How to register a death

When someone dies, their death needs to be registered. Once the death has been registered, you will be given all of the paperwork required to the funeral to be conducted. We will explain everything you need to know about registering a death but here is some information that may help you.

The registration of death is the formal record of the death. As part of the process, you’ll be given a copy of the death certificate, which will be needed to deal with next steps such as bank accounts, mortgages and wills. In England, the Registration Service like deaths to be registered within 5 days of a person passing away though there will be exceptions to this. We will be able to advise you on an individual basis.

The Certified Entry Into The Register, ‘The Death Certificate’ will be issued at your appointment and you will be able to purchase additional copies at your local register office.

Where to register a death

Once you have the Medical Certificate of Cause of Death from the Doctor, you must make an appointment to attend to register the death, in Cornwall you need to call 0300 1234 181 to make an appointment for any of the offices in Cornwall. Registering the death is done by the Registrar of Births, Deaths and Marriages, which is situated at the local register office. Deaths occurring in Cornwall can be registered at any of the Registration Offices in the county. There is also a service called ‘Registration By Declaration’ available across England enabling informants to attend their local office wherever that may be in the country to provide the information needed to register the death. We will be able to help with this.

Our most frequently used Registration Offices are Newquay, Truro and St Austell.

Newquay Registration Office

Marcus Hill 
Newquay 
TR7 1AF

Monday

9.20am-1.00pm

Tuesday

9.20am-1.00pm

Wednesday

9.20am-1.00pm

Thursday

9.20am-1.00pm

Friday

9.20am-1.00pm

Truro Registration Office

Dalvenie House 
County Hall 
Truro 
TR1 3AY

Monday

9.00am – 5.00pm

Tuesday

9.00am – 5.00pm

Wednesday

9.00am – 5.00pm

Thursday

9.00am – 5.00pm

Friday

9.00am – 5.00pm

St Austell Registration Office

Polkyth House, 
Council Offices, 
12 Carlyon Road, 
St Austell, 
PL25 4LD

Monday

9.20am – 12.40pm

Tuesday

9.20am – 12.40pm
1.40pm - 4.40pm

Wednesday

9.20am – 12.40pm

Thursday

9.20am – 12.40pm

Friday

9.20am – 12.40pm
1.40pm - 4.40pm

Who can register a death?

Registering a death is typically done by a close relative of the person who has died. However, if no relatives are available, there are only certain people who can register a death. This includes:

• Any person present when the person died

• A person who lives in the house where the person died

• The person arranging the funeral, but not a funeral director
  
  

What do you need to register a death?

Once you have made an appointment to register a death with the local registrar, it's important to provide them with as much information about the deceased as possible. The most important document is the medical certificate of cause of death provided by the hospital or GP. However, it will be helpful if you have the following documents with you:

• Birth Certificate

• Council Tax bill

• Driving License

• Passport

• Marriage/Civil Partnership Certificate, if applicable

• NHS Medical Card

• Proof of address

You don't need to have all of the above paperwork to register a death, so don’t worry if it's not all available. The most important piece of paperwork is the Medical Certificate of Cause of Death. Without this, you will not be able to register the death.

You will also need to provide the registrar with the following information:

• The full name of the person who died

• Their full home address

• Their date and place of birth

• Details of where and when the person died

• Their occupation, if applicable

• If they were receiving any benefits, including pensions or allowance from public funds

• The name, occupation and date of birth of their spouse or civil partner, if applicable

How much does it cost to register a death?

Registering the death is free, but you do have to pay for death certificates. The cost of a certified copy in Cornwall is currently £11

How long does it take to register a death?

The process of registering a death should take approximately 45 minutes including use of the ‘Tell Us Once’ service.

What happens after registering a death?

After registering a death, you will be given a Certificate of Registration of Death and a number of other documents. These vary depending on where you are in the UK.

• Green Certificate for burial or cremation (which we, your Funeral Director will need for a funeral to take place)

• Death Certificate - This will require a small fee and may be needed for legal or financial purposes

Notifying organisations after registering a death

The Tell Us Once Service will allow you to notify a person's death to various government departments at the same time. Though we have this service available to us in Cornwall, the service isn't available everywhere in the UK.

Tell Us Once will notify:

• HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC)

• Department for Work and Pensions (DWP)

• Passport Office

• Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA)

• The local council

• Veterans UK

  
  

The Death Notification Service.

The Death Notification Service is a free service which allows you to notify a number of banks and building societies (financial institutions) of a person's death, at the same time. You can find out more information about this service and the institutions included with their service using the link below. More information can be found in the video below too.