8. Registering the death

Registering a death takes place at a Registrars Office. The Death Certificate is created at this appointment and the death is officially recorded. Once you have collected the Medical Certificate of Cause of Death from the hospital it must be taken to the Registrar of Births, Deaths and Marriages in order to register the death (unless the Coroner is involved). Once you have received the Medical Certificate of Cause of Death you will need to make an appointment with the Registrar. If the Coroner is involved it will be necessary to telephone the Registrar in the first instance to ensure that the necessary paperwork has been received from the Coroner prior to making an appointment to Register the death.

In order to register the death you must be either a relative of the deceased or the person making the funeral arrangements.

You may wish to take someone along to support you whilst making the arrangements.

You may now register anywhere in Devon except Torbay or Plymouth as they are in separate Unitary Authorities and have their own registration services.

A Registrar will talk to you in private about the person who has died and you will need to know the following information: • The full names and surname (correctly spelt) and the maiden surname if the deceased is a woman who had married • Their date and place of death • Their date and place of birth (it may be helpful to take their Birth Certificate) • Their previous occupation (and if the deceased was a married woman or a widow, the name and occupation of her husband) • Their usual address • Whether they received a pension or allowance from public funds • The date of birth of a surviving widow or widower if the deceased was married • Their NHS (medical) card if available

This information is entered into the register and the person registering the death must sign this with their usual signature, using special registrar’s ink. You will be required to read the entry so please make sure you have your reading glasses if you use them.

The Registrar offers a “tell us once” service which alerts other government agencies to a death.

You will then be given two forms:

A certificate of registration of death - Form BD8 (‘white form’). This is different from the Medical Certificate of Cause of Death. Please read the information on the back of the form, fill it in and send it to your local social security office. The address of your local social security office can be obtained by ringing the Department of Work and Pensions national customer service number 0845 6060 265

A certificate for burial or cremation (‘green form’). This is for your funeral director and authorises them to make arrangements on your behalf.

You will need to get copies of the death certificate for a number of official purposes. We cannot say how many you will need as individual circumstances vary, but as examples you may need copies for such things as insurance, premium bonds, bank accounts and private pensions.

There is a fee for providing copies of the death certificate: please ask us for advice of the current charges. Please note that there is no free copy of the certificate.

People you may need to notify:

Legal/Financial

q Bank/Building Society q Solicitor q Insurance companies q Credit card companies

q Employer q Trade Union

Employment/Pension

q Dept of Work & Pensions q Social Security office q Inland Revenue

Domestic & Personal

q TV Licensing q Gas/Electricity/Water q Newspaper/Milkman q Telephone company q Rental companies q Vehicle Licensing q Council Offices q Cancel appointments q Clubs/Associations q Royal Mail deliveries

Items that may need returning:

q Pensions/Benefits books q Driving Licence q NHS equipment on loan q Store cards/loyalty cards q Bus pass/blue badge q Passport q National Insurance card q Library cards/season tickets