5 days, you must tell the register office – they can sometimes accept a declaration confirming the details in the meantime, with formal registration completed once you’re able to attend. In Scotland, the 8-day period is described as a requirement “where possible,” and register offices are used to cases where illness, distance, or a coroner or procurator fiscal referral makes it impossible to meet.
The most common reason for missing the deadline isn’t disorganisation – it’s a coroner or procurator fiscal investigation, which pauses the registration clock entirely until their office confirms the death can be registered. If you need documentation before that’s resolved – to notify a bank or start probate, for example – you can ask for an interim death certificate, which most banks, pension providers, and government departments accept while the fuller process continues.
What to avoid
Don’t wait for every family decision – funeral arrangements, notifying distant relatives, choosing a coffin – before registering the death. Registration has its own legal deadline and doesn’t need any of those decisions settled first; in fact, you can’t get the certificate for burial or cremation that a funeral director needs until you’ve registered.
Don’t underestimate how many certified copies you’ll need. Ordering two or three and finding yourself short a week later, when you’re already dealing with probate paperwork and grieving, is a common and avoidable frustration – and in Northern Ireland it’s also the more expensive route.
Don’t assume the register office needs every document on the list above before you can book an appointment. Contact them first; they’ll tell you what’s essential and what they can work around.
Summary
- Register within 5 days in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, or 8 days in Scotland, once a doctor or medical examiner has confirmed the cause of death.
- Bring proof of your own identity and, where possible, the deceased’s birth certificate, marriage certificate, and NHS medical card – but don’t delay if you’re missing some of these.
- Order 5-10 certified copies of the death certificate at registration if you can – it’s the same price as ordering later in England and Wales, and cheaper in Northern Ireland.
- You’ll receive the certificate for burial or cremation, a Tell Us Once reference number, and as many death certificate copies as you paid for.
- If a coroner or procurator fiscal is involved, the registration deadline is paused – ask for an interim death certificate if you need documentation sooner.
- Once registration is done, our funeral planning checklist covers Tell Us Once, choosing a funeral director, and everything else that follows.