Registering a Death - Warwickshire Web

Registering a Death

REGISTRATION PROCEDURE WHEN A DEATH OCCURS: -

Collect the Medical Certificate of Cause of Death from the doctor (or hospital) and book an appointment to register the death any Register Office in Warwickshire. The appointment will normally take 30 minutes. (please click here for a full list of addresses and telephone numbers of the Register Offices within Warwickshire).

If the death occurred outside Warwickshire and it is not convenient to visit the Register Office for the district in which the death occurred you can go to one of our Register Offices to make a death declaration.

Please note that if you are attending a Warwickshire Register Office to register a death that occurred outside the County (e.g. at Walsgrave Hospital, Coventry), you will need to bring a cheque or postal order with you when you come to the Register Office so that we can send this on to the District in which the death occurred. They will then send death certificates required to you by post.

To prevent unnecessary waiting all register offices in Warwickshire offer appointments. Please take the Medical Certificate of Cause of Death with you when you attend the Register Office.

Registering a death is a simple question and answer interview. You will need the following information about the deceased:

The date and place of death and the deceased's usual address
The full name of the deceased (and maiden name where appropriate)
The date and place of birth of the deceased
The deceased's last full time occupation
If married, the full name, date of birth and occupation of the spouse
Whether the deceased was in receipt of a pension from public funds
Either the National Health Service number of the deceased, if known, or the medical card itself, if available, should be handed to the Registrar. Please do not delay registration if the medical card is not available.

You will receive from the Registrar:
A Certificate for Burial or Cremation – (known as the Green Form) is for you to take to the funeral director so that the funeral can take place. In some circumstances the Coroner issues this.

A Certificate of Registration of Death (Form BD8/344) – is for Social Security purposes. Please read the back of the form in your own time. Please complete it and return it to the Department of Work & Pensions in the envelope that the Registrar will provide you with.

Standard Death Certificates – £3.50 at the time of registration. A death certificate is a certified copy of the entry in the death register. These may be required by banks, building societies, solicitors or for pension claims and some insurance claims. You may wish to ask for several copies of the standard death certificate at the time of registration as the price may increase if you need more at a later date.

Coroner

If the Coroner is involved (usually when the death is sudden, or unexpected, or the deceased has not been attended by a doctor within 14 days of their death), you will not be able to register the death until permission has been given by the Coroner. The Coroner may do one of three things:

1.He may decide no action is necessary and inform the Registrar accordingly.
2.He may decide to hold a post-mortem examination in which case a Pink Form 100 will be issued by the Coroner to be used instead of the medical certificate.
3.He may decide to hold an inquest. The Coroner's Officer or Registrar will advise you what to do in these circumstances.

Further information on the coroner.

Who can register the death?

It is preferred that a relative of the deceased registers the death. If there are no relatives then it is possible for other persons to register. Such persons may be someone present at the death, a senior administrator of the establishment in which the death occurred or the person instructing the funeral director.

After the registration

The Registrar can give you information about returning official documents such as driving licence and passport to the relevant authorities. You should also be given information about how to deal with other local issues through the local Borough or District Council contact services in one visit/phone call.

Leaflets relating to benefits and help with funeral expenses are also available from the Registrar. If you have any questions which are not answered in these pages, the Registrar will be pleased to help you.

What service standards can I expect from the Warwickshire Registration Service when registering a death?

The Warwickshire Registration Service aims to provide a continual high level of service standards.
Our specific service standards relating to registering a death are: -

to offer you an appointment with a Registrar within 2 working days of making contact with the office
to forward information relating to a death, required by law to be registered in another district (a death declaration) to that district on the same day
to see 90% of our customers attending with an appointment within 10 minutes of that appointment time

The information contained within these pages is available in large print or on audiotape. Please
e-mail or write to us to request a copy

A translation, interpreting and sign language service is available upon request.

If you have any comments to make about our service "comment cards" are available at all offices. Alternatively you can speak to any member of staff, write or e-mail the Registration Services Manager.

For advice on any aspect of what to do when someone dies, particularly on Probate, Benefits and Tax issues, contact the Bereavement Advice Centre on 08006349494 (free of charge from UK landlines) or see their website.

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Registering a Death


REGISTRATION PROCEDURE WHEN A DEATH OCCURS: -

Collect the Medical Certificate of Cause of Death from the doctor (or hospital) and book an appointment to register the death any Register Office in Warwickshire. The appointment will normally take 30 minutes. (please click here for a full list of addresses and telephone numbers of the Register Offices within Warwickshire). If the death occurred outside Warwickshire and it is not convenient to visit the Register Office for the district in which the death occurred you can go to one of our Register Offices to make a death declaration. Please note that if you are attending a Warwickshire Register Office to register a death that occurred outside the County (e.g. at Walsgrave Hospital, Coventry), you will need to bring a cheque or postal order with you when you come to the Register Office so that we can send this on to the District in which the death occurred. They will then send death certificates required to you by post. To prevent unnecessary waiting all register offices in Warwickshire offer appointments. Please take the Medical Certificate of Cause of Death with you when you attend the Register Office.
Registering a death is a simple question and answer interview. You will need the following information about the deceased:

The date and place of death and the deceased's usual address The full name of the deceased (and maiden name where appropriate) The date and place of birth of the deceased The deceased's last full time occupation If married, the full name, date of birth and occupation of the spouse Whether the deceased was in receipt of a pension from public funds Either the National Health Service number of the deceased, if known, or the medical card itself, if available, should be handed to the Registrar. Please do not delay registration if the medical card is not available. You will receive from the Registrar: A Certificate for Burial or Cremation – (known as the Green Form) is for you to take to the funeral director so that the funeral can take place. In some circumstances the Coroner issues this. A Certificate of Registration of Death (Form BD8/344) – is for Social Security purposes. Please read the back of the form in your own time. Please complete it and return it to the Department of Work & Pensions in the envelope that the Registrar will provide you with. Standard Death Certificates – £3.50 at the time of registration. A death certificate is a certified copy of the entry in the death register. These may be required by banks, building societies, solicitors or for pension claims and some insurance claims. You may wish to ask for several copies of the standard death certificate at the time of registration as the price may increase if you need more at a later date. Coroner
If the Coroner is involved (usually when the death is sudden, or unexpected, or the deceased has not been attended by a doctor within 14 days of their death), you will not be able to register the death until permission has been given by the Coroner. The Coroner may do one of three things: 1.He may decide no action is necessary and inform the Registrar accordingly. 2.He may decide to hold a post-mortem examination in which case a Pink Form 100 will be issued by the Coroner to be used instead of the medical certificate. 3.He may decide to hold an inquest. The Coroner's Officer or Registrar will advise you what to do in these circumstances. Further information on the coroner.
Who can register the death?
It is preferred that a relative of the deceased registers the death. If there are no relatives then it is possible for other persons to register. Such persons may be someone present at the death, a senior administrator of the establishment in which the death occurred or the person instructing the funeral director.


After the registration
The Registrar can give you information about returning official documents such as driving licence and passport to the relevant authorities. You should also be given information about how to deal with other local issues through the local Borough or District Council contact services in one visit/phone call. Leaflets relating to benefits and help with funeral expenses are also available from the Registrar. If you have any questions which are not answered in these pages, the Registrar will be pleased to help you.

What service standards can I expect from the Warwickshire Registration Service when registering a death?

The Warwickshire Registration Service aims to provide a continual high level of service standards. Our specific service standards relating to registering a death are: -

to offer you an appointment with a Registrar within 2 working days of making contact with the office to forward information relating to a death, required by law to be registered in another district (a death declaration) to that district on the same day to see 90% of our customers attending with an appointment within 10 minutes of that appointment time
The information contained within these pages is available in large print or on audiotape. Please e-mail or write to us to request a copy A translation, interpreting and sign language service is available upon request.
If you have any comments to make about our service "comment cards" are available at all offices. Alternatively you can speak to any member of staff, write or e-mail the Registration Services Manager. For advice on any aspect of what to do when someone dies, particularly on Probate, Benefits and Tax issues, contact the Bereavement Advice Centre on 08006349494 (free of charge from UK landlines) or see their website.