Who can register a death?

All deaths must be registered within five days unless a coroner is investigating the circumstances of the death. You must have a medical certificate of cause of death from the doctor before you can register a death.

The people who can register a death are:

  • a relative of the deceased
  • a person who was present at the death
  • an administrator from the hospital where the person died
  • a person arranging the funeral with the funeral director

Book an appointment

All deaths must be registered with a registrar where the death occurred.

When someone dies, the doctor issues a medical certificate of cause of death.

If the death happened in Kent or Bexley and you have the medical certificate, you can make an appointment at one of our local offices by using our booking service or telephone 03000 415252.

Start

This service does not include Medway, the London Borough of Bromley or The Royal Borough of Greenwich.

If you do not live in Kent or Bexley

If the death happened in Kent or Bexley but you cannot attend an appointment here, you can give the details to any registrar in England and Wales.

The details are sent to Kent Libraries, Registration and Archives service who will register the death. This is called registration by declaration.

If you need any advice about registering a death, telephone 03000 415252.

How to register a death in another country or bring a body back to the UK

If the death occurred abroad or you wish to bring the body back to the UK, you must follow the advice as provided by Citizens Advice and GOV.UK.

Is there a charge?

The registration service is free of charge, but there is a charge for buying copies of the death certificate.

What happens at registration

You will need to bring:

  • the medical certificate of cause of death issued by the doctor, if there has been a post mortem, the coroner will send this directly to the registrar
  • birth and marriage or civil partnership certificates if these are available
  • disabled parking 'Blue Badge' and concessionary bus pass if applicable
  • a method of payment for copies of the death certificate, cash, credit or debit card and cheque book

We need to know some information about the person who has died and your relationship to them to be able to complete the death register.

After the registration entry is complete, the registrar will give you:

  • a certificate for burial or cremation (form 9) a green form to give to the funeral director
  • if the death has been referred to the coroner and the funeral is a cremation, the equivalent form will be sent by the coroner to your funeral director
  • a certificate of registration of death (BD8 form) a white form to be completed and sent by you, with any benefit or pension details to the Department of Work and Pensions

Death certificates

You will need to produce a death certificate when you are arranging the finances of the person who has died.

You can buy copies of the death certificate for a small fee. These can be purchased on the day of registration or after the registration process.

Organisations you need to tell

After someone dies, you will need to notify many organisations and departments.

The Tell Us Once service can help you by telling most organisations on your behalf.