Register a death

After someone dies, a medical examiner will check the cause of death to make sure it's accurate. They will be a senior doctor and they will not have been involved in the care of the person who has died.

The medical examiner's office will then contact you to:

• explain the cause of death
• answer any questions you have about this or the healthcare provided to the person before they died

This is voluntary and you do not have to speak to them.

Registering the death

You'll also be contacted by the medical examiner's office to confirm you can register the death. Register the death within 5 days (8 days in Scotland) of being contacted. This includes weekends and bank holidays.

If the death has been referred to the coroner, they will inform you when you are able to make an appointment to register the death.

If the death occurred in South Tyneside, you can register it at South Shields Register Office.

To make an appointment, call 0191 427 7000.

For information on opening times, see South Shields Register Office. 

To make an appointment please call the register office on 0191 427 7000.

We ask that you attend the Register Office promptly for your appointment. Please note that there are limited waiting facilities.

After the registration is complete, the Registrar will:

• issue the Certificate for Burial or Cremation (which is known as the Green Form) and email it directly to the Funeral Director
• register you for the Tell Us Once service and give you a reference number, allowing you to inform multiple local and central government departments of the death in one go

Death certificates

You will need a certificate to deal with the will, money and property of the person who's died.

For information on certificate prices, see Register Office Fees.

During your appointment, the Registrar will ask you to provide the following information. 

Please make sure you have all of this information to hand before your appointment:

• Date and place of death
  This will be the name of the hospital / nursing home, or the full address, including the postal address. If the death took place in an ambulance, car, or other vehicle, you need to provide information about the location of the vehicle when the death occurred or the intended destination.
• Date and place of birth
  Please provide approximate dates if the exact date is not known. Please provide the town and county / London borough or the country of birth if you were born outside of the UK.
• Full name of the deceased
  Please provide the name they were known as at the time of their death. You should also note if they were known by any other name.
• Maiden name
  Please provide this if they were a woman who was married or in a civil partnership.
• Occupation
  Provide as much information about their job title of their most recent occupation. Please also tell us whether the deceased was retired at the time of their death.
• Marital status
  This will be the marital status of the deceased at the time of their death. The statuses are:
  • Single (never married or in a civil partnership)
  • Divorced
  • Husband or Wife
  • Widow or Widower
  • Civil Partner or Surviving Civil Partner
• Spouse or civil partner's full name and occupation
  Provide as much information about their job title of their most recent occupation. Please also tell us whether the deceased was retired at the time of their death.
   
• Address
  This should include the name or number of the house, name of the street and village or town.
• Sex
  Please specify male or female.

For certificate costs, see Register Office fees.

Tell Us Once is a service that lets you report a death to most government organisations in one go.

How to use Tell Us Once

The registrar will explain the Tell Us Once service when you register the death.

They will give you a unique reference number so you can use the service yourself online or by phone.

[youtube link="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=egkHE6y2rpg"]

A Guide to the Tell Us Once service (BSL)

This video is for British Sign Language (BSL) users and gives information about the Tell Us Once service.

[youtube link="www.youtube.com/watch?v=VLQlsDMMLXA"]

Further information

For more information, including the details you will need and the organisations we will notify, see Gov.UK - Tell us once.