Death registering
Registering a death
Death should be registered in the district in which it takes
place within five days of the date of death. Upon receipt of all
required information pertaining to the deceased person a death
certificate is issued by the registrar.
What to do
Registration is a legal process so it is important you
understand what is required. If you have any
difficulties with English please let us know so we can arrange an
interpreter for you. If you know someone who is willing to
interpret for you please bring them with you.
How quickly should a death be registered?
You should register a death within five days. In some cases,
however, a death may be reported to the coroner and registration
may be delayed. If you have any questions, please contact us.
Who can register the death?
Most deaths take place in a house or an institution (like a
hospital) and the law says under these circumstances the people who
can register a death are:
- A relative of the deceased
- A person who was present at the death
- The occupier of the house or institution where the death took
place, if there is no known relative able to register
- The person who is arranging the funeral
Where can I register the death?
You should register the death in the registration district where
it took place. However, if it’s difficult for you to get there,
please contact the Register Office for advice.
What information will the registrar require?
- Date and place of death
- Full name of the person who has died
- For women, their maiden name if married
- Date and place of birth
- Occupation of the person. For a married woman, we also need the
full name and occupation of her husband
- Usual address
- Whether the person was receiving a public funded pension
- If married, the date of birth of the spouse
- If available, the National Health Service number or NHS
card
It is important that you check the register very carefully
before signing it. It is a legal record, which is very difficult to
correct at a later date.
What documents will the registrar give me?
You will be given a special form to take to the undertaker. In
some cases this may be issued by the Coroner. The Registrar will
also issue a form for the Department of Works and Pensions. This
should be filled in and sent, or taken, to the nearest DSS office
if applicable.
Fees:
Death certificates can be purchased at the time of the
registration at a cost of £4.00 each. Once the register is
deposited with the Superintendent Registrar the fee for each death
certificate will be £10.00 each.
Emergency burial certificates:
You can get Emergency Burial certificates on Saturdays between
9.30am and 11.30am. Please contact the Registrar first on: 020 7364
7880/020 7364 7893 (General advice).
On Sundays and Bank Holidays there is a standby service for
Emergency Burial Certificates only between 9am and 10am. You can
contact a registrar on: 07946 390 834.
Tell us once:
A new service in Tower Hamlets means that you
no longer have to notify a variety of council and government
departments, instead you just tell the council's Registrar while
they are registering the death. You can use the Tell Us Once
service at the Register Office or complete it by phone or internet
afterwards.
The Registrar will then pass the right
information to the relevant council departments and other public
sector service providers, such as the Department for Work and
Pensions, the Identity and Passport Service and the Driver and
Vehicle Licensing Agency.
The new service can be accessed by anyone
registering a death in Tower Hamlets at the Register Office,
Bromley Public Hall, Bow Road, or via phone afterwards.
In order to get the most out of the service,
the Registrar will need the deceased person's National Insurance
number, details of any benefits they received, and their driving
licence and passport numbers.
Tell us once Breavement Leaflet
Contact:
Tower Hamlets Register Office
Bromley Public Hall
Bow Road
London, E3 3AA
Tel: 020 7364 7880
Fax: 020 7364 7885
Email: register.office@towerhamlets.gov.uk
Open: Monday, Tuesday, Thursday
and Friday, 9.30am to 4.30pm. Wednesday 9.30-11.30am
and 2-4.30pm.
We do not operate an appointment system so you can attend this
office anytime during the opening
hours.
For free translation of this information phone:
Newham translation service: 020 8430 6921
Monday – Friday 9.00am to 5.00pm
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