Registering a death

UK Law requires all deaths to be registered, usually before a funeral takes place. The exception to this is when the coroner is involved (in case of a sudden death), in which case it is permitted to register after the funeral. This can be up to 6 months are the death, depending on the circumstances. If required for legal purposes, the coroner’s office will provide a temporary death certificate.

Deaths can be registered at any registrar’s office in Northern Ireland. You will need to bring a medical certificate stating the cause of death and any contributing factors (this is issued by a doctor). It doesn’t cost to register a death but there is a charge for certified copies of the death certificate, which can be needed for legal or official notifications to banks/building societies etc…

A death can be registered by:

  • Any relative of the deceased who can supply and has a knowledge of the required information to register the death (can be relative through marriage)
  • A person who was present at the death
  • The executer of the deceased estate
  • A person taking charge of the body or a person who found the body
  • The occupier, at the time of death, of the premises in which the death occurred.