Registering a Death

Every death needs to be registered and this can be done at any one of the registration offices in the county (the central register being in Winchester).  If the death occurred in Southampton or Portsmouth, the local registry offices to these areas must be called. This  needs to be done within five days (unless by prior arrangement with the registrar) by one of the following people:

Ø      Any relative of the person who has died

Ø      Any person present at the death

Ø      The person who lives in the house where the person died

Ø      Any person arranging the funeral apart from the funeral director

To register the death you need to ring and make an appointment with the registrar in order to have a simple meeting at the Register Office.  The Registrar will need the following information:

Ø      The certificate of the cause of death

Ø      The full name and address of the deceased

Ø      The deceased’s place and date of birth

Ø      Details of where and when the person died

Ø      The deceased’s occupation (if any)

Ø      Please take the NHS medical card along if at all possible

If the deceased is a married woman then you will also need to give her maiden name, and husband’s full name and occupation.

If the death was unexpected, the doctor may not have been able to issue a cause of death certificate.  In this case the death will be referred to the Coroner, and is covered in its own section.  The Coroner will inform you of the registration process depending on their findings.

The registrar will give you three certificates.

Ø      The Burial / Cremation certificate (green) should be given to us as soon as possible.

Ø      The white certificate (form 344/BD8) should be filled in and sent to the social security office for the area where the person died. This will enable any benefits to be claimed.

Ø      The registrar will also issue you a copy of the entry in the register.  Further copies are available for £3.50 and will be required for dealing with the deceased’s bank account, making claims on insurance policies, and obtaining probate or letters of administration.

They will also have leaflets explaining state benefits and form 48 which explains the procedure for dealing with wills.