Interim death certificate

An interim death certificate is a document the coroner issues when an inquest has been opened and the death cannot yet be registered. It lets the family deal with banks, apply for probate and use Tell Us Once while the inquest continues. Some countries will not register a death on it, so a repatriation can need the final certificate, which follows when the inquest ends.

When you will need one

A death referred for an inquest cannot be registered until the coroner has finished, and an inquest is often adjourned for months. The interim certificate is formal proof of death for that whole stretch. Insurers and banks accept it, and you can apply for probate on it without waiting for the inquest’s outcome. Reporting the death through Tell Us Once works with it too, except where the person lived in Northern Ireland, because the service does not run there.

Who issues it

The coroner holding the inquest issues it, usually at the point they release your loved one for the funeral, and relatives can ask the coroner for one. It stays in use for as long as the inquest is open. Once the coroner records a conclusion, the death is registered and the final death certificate takes its place.

If the funeral is abroad

An interim certificate can be enough to begin bringing someone home to another country. Croatia’s consular service, for example, accepts one when it issues the laissez passer needed for the repatriation. Registering the death in Croatia still requires the final certificate, though, so that step waits for the inquest to end. Ask the consulate which document it needs before anything is booked.

In Scotland

Scotland has no coroners and no inquests, and the procurator fiscal investigates instead. Scottish guidance does not describe an interim death certificate.