Registrar

A registrar is the local council official who records a death in the register and issues the death certificate and the certificate for burial or cremation. In England and Wales a death should be registered within 5 days of the medical examiner’s office confirming the cause of death, and in Northern Ireland within 5 days. In Scotland the limit is 8 days, and any registrar in Scotland can register the death.

When the clock starts

In England and Wales the five days run from the day the registrar receives the certificate from the medical examiner or the coroner, not from the death. In Scotland and Northern Ireland they run from the death, and a referral to the coroner or the procurator fiscal pauses them. Most register offices work by appointment, so book it the day you hear the certificate has gone through.

What to bring

The registrar records your loved one’s full name and any earlier names, their date and place of birth, their last address and occupation, and the name and occupation of a spouse or civil partner. Bring what you can find, including their NHS and National Insurance numbers and your own identification. The appointment can go ahead with some gaps.

What you leave with

You leave with the death certificate and any certified copies you buy, the green form, and a reference number for Tell Us Once. The registration and the green form cost nothing. Certified copies are charged, at £12.50 each in England and Wales through the GRO, and £8.00 each at the appointment in Northern Ireland.

Where to register

In England and Wales any register office can register the death, though the one for the district where it happened is quickest. In Northern Ireland any district registrar can, and certificates can be issued in English, in Irish, or in both. In Scotland the office does not have to be near where the person lived or died.