What to do in the event of someone dying

The death of someone close to you can be extremely difficult. At the same time, there are practical and legal steps that must be taken, often when you feel least able to deal with them. You do not have to complete everything immediately. The priorities will normally be confirming the death, completing the medical certification process, registering the death and arranging the funeral. Matters such as probate, property, personal belongings and the administration of the estate can usually be dealt with later. This guide explains the general procedure in England and Wales. Different arrangements apply in Scotland and Northern Ireland.

What Happens Immediately After a Death?

What happens first will depend on where and how the person died. If the death occurs in a hospital, hospice or care home, staff will explain the immediate arrangements and contact the appropriate medical professionals. If someone dies at home and the death was expected, contact the doctor or healthcare professional responsible for their care. If the death was unexpected, unexplained or appears to have resulted from an accident, violence or other unnatural cause, contact the emergency services. The death may need to be reported to the Coroner.

The Medical Certificate and Medical Examiner

The death-certification process in England and Wales changed in September 2024. Where a coroner does not investigate the death, a doctor will propose the cause of death, and an independent medical examiner will review it. The medical examiner is a senior doctor who was not involved in treating the person who died. The medicalexaminer'ss office will normally:

• Review the medical records and proposed cause of death;
• Discuss the cause of death with the attending doctor;
• allow the family to raise questions or concerns;
• Decide whether the death must be referred to the Coroner; and
• Send the completed Medical Certificate of Cause of Death directly to the register office.

The family will not usually be asked to collect the medical certificate from the hospital or GP and take it to the registrar.

Registering the Death

A death should normally be registered within five days of the register office receiving the completed medical certificate from the medical examiner. This is different from the former rule, commonly described as five days from the date of death. Delays in the medical-examiner process do not mean that the family has failed to register the death in time. Where a coroner is investigating, the ordinary registration deadline is suspended,d and the Coroner's office will explain what happens next. The death will normally be registered in the district where it occurred. Contact the local register office to check whether an appointment is required and whether it will be in person or remote.

Who Can Register a Death?

The person registering the death is known as the informant. The registrar will explain who is legally entitled to register. This will commonly be:

• A relative of the person who died;
• A person who was present at the death;
• A person who lives in the house where the death occurred;
• An administrator from the hospital or institution where the person died; or
• A person arranging the funeral, although not normally the funeral director acting only in their professional capacity.

The precise rules can depend on where the death occurred, so check with the register office where necessary.

Information Needed to Register the Death

The registrar will usually ask for:

• The person's full name and any previous names;
• Their date and place of birth;
• Their last address;
• The date and place of death;
• Their occupation or former occupation;
• The name and occupation of a surviving or deceased spouse or civil partner;
• Whether they were receiving a State Pension or other public benefits; and
• Your own name, address and relationship to the person who died.

It can be helpful to have documents such as a passport, birth certificate, marriage or civil-partnership certificate and proof of address. However, the register office should tell you what is actually required, and the absence of an optional document will not necessarily prevent registration. Take care when checking the information entered in the register. Correcting an error later may require a formal application and a fee.

Documents Issued After Registration

Once the death has been registered, the registrar will normally provide:

• A certificate for burial or cremation, sometimes called the green form, unless this has been issued through the coroner process;
• Information about the Tell Us Once service; and
• The opportunity to purchase certified copies of the death certificate.

Death certificates are not normally issued free of charge. It is useful to purchase several copies, as banks, insurers, pension providers, and other organisations may ask to see one. Many organisations now accept verified electronic notifications or return certificates, so consider how many copies are genuinely required before ordering a large number.

When a Death Is Reported to the Coroner

A death may be referred to the Coroner where:

• The cause of death is unknown;
• The death was violent or unnatural;
• The death was sudden and unexplained;
• The person had not recently been seen by an appropriate doctor;
• The death may have resulted from medical treatment or neglect;
• The death was related to employment or an industrial disease;
• The person died in custody or state detention; or
• There are other circumstances requiring investigation.

A referral does not necessarily mean that an inquest or post-mortem examination will be required. The Coroner may decide that the cause of death is sufficiently clear and allow the death to be certified and registered without further investigation.

Post-Mortem Examinations

The Coroner may order a post-mortem examination where it is necessary to establish the cause of death. The Coroner does not require the family's consent for a legally ordered post-mortem, although the family should be told when and where it will take place. The family may also ask for a medical representative to attend, although this may involve a fee. After the examination, the Coroner may:

• Decide that no further investigation is required;
• Release the body and provide the information needed to register the death; or
• Open a continuing investigation or inquest.

Coroner's Investigations and Inquests

An inquest is a public judicial investigation into who died and how, when and where the death occurred. It is not a criminal trial and does not determine civil or criminal liability. An inquest may be necessary where the death was violent or unnatural, the cause remains unknown, or the person died in custody or state detention. The funeral can usually take place before the inquest has concluded. The Coroner can issue the necessary authority