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Home Deaths

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When must a death be registered?

The death must be registered within five days of it occurring.
In certain circumstances, this period may be extended, for example when the Coroner has been consulted.

If a death occurred in the London Borough of Redbridge it must be registered at the Register Office in Barkingside.

The Register Office is closed on Bank Holidays. Please see opening times for further information

At the end of this page are details of arrangements in place for urgent burial advice during the days the Register Office is closed

How do I register the death?

Once you have received the medical certificate from the doctor stating the cause of death contact the Register Office on 020 8708 7123 to make an appointment to register the death.

If you are unable to get through to the Register Office, you can also make an appointment by calling the the Customer Contact Centre.

When booking your appointment you be asked for the following information:

the name of the deceased
where and when the death occurred
who you are
confirmation that you have the medical certificate, and medical card (if available)

How can I get documents for an urgent burial outside of working hours?

Picture of statue

Find out about the Register office appointment

Payment details

The cost of a certificate is £4 per certificate on day of registration. This increases to £7 per certificate after day of registration and later to £10 per certificate.

Who can register a death?

The majority of deaths are registered by a relative of the deceased. However if there are no relatives available, the registrar would normally allow one of the other listed persons below to register the death.

For deaths in a home, building or hospital, the following persons may register:

a relative of the deceased
someone present at the death
the occupier of the house or hospital if he or she knew of the death
another person living at the house if he or she knew of the death
the person making the arrangements with the funeral directors

For deaths elsewhere, in addition to the above, the following persons may register:

someone who found the body
a person in charge of the body

Was the death reported to the coroner?

if so, the coroner will decide whether any further investigation into a death is necessary in the following situations:

where there is no doctor who can issue a medical certificate of cause of death, or
where the deceased was not seen by the doctor issuing the medical certificate after death nor within 14 days before death, or where the cause of death is unknown, or
where the cause of death is believed to be unnatural or suspicious, or where the death occurred during an operation or before recovery from an anaesthetic, or
where the death is due to industrial disease or industrial poisoning

If no further investigation is necessary then you will be able to register the death and be issued with the document allowing the funeral to go ahead.

Can I take a body out of England?

You must give notice to the coroner, If a body is to be taken out of England and Wales. This includes removal to Scotland, Northern Ireland, the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands, as well as abroad. There is no restriction on the removal of bodies within England and Wales.

The coroner will acknowledge receipt of the notice and say when the removal of the body may take place, this is normally after four clear days. If you require removal before this time, you should speak directly to the coroner. Ask for a Form of Notice (form 104) from the registrar or the coroner.

How can I get documents for an urgent burial out of hours?

For advice about the issue of disposal documents to facilitate urgent burials first try ringing the Register Office on 020 8708 7123. Normal office opening hours are 9-4 on weekdays and 9.30-11.30am on Saturdays but officers are sometimes available at the office outside normal opening hours and will be willing to help.

If there is no response then try ringing the Customer Contact Centre on 020 8554 5000.

If the Customer Contact Centre is unavailable, ring the Redbridge Bereavement Helpline on 020 8708 5600 and select the option 'speak to an officer'.

The Register Office operates an out of hours service on days when the office is closed (except December 25th) when a registrar will normally be available to issue urgent documentation between 9.00 and 10.30am only. This service is not operated from the Register Office and there is no point in going to the office between these times.

Please note also that the requirements for us to issue a burial disposal are detailed and depend on factors such as where the death occurred, whether the doctor or hospital has issued the necessary paperwork and the cause of death. The registrar needs to speak to the enquirer to establish the circumstances surrounding the death and decide whether the disposal may be issued. This is a decision for the registrar alone.

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