Generally, it is up to the nearest relatives or a close friend to arrange a funeral after the death of a loved one. If there is no one to do the organising, the local health authority arranges a simple funeral on behalf of the deceased. The person who has passed away may have left some instructions about the type of burial and funeral they’d prefer. The people arranging the funeral aren’t legally obliged to follow these instructions, but they usually do.
When a loved one passes away it can be very emotional. Organising a funeral is possibly the last thing you want to be doing at such a difficult time. However, if you understand what you need and have to do, the issue becomes much easier to handle.
What to do when someone dies
When someone close to you dies, it can be hard to consider the practical things, but you do have to deal with them. You have to take certain steps, depending on whether or not the death was expected, and where the death occurred.
- Expected death at home: Call the family doctor and nearest relative. The doctor issues a medical certificate of the cause of death, which allows you to register the death at the Register Office. Once you’ve registered the death, the registrar can issue a death certificate. When you’re ready, you can then contact a funeral director to arrange a funeral.
- Unexpected death at home: You may need to report this to a coroner who is responsible for investigating unexpected deaths. They may decide to call for a post-mortem or an inquest to determine the cause of death.
- Death in hospital: It is usual for the hospital to issue a medical certificate and formal notice. The hospital then provides support with the next steps you need to take. They will keep the body in the hospital mortuary until you’ve arranged a chapel of rest or you’ve made arrangements to take the body home.
You must register a death within 5 days, after which you’ll get the funeral documents for the funeral. In England and Wales, you can delay registration for further 9 days, provided the registrar receives written confirmation that a doctor has signed the medical cause of death certificate.
If you can’t attend a registrar in the district in England in which the death occurred, you can attend elsewhere and carry out a declaration of death.
Generally, you have to register the death before the funeral can take place.
What you need to register a death
To register a death you must take the following documents, of the deceased, with you to a Register Office:
- The medical certificate of cause of death (unless the coroner has issued the document directly to the registrar)
- NHS card
- Birth certificate
- Driving licence
- Council tax bill
- Marriage or civil partnership certificate
- National insurance number of the deceased and the number of a surviving spouse or civil partner (if this information is available)
- Passport
- Proof of address, for example, a utility bill
The registrar will be very helpful and will ask for certain information about the deceased.
Don’t worry if you can’t find all these documents.
Alternatively, you can use the UK government's online tool to register a death. This includes:
- When and where the deceased passed away
- The address of the deceased
- Their full names (for married women this includes their maiden name), any previous names, or other names they may have used
- Where and when they were born
- Their occupation or last occupation if now retired
- Details of their wife or husband or civil partner
- Whether they received any government pension or other benefits
What is a death certificate?
A death certificate is a certified copy of the death entry in the register. It proves that someone has registered the death.
How to order the death certificate
When the registrar has all the information they need and they have entered it in the death register, they will give you a death certificate.
You can ask for additional copies from the register of deaths if there is a possibility the person’s estate will have to go through probate. You’ll also need copies of the UK death certificate for asset holders, such as the bank and building society, pension, and insurance companies.
Cost of a death certificate
Registering a death is free, however, if you need certified copies of the UK death certificate you’ll have to pay. The cost to apply for a certificate at the time of registering the death varies from one country to another. The cost of a death certificate is:
- England and Wales: £11.00 per copy
- Death certificate in Scotland: £10.00 per copy
- Northern Ireland: £8.00 per copy
Legal, financial, and insurance companies don’t usually accept photocopies of the death certification as they are a breach of copyright.
Death certificate register
The death certificate register is a record of all death certificates that registrars have issued since 1837. The General Register Office (GRO) of England and Wales is responsible for storing death records.
Only certain people can register a death, but once it has been registered and a UK death certificate issued, anyone can order a death certificate replacement.
To order a copy of a death certificate, you first have to register on the General Register Office website. You’ll need a GRO index reference number to order a death certificate. You can find this number online. Perform a death certificate search using the GRO online index of historic births (1837 to 1916) and deaths (1837 to 1957) or view index reference numbers for free on the FreeBMD website.
Some commercial companies have index reference numbers online. But, you’ll have to pay to search them and prices vary.
The will of the deceased
If a person dies and they’ve left a will, it means you’ve got to get probate and distribute the estate according to the instructions in the will. If you write a will, it makes sorting out your estate much easier. Wills can be registered on the National Will Register.
Those you’ve left behind will know exactly what you want if you request a record of wishes as a part of your funeral plan. It saves a lot of grief and heartache. If you pre-plan your own funeral, you will make funeral arrangements much simpler for your family.
What is probate?
Probate is a legal document permitting the executor of the will to sort out a person’s estate, following their will. In England, Wales, and Northern Island you apply for a grant of probate. In Scotland, you apply for a grant of representation.
Registrars enter probates issued into the probate record and you can find them online approximately 14 days after their issue. Gov.uk has a service whereby you can access probate records. You can use it if you need to search for a probate record in England and Wales, check if a registrar has issued probate, the type of probate, or order a copy of a probate record. You pay £1.50 for each copy of a probate record you order online.
Obtaining a certificate for burial and other paperwork
When you register a death, the registrar gives you a burial certificate or ‘green form’. If you’re making the funeral arrangements you hand this certificate to the funeral director. A funeral cannot take place until you give the burial certificate to the burial authority or the crematorium. There is no cost for this certificate.
If you want to arrange a burial, you have to complete an application form to purchase a new grave or to re-open an existing plot. If the coroner is going to hold an inquest, there is no green form, but they will issue an Order for Burial (Form 101).
The certificate for cremation and follow-up documentation
If you’re planning a cremation, the registrar gives you a cremation certificate. There is also a form you have to fill in when you book the crematorium. This form is commonly known as an ‘Authority for the disposal of cremated remains’. They might also ask you to complete a ‘funeral instruction form’.
You need to provide details of the person who has died, and the preferences for timing and music during the ceremony.
Funeral documents in case of a coroner’s report
If a coroner is informed of a death, the documents you need to register the death may be different. It is up to the coroner to decide if the cause of death is clear, whether they need to order a post-mortem or hold an inquest.
If the cause of death is clear the doctor signs a medical certificate. You take it to the registrar to register the death, together with a certificate issued by the coroner that states a post-mortem is not necessary.
If the coroner decides they need to order a post-mortem, you can’t object. However, they are obliged to tell you when and where the examination will take place. One they’ve completed the post-mortem, the coroner releases the body for a funeral. When the coroner releases the body with no inquest, they send a ‘Pink Form’ (Form 100B) to the registrar stating the cause of death. If the body is to be cremated, they will also send a ‘Certificate of Coroner’ (Form Cremation 6).
If an inquest is necessary, you need to get an interim death certificate so you can notify the registrar of the death. You will get a final death certificate from the registrar once the inquest is over. Request an interim death certificate if you need proof of the death while you wait for the inquest to be complete. You can use it to apply for probate.
Additional paperwork before the funeral
If the deceased has been receiving a pension or benefits, the registrar will also issue a Certificate for Department of Work and Pensions benefits (BD8 Form). Send this certificate to the Department of Work and Pensions. Alternatively, you can use the government’s Tell Us Once service. This means all relevant organisations will be notified of the death.
When the deceased was a pensioner, you can inform the Pensions Service of their death by telephone. Whether you need to send a BD8 certificate depends on your relationship with the deceased.
Who is responsible for arranging the funeral documents?
Typically, a close relative of the deceased will register the death and obtain the necessary documentation. However, if no relatives are available, only certain people can register a death. These include:
- The person who was present when the person died
- A person who lives in the house where the person died
- The person arranging the funeral, but not the funeral director.
A funeral director’s role is to arrange for care of the deceased, offer guidance and support, make arrangements for the funeral service, and provide professional advice. They can also help guide you through legal processes such as registering the death and completing documentation.
If you’re planning a cremation, the crematorium will be able to help with advice on what personal items you can place with the body and many other aspects of the funeral ceremony.
If you want to discuss plans for your funeral, our planning ahead advisors are available to answer your question and help you every step of the way.