Register a death

By law, a death must be registered within five calendar days of the Registration Service receiving the Medical Certificate of Cause of Death or instructions from the Coroner following the conclusion of an investigation.

Medical Examiner review

All deaths not referred to the Coroner must be reviewed by an NHS Medical Examiner before registration can take place.

A member of the Medical Examiner’s team will contact you directly to:

• Discuss the cause of death
• Confirm when the Medical Certificate will be sent to the Registration Service

What happens next

Once the Registration Service receives the Medical Certificate:

• A Registration Officer will contact you to arrange an appointment
• If the Medical Examiner’s Office has provided your email address, you will also receive an email inviting you to book your appointment online

We cannot book an appointment until we have received the Medical Certificate from the Medical Examiner’s Office.