Death and bereavement

Losing a loved one is a difficult time. Death in itself is distressing and unfortunately, the administrative procedures which must be followed can be an additional unwelcome burden. These pages are designed to provide some useful help and advice with the arrangements for dealing with a death.

Where and when to register a Death

How to register a Death.

When someone dies, the doctor who was treating the deceased will issue a medical certificate of cause of death to the relatives. The person who will be registering the death must take this certificate to the Registration Office. Occasionally, if the death was sudden or the doctor treating the deceased is unavailable, it may not be possible for a medical certificate of cause of death to be issued. If this happens, the death will have to be reported to the coroner which may lead to a delay in registering the death.

Deaths must be registered within 5 days of the death. Special arrangements are available for families who need to bury the person who has died within 24 hours of death and contact should be made with the local Registration Office in those circumstances.

Due to the limited time that most families have to organise the funeral it is recommended that the death be registered within the District where the death took place. In the Devon County Council area this could be at the most convenient Registration Office, not necessarily at the Registration Office closest to where the person died. For example, the person may have died at the Royal Devon & Exeter Hospital, Exeter or at Exeter Hospice or at North Devon District Hospital, Barnstaple but the person registering the death may live in Exmouth or Ottery St Mary or Bideford. It is now possible for an appointment to register the death to be made at the local, most convenient Registration Office However, "declarations of death" may be given to any Register Office in England or Wales but this may cause a delay in issuing the death certificate together with the forms required to enable the funeral to take place..

The opening hours for Devon's Registration Offices vary from area to area - but all operate an appointment system. Please contact the local office by telephone to obtain further information or to arrange an appointment.

Who can register a death

The people who may register a death - in order of preference - fall into two slightly different categories depending on whether the death occurred in a house or hospital etc, or elsewhere:

Deaths in a house or hospital etc. -
a relative of the deceased.

In some cases there may be a known relative but that person may be estranged from the deceased, however every opportunity must be afforded to the relative to register the death before consideration can be given to any of the following:

someone present at the death
the occupier of the house or hospital if he or she knew of the death
another person living at the house if he or she knew of the death
the person making the arrangements with the funeral directors
Deaths elsewhere -
a relative of the deceased

In some cases there may be a known relative but that person may be estranged from the deceased; however every opportunity must be afforded to the relative to register the death before consideration can be given to any of the following:

someone present at the death
someone who found the body
a person in charge of the body
the person making the arrangements with the funeral directors

The majority of deaths are registered by a relative of the deceased. The registrar would normally allow one of the other listed persons to register the death only if there were no relatives available.

Information to be supplied for the registration of a death

date and place of death
name and surname of the deceased
maiden surname, if the deceased was a woman who had married
date and place of birth
occupation
name and occupation of husband, where the deceased was a married woman or widow
usual address
whether the deceased was in receipt of a pension or allowance from public funds
if the deceased was married, the date of birth of the surviving widow or widower
The deceased's medical card, if available, should also be given to the registrar.

It is most important that the information recorded in the death register is correct. If any mistake is made, for example in the spelling of a name or surname or in the description of the occupation, it will cause the relative or other person who registered the death some difficulties having it corrected. The person registering the death should check the information in the register very carefully before the entry is signed.

What certificates will be issued?

Death certificate
After a death has been registered, one or more certificates may be bought at the time of registration or at any time afterwards. It is likely that more than one certificate will be required as banks, building societies, insurance companies and other bodies require original certificates rather than photocopies. The cost of certificates increases once the current register has been closed. You can obtain further information from your local Registration Office.

Certificate for burial or cremation
The registration officer will issue a certificate for the burial or cremation of the body which is normally passed to the funeral director by the person who is making the arrangements. A funeral may not proceed until this certificate is given to the burial authority or the crematorium. If there is a delay in the registration of the death, it is possible for a certificate for the burial of the deceased's body to be issued before registration provided the death does not need to be reported to the coroner. A certificate for cremation may not be issued before the registration of the death.

If a death has been reported to the coroner, he or she may issue a certificate for burial or cremation where possible.

Certificate for applicable Social Security benefits
A certificate for sending to the Department of Social Security will also be issued by the registrar to the person registering the death or other applicant. The form serves a dual purpose; details of the death are given on one side and on the other side is the application for applicable claim forms.

When is the Coroner Involved?

A small number of deaths have to be reported to the coroner before they may be registered and before the document allowing the funeral to go ahead can be issued. The following are the deaths that, if not already reported to the coroner by someone else, will be reported by the registrar:

where there is no doctor who can issue a medical certificate of cause of death, or
where the deceased was not seen by the doctor issuing the medical certificate after death nor within 14 days before death, or
where the cause of death is unknown, or
where the cause of death is believed to be unnatural or suspicious, or
where the death occurred during an operation or before recovery from an anaesthetic, or
where the death is due to industrial disease or industrial poisoning

Once a death has been reported to the coroner, the registrar is unable to go ahead with the registration until the coroner has decided whether any further investigation into the death is necessary. In the vast majority of cases no further investigation is necessary and the registration may be completed straightaway.

Your local coroner is:

Dr Elizabeth A Earland
H.M. Coroner
Raleigh Hall
Fore Street
Topsham
Exeter.
EX3 OHU

Telephone: (Exeter) 01392 876 575

Apply for a Copy Certificate

Copy Certificates (birth, death or marriage) may be obtained from any Registration Office in the county but it is quicker to approach the correct office if the location of the event is known, for example, copy birth certificate for a child born in Honiton would be available from the East Devon Registration Office at Honiton, copy death certificate for a person who died in Ilfracombe would be available from the North Devon Registration Office at Barnstaple. The following information must be supplied before a search of the records may be made :

full name of the person(s) included in the registration
date of the event including day, month and year
location of the event e.g. town, parish or church
Any other relevant information that may help us to locate the certificate
A stamped addressed envelope would be appreciated

Details of events which took place before July 1837 are not held by the Registration Service. The Devon Registration Service holds registers for births and deaths and for civil marriages since July 1837, excluding Plymouth and Torbay. Baptismal, Marriage and Burial registers prior to 1837 may be held by the local clergy.

Apply to correct a death certificate

If it is found that a death register entry contains information which was not correct at the time of the registration, or relevant details have been left out, it may be possible for the details to be changed, or added, at a later date.

Application should be made to the Registration Office where the death was registered. Advice will be given on what is required for the correction to be completed.

Please contact the local Registration Office.

Page last updated on 19 March 2012