Register a death
A death should normally be registered within 5 calendar days after receipt of the paperwork from the Medical Examiner. This includes weekends and bank holidays.
You can register a death if you:
- are a relative, or partner of the deceased
- were present at the death
- live in the house where the person died
- are an administrator from the hospital where the person died
- are arranging the funeral with the funeral director
- are the personal representative of the deceased
Before the appointment
The Attending Practitioner will complete the necessary paperwork and submit it to the Medical Examiner’s office for review. Once the examination is complete, the Medical Examiner's office will contact you to confirm the cause of death and inform you that registration can proceed.
If the death has been referred to the Coroner, they will contact you directly once their investigation is concluded to advise when registration can occur. The death cannot be registered and the funeral documents cannot be issued, until the Coroner’s investigation is complete.
Book an appointment
To complete a death registration you must attend one of our registration offices. We cannot complete the registration without access to the death certificate.
The appointment will take approximately 30 minutes. There is no charge for registering a death.
All personal information recorded during the registration must be provided and checked by the informant. The accuracy of the registration can be improved by having some extra identification documents with you, if they’re readily available, for example:
- birth certificate
- marriage or civil partnership certificate
- passport
- driving licence
You will need to tell the registrar:
- the date and place of death
- the full name the person who died was using at the time of their death and details of any other names they might have been known by
- their date and place of birth
- their occupation and whether or not they were retired
- their current home address
- if the person who died was a married woman or widow, her maiden surname (what her surname was before she was married) and the full name and occupation of her husband
- in the case of a man, the name and occupation of his wife
- in the case of a couple who have registered their civil partnership, the partner's name and occupation
- your full name and address and your relationship to the person who has died
You will also be asked the following information for government statistics:
- was the person who died single, married, widowed, divorced, a civil partner, surviving civil partner or former civil partner?
- is their spouse or civil partner still alive? If so, what is their date of birth?
- how long did they stay in hospital or in another establishment (a hospice for example)?
- was the person under 75?
- what industry did they work in and what position did they hold?
- did they get a pension paid from government funds? This includes the civil service, teachers, armed forces and war widows. This does not include the state pension or pension credits
- the person's NHS number found on their medical card (if available)
Registering a death but don't live locally
If the death happened in North Northamptonshire, but you can't attend an appointment here, you can give the details to any registrar in England and Wales. This is called registration by declaration.
After the appointment the details will be sent to North Northamptonshire Registration Service, who will then register the death. Once completed you can order a certificate.
Where to go
Your appointment to register a birth will take place at your chosen Registration Office.
Tell Us Once service
Tell Us Once is a government service that will help you with your recent bereavement.
It allows you to inform all relevant central and local government departments about the person who has died by phone or online.
Find out more about the Tell Us Once Service.
Death Certificate
If you have already registered the death, you can order copy certificate.
Last updated 18 March 2025