How to register a death

How to register a death?

The death must be registered at the following office:

The Registrar’s Office
Museum Street
Warrington
WA1 1JX

Tel: 01925 442194

Opening hours: 9.30am - 4.30pm Monday to Friday

The above office is for registering deaths occurring in the Borough of Warrington. For deaths outside the Borough of Warrington, please contact us for advice.

If the death has been referred to the Coroner, it cannot be registered until the Registrar has received authority from the Coroner.

You can speak to the Coroner’s officers on 01925 442475, 01925 442476 or 01925 442477

The death should normally be registered within five days unless the Registrar indicates this period may be extended.

You will need the following documents:

• The Medical Certificate of cause of death
• The deceased’s Medical Card, if available
• The deceased’s birth certificate, if available

You should tell the Registrar:-

• The date and place of death
• The deceased’s last (usual) address
• The deceased’s first names and surname (and maiden name where appropriate)
• The deceased’s date and place of birth (town and county, and country if born abroad)
• The deceased’s occupation and the name and occupation of the husband (where applicable)
• Whether the deceased was in receipt of a pension or allowance from public funds
• If the deceased was married, the date of birth of the surviving widow or widower

The Registrar will give you:-

• A Certificate for Burial or Cremation (known as the Green Form) unless the Coroner has given you an Order for Burial (Form 101) or a Certificate for Cremation (Form E). This gives permission for the body to be buried or for an application for cremation to be made. We will require this form as soon as possible.
• A Certificate of Registration of Death (Form BD8[rev]). This is for Social Security purposes only. Read the information on the back of the certificate. If any of it applies, fill in the certificate and send it to your Social Security office.

The Death Certificate

The Death Certificate

The Death Certificate is a certified copy of the entry in the Death Register. Certified copies are available for a fee. You will need a Death Certificate for banks, building societies, insurance companies etc.

Sudden Death and the Coroner

Sudden Death and the Coroner

The Coroner is a doctor or a lawyer responsible for investigating deaths in the following situations:-

• The deceased was not attended by a doctor during their last illness or, if the doctor who treated the deceased had not seen the deceased either after death or within 14 days before death.
• The death was violent or unnatural or occurred while the patient was undergoing an operation or was under the effect of anaesthetic.
• The death occurred in prison or police custody.

The Coroner may arrange for a post-mortem examination of the body. The consent of the relatives is not needed for this but they can choose a doctor to be present.

Inquest

Inquest

An inquest is an enquiry into the medical cause and circumstances of a death. The Coroner will hold an inquest if the death was:-

• Violent or unnatural
• Caused by an industrial disease
• Caused by a road accident
• Caused by an accident at work, or
• If the cause of death remains uncertain after a post-mortem examination.

Help with the cost of the funeral

Help with the cost of the funeral

The following information should be treated as general guidance.

Who is entitled to financial assistance?

You may receive assistance if there are insufficient funds to pay for the funeral and you are responsible for making the funeral arrangements and are in receipt of any of the following benefits:

• Income support
• Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance
• Housing Benefit
• Council Tax Benefit
• Working Families Tax Credit
• Child Tax Credit
• Pension Credit

The Social Fund may make a contribution towards the cost of a simple funeral within the United Kingdom.

This includes:-

• Bringing the body home if the person has died away from home but within the United Kingdom
• The Death Certificate
• A standard coffin
• The hearse for the coffin and bearers
• Flowers from the person who is arranging the funeral
• Contribution towards fees of the Funeral Director
• Chaplain and organist’s fees for a simple funeral
• Cemetery Fee or Crematorium Fee
• Doctors’ Fees