By registering a death an Informant is not accepting responsibility for making a funeral arrangement.
The person who registers the death is formally known as the 'the Informant'. Only certain individuals are qualified by law to register a death. Contact details will be provided to the Register Office by the Medical Examiner's Office or Coroner’s Office. The Register Office will call to make an appointment to register the death, asking for the name and relationship of the person who will be attending the appointment to check that they are the best person available to do this. It is preferable if a person who is at the top of the list below registers. It can be someone further down the list if a more qualified informant cannot carry out the registration for reasons of disability or ill health, they are out of the country or other reasons such as being in custody.
If the death occurred inside a house or public building such as a hospital, the following people may register the death:
are a relative (by blood or marriage)
were with the person when they died
the partner of the deceased (living as partners in an enduring relationship)
live at the address where the person died
a personal representative of the deceased (such as a solicitor)
are arranging the funeral (but not the undertaker)
If the informant does not speak or understand English, they need to bring someone who can translate for them.
What do I need to do to register a death?
The registrar will ask for the following information about the deceased:
Date of death
Where the death occurred
Full name (including any other names they may have been known by)
Date of birth
Where they were born
Occupation
Home address
Name and occupation of spouse or civil partner
Your name and address
If you have them, it also helps to take the person’s:
Birth certificate
Marriage or civil partnership certificate