Registration

By law, a death must be registered with the Registrar of Births, Deaths and Marriages, in the district where the deceased died, the recommendation for this is within five working days, this however if out of your control i.e. Because of a bank holiday or due to the doctor not being available for signing relevant paperwork required, a concession may be granted in these circumstances.

A Medical Certificate of Cause of Death (M.C.C.D) will be issued by the doctor that has been in attendance to the deceased prior to his or her last illness, it is advisable to make a curtesy call to your GP surgery, to explain that you have lost a loved one, the doctors should inform you once they have sent the certificate to the Registrar. This will then enable you to register the death. Registration must be in the same district e.g. if someone dies in Norfolk, the death needs to be registered in the Norfolk district, if a death occurs in Suffolk, the death needs to be registered in the Suffolk district.

To summarise: The doctor sends the medical certificate (M.C.C.D) directly to the central registrar. The doctors will let you know when this has been sent to the registrar. You may then phone the central line (03448 008020) and book an appointment.

The Registrar will need the following information from the informant:

• A Birth certificate and medical card
• Place and date of birth and death
• The deceased’s full name
• Their usual address
• Their marital status
• The occupation of the deceased
• Maiden name of the deceased (if a married, spouse’s full name and occupation).

The Registrar will issue you with the following:

A green colour Certificate will be electronically sent to your funeral director and if a cremation is requested also to the relevant Crematorium. (This allows a burial or cremation to take place, it is our responsibility to ensure the green certificate, issued by the registrar along with other important documentation is given to the authority involved).

The registrar will ask you if you need copies of the entry, to give to banks, insurance companies or private pension companies etc. there is a charge for the forms. These are currently £11.00 each (this fee will be more if you purchase these at a later date than registration date).

There is an online service called “tell us once” you can use, www.gov.uk/tell-us-once, this tells the right parts of government so that they can:
• Work out final payments of benefits for the person who’s died (including the state pension) and tax credits.
• Make arrangements for Income Tax, National Insurance and Council Tax.
• Cancel the passport and/or driving license of the person who’s died (if you’ve provided this information).
• Let local councils know so they can make arrangements council housing and blue badge schemes.
• Make sure the person’s name is removed from the electoral register (also known as the electoral roll).