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Home Births, ceremonies and deaths Register a death
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Register a death

After someone has died, their death must be legally registered

  • Coronavirus update

  • What to do

  • How to book

  • Your appointment and what we'll need

  • Costs

  • Tell Us Once

  • Downloads

  • Contact

Coronavirus update

If you need to make an appointment to register a death please phone 01823 282251

 

We are now able to carry out death registrations over the phone. Following emergency legislation passed by government, changes to the process will further protect staff and members of the public during the COVID-19 social distancing period.

Information and guidance to help you if a loved one has died during the COVID-19 pandemic
During the COVID-19 outbreak we are, together, facing a loss of life, often under very difficult circumstances.

We have created a guide to help you with practical information such as how to register a death, through to planning a funeral and information on bereavement and grief. There is also a section on further advice and support.

Thank you to those who have lost a loved one for helping us put this guide together.

Bereavement and Coronavirus Booklet

If you would like to talk someone about your loss
Grieving is important to us all, and there is no one way to grieve. It often encompasses a wide range of emotions, including (but in no particular order) anger, despair, sadness, numb, relief, worry, anxiety, frustrated and fear.

If you would like to have someone to talk to about your loss, then please contact the Bereavement Support Partnership. They are there to help you through this difficult time.

Somerset Bereavement Support Partnership
Marie Curie Companions Service to provide one to one emotional and bereavement support for all. Additional specialist help will also be available if needed.

Please phone 0800 3047 412 – Monday to Saturday 9am to 5pm

GOV.UK information
Information to help bereaved families, friends or next of kin make important decisions


Death registrations now by phone in Somerset
Somerset Registration Service are now able to carry out death registrations over the phone. Following emergency legislation passed by government, changes to the process will further protect staff and members of the public during the COVID-19 social distancing period.

A Medical Certificate of Cause of Death will be completed by a doctor and sent electronically to the Registration Service rather than being issued in paper form to the next of kin.

The informant should then phone the Registration Service on 01823 282251 to arrange their telephone appointment. They will have the option of setting up a verification word for the registrar to use at the start of the call as extra reassurance.

Once booked, an email will be sent to the informant confirming the time and date of the phone appointment, along with a checklist of the information that will need to be prepared in advance. This information is also in the ‘Your appointment and what you’ll need’ section of this page.

A process is in place for those who don’t have access to the internet, and they should seek further advice from their funeral director.

A streamlined version of the Tell Us Once service will still be available. This electronically notifies a range of government agencies and departments about the death. Informants are being asked to limit the number of copy certificates to 2 at this time, and a secure payment facility is available over the phone. Certificates and any other paperwork will be posted to the informant, while the relevant paperwork will be sent electronically to the authority undertaking the burial or cremation.

Registration Service managers are working with key partner agencies such as the Coroner, funeral homes, doctors and Health Trusts to ensure a joined up approach. While the online appointment booking system is temporarily on hold, the service aims to have this available to the public again as soon as possible. Updates to service availability are available on our COVID-19 affected services information page.

What to do

If you need to make an appointment to register a death please phone 01823 282251

After someone has died, one of the first things that must be done is to legally register the death with our Registration Service.

In most circumstances it is a legal requirement for deaths to be registered within 5 calendar days. Deaths are usually registered by a relative of the deceased person.

Please also see our Tell Us Once information about how you can use this service to inform other public services.

How to book

If the death took place in Somerset, you can register at any of our offices.

If you need to make an appointment to register a death please phone 01823 282251

Appointments to register a death are normally allocated 45 minutes.

If the death took place outside Somerset, it should be registered at the Register Office for the district in which the death occurred. If you cannot get there, you can register the death ‘by declaration’ at any Register Office in England and Wales. This means that the details you give to the registrar will be sent to the correct district to be registered.

In some circumstances the death will have been reported to the coroner. The registrar must receive documents from the coroner before the death can be registered.

You should only make provisional arrangements for a funeral until authority for the funeral has been issued, either by a registrar or the coroner.

You can book an appointment to register a death online. If you would like confirmation of your booking, you must give us a valid email address.

Your appointment and what we'll need

You will be given a private appointment with the registrar. If you wish to tell us about other government services that the deceased used, please see our information below about the free Tell Us Once service.

Unless the coroner has ordered a post mortem, you will need to take the medical certificate of cause of death, which was issued by the doctor treating the person who has died.

This is the information we will need about the person who has died.

  • Date and place of death
  • Name, surname and maiden name (if applicable) of the deceased
  • The deceased’s date and place of birth
  • Their National insurance number
  • Last occupation of the deceased
  • The usual address of the deceased
  • Their driving licence or driving licence number, if they held one – for Tell Us Once
  • Their passport, if they had one – for Tell Us Once
  • Whether the deceased received any pension or benefits from public funds
  • Name and last occupation of the deceased’s spouse (if married or widowed)
  • If the deceased was still married, the date of birth of the surviving spouse.

The full name and address of the person making the registration will also be added to the register.

We may also ask for information about the next of kin and the person dealing with the deceased’s estate. You must get the agreement of these people if you are going to provide us with information about them.

If the death occurred in a house, hospital or care home and there are no relatives available to do the registration, the registrar would normally allow one of the following people to register (in order of preference).

  • Someone present at the death
  • An occupant of the house or official from the hospital where the death occurred.
  • The person making the arrangements with the funeral directors.

If the death occurred somewhere else and there are no relatives available to do the registration, the registrar would normally accept one of the following people to register.

  • Someone present at the death
  • The person who found the body
  • The person in charge of the body
  • The person making the arrangements with the funeral directors

There is no charge for registering a death.

The registrar will give you a form (a green form) authorising the burial or cremation (unless this has already been issued by the coroner). They will also give you a form, which you can use to notify the Department for Work and Pensions if you have chosen not to use our free service to inform them on your behalf.

Costs

You will be able to buy as many copies of the death certificate as you need. Each certificate will cost £11.

The number of certificates you need to buy will depend on the number of organisations that need to be informed about the death. Banks, building societies, pension and life insurance companies will all usually ask to see a death certificate.

Please note – There will be a non-refundable fee for any correction requested to the registration. We cannot guarantee that the correction will be authorised. The fee will be £75 – in some circumstances this fee will increase to £90 if the correction needs to be authorised by the General Register Office. Therefore, it is very important that you check the document carefully at the registration appointment.

Tell Us Once

At the end of the appointment we provide a free, simple and sensitive service called Tell Us Once, which can securely pass information about a death directly to other public sector organisations. See our Tell Us Once page to find out what the service does.

Downloads

How to register a death information sheet

Tell Us Once information sheet

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