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Registering a death

  • Due to an unexpected increase in demand for death registrations, appointment times may take you beyond the normal five days. Please do not worry about this.
  • We will do our best to arrange your appointment as soon as we have all of the necessary, completed paperwork from the doctors, hospitals, bereavement office and hospice.
  • Please do not try to call to make an appointment. We will call you in due course.
  • Many thanks for your understanding at this very difficult time.

A death should be registered within five days, unless the Registrar says that this period may be extended. Please let us know if there is any anticipated delay.


Where can I register a death?

A death will be registered in the district in which the death occurred. If the death occurred in Telford and Wrekin, we will register the death.

From 25 March 2022, all registration appointments will take place in person at our office in Wellington. There will be no facility to register online or over the telephone. Please note: The maximum number of people that can enter the office for a registration is two. Anyone additional attending may have to wait outside.

Please would family members wishing to register the death of a loved one check with the doctor or Coroner’s office that the correct medical certificate of cause of death or Coroner’s notification has been electronically submitted to the Registrar. Once we have all of the relevant paperwork to make the registration, a member of the team will call, text or email the next of kin to arrange the registration appointment.


Can I pre-register the death?

You cannot currently ‘pre-register’ a death in Telford & Wrekin. However, you can notify us that somebody has passed-away. Please note: it is not mandatory to do this, nor is it a legal requirement; you will still need to attend the Register Office to register the death at a later stage.

In completing the death notification, you will be letting us know of a death that has occurred in Telford & Wrekin.

Please do not notify us of a death that has happened outside of our district, for example in Wolverhampton, Shropshire or Staffordshire.

Once all of the paperwork has been completed by the hospital, Coroner or medical practitioner, we will be in touch with you to make an appointment to register the death.

Notify us of a death in Telford and Wrekin


Who can register a death?

The people legally allowed to register a death are, in order of preference:

  • a relative;
  • a person present at the death;
  • the occupier of the premises where the death occurred if he/she were aware of the death (this means a senior representative of any establishment, such as a nursing home or hospital; if the death occurred in a house, any person who either owns it or is liable for its entire rent, or for the rent of the part in which the death occurred);
  • the person responsible for arranging the funeral (this is not the Funeral Director, but the person instructing them).

How do I register a death?

You are able to register a death or make a declaration of particulars in Telford and Wrekin at our Register Office in Wellington, Monday to Friday. All registrations are by appointment only. Please wait for one of the team to call you to make the appointment.

The registration process can take up to 40 minutes to complete. At the end of the appointment, the Registrar will also issue you with a unique number on a letter, with some guidance on how to complete the Tell Us Once service - notifying various Government departments of the death - in one simple online submission. You will be advised by the Registrar to submit details to the Tell Us Once service within 28 days.

We will need the following information in order to process the registration:

  • the date and place of death;
  • the forename(s) and surname of the deceased and, if the deceased was a woman who had been married, her maiden name;
  • the date and place of birth of the deceased;
  • the occupation, and if the deceased was married or widowed or had a civil partner, the full name and occupation of their wife or husband;
  • the usual address of the deceased;
  • if the deceased was married or in a Civil Partnership, the date of birth of the surviving spouse;
  • whether the deceased was in receipt of a pension from public funds; for example, if they or their spouse were employed by a Government department or the armed forces;
  • the NHS number taken from the Medical Card of the deceased.

Documents to bring with you to your appointment:

  • the medical certificate of cause of death issued by the doctor (if there has been a Coroner's post-mortem, the Coroner's officers will advise you);
  • the deceased's Medical Card, if it is readily available;
  • birth and marriage certificates are also useful as a checking aid, if readily available;
  • some money, for if you wish to purchase certified death certificates; it is important to remember that you are not given a death certificate free of charge; any certified copy certificates issued have to be paid for.

We will provide you with the following documents:

  • a certificate for burial or cremation (green form) - this is for you to take to the Funeral Director so that the funeral can take place (in some cases, this will be issued by the Coroner);
  • a certificate of registration of death (form BD8/344) - this is for Social Security purposes to inform them of the death, if needed;
  • certified death certificates can be purchased from the Registrar at the time of registration. These may be required to deal with such things as solicitors, banks, building societies, insurance policies and probate requirements.

Please note: Only card payments can be taken by the Registration Service. We are unable to take cash payments.


The Coroner

When a death occurs in the following circumstances, it will be referred to the Coroner:

  • the death is sudden and unexpected,
  • the cause of death is industrially-related,
  • the cause of death is unknown,
  • there are suspicious circumstances surrounding the death,
  • when a doctor has explained that they are unable to issue a medical certificate of cause of death.

Deaths reported to the Coroner

The coroner will investigate the circumstances of the death and do one of the following:

  • issue a certificate, allowing the death to be registered;
  • arrange a post-mortem, and when it is complete, issue a cause of death certificate that allows the death to be registered;
  • arrange a post-mortem and hold an inquest; the coroner will then arrange for the death to be registered after the inquest has taken place.

Find out more about Bereavement Support Payment (BSP), what it is, who can apply and how to apply

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Last updated: 09/02/2024 17:54

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