Death - Registering
Losing a loved one is a difficult time. Death in itself is distressing and, unfortunately, the administrative procedures which must be followed can be an additional unwelcome burden.
You are legally required to register the death within five days, unless a coroner is investigating the death.
The following people are able to register a death:
- A relative present at the final illness of the deceased, or present at the death
- A relative, preferably currently living in Hackney
- A person present at the death
- Or the person arranging the funeral with the undertakers
When you go to see the registrar at Hackney Town Hall, you will need to take with you a medical certificate of death. You will need to give the following information:
- Full name (and any maiden name)
- If the person who died was a married woman or a widow, the full name and occupation of her husband
- Date and place of birth
- Occupation and usual address
The registrar will take these details and put them into the death register, and once these details have been given and agreed, you will be asked to confirm this information by signing the death register. The registrar will then provide you with a death certificate and a document allowing you to organise funeral arrangements, either a cremation or burial, as well as a certificate for sending to the Department of Social Security. Each certificate issued on the date of registration has a statutory fee of £3.50.
If the death occured in Hackney, but you have difficulty in getting to Hackney to register, you can register at your local register office 'by declaration'.
However, no death certificates or related documents can be issued by Hackney on the day and this may cause delays in arranging the funeral. Please call Registrars in order to assist you with this.
Which deaths need to be reported to the coroner?
A small number of deaths have to be reported to the coroner before they can be registered and before the document allowing the funeral to go ahead can be issued. The following are the deaths that, if not already reported to the coroner by someone else, will be reported by the registrar:
- where there is no doctor who can issue a medical certificate of cause of death, or
- where the deceased was not seen by the doctor issuing the medical certificate after death nor within 14 days before death, or
- where the cause of death is unknown, or
- where the cause of death is believed to be unnatural or suspicious, or
- where the death occurred during an operation or before recovery from an anaesthetic, or
- where the death is due to industrial disease or industrial poisoning
Once a death has been reported to the coroner, the registrar cannot go ahead with the registration until the coroner has decided whether any further investigation into the death is necessary. In the vast majority of cases no further investigation is necessary and the registration can be completed straightaway.
If a death has been reported to the coroner, he or she may issue a certificate for burial or cremation where possible.
For more information, and to arrange a registration, please use the contact details on the right.
Page updated: 23 Sep 2008