After a death, you’ll need to acquire specific documents and information as soon as possible so that you can begin funeral arrangements and record the death. You’ll need to be aware of the following:
- the deceased’s profession (if the deceased was a wife or widow, the full names and occupation of her husband or deceased husband will be required)
- If the dead was a kid, the father’s entire name and occupation will be required; if the parents are not married, the mother’s full name and occupation will be required.
- details of any pensions that the deceased may have received other than a state pension
- For certifying the death, a medical certificate specifying the cause of death (signed by a doctor) is required.
What information is on a death certificate UK?
A death certificate in England and Wales contains the following information: Date and location of death since the late 1800s, an address has been used instead of the name of an institution (for example, City Hospital will appear as 77 Dudley Road) and the name of the deceased.
Do you need a national insurance number to register a death?
You must have the medical certificate stating the reason of death with you (unless the coroner or procurator fiscal has issued their document directly to the registrar)
You should also bring the following documents if at all feasible. They aren’t strictly necessary, but they do supply a lot of the extra information you’ll need for the registration; therefore, don’t put off registering because you can’t find this paperwork.
- If at all feasible, obtain the deceased’s National Insurance number as well as the number of a surviving spouse or civil partner.
When you see the registrar, they will be as accommodating as possible when it comes to registering the death. They’ll need the following details about the dead person:
- Their complete names are (including the maiden name of a married woman). Any previous married names, as well as any other names by which the deceased was known, can be reported.
- What country they were born in and when they were born (the town or county is sufficient if the exact address is not known). For those born outside the United Kingdom, only the country of origin is necessary. If the country’s current name differs from how it was known at the time of birth, it is recorded as such.
While taking supporting documents that identify your name and residence (such as a utility bill) is not required, you can still register a death without them.
It will take about 30 minutes to complete the registration procedure. If you have a complete list, please let us know. The appointment may be prolonged by around 15 minutes once service is provided.
Registration district, sub-district and county
The official place where the death was registered is provided by the registration location. This is the district in which the death was registered, not the specific location of the death. For example, if someone died near London’s Wembley Stadium, the following information would be provided:
Full name of deceased person
The whole name of the dead person, including any given middle names, will be presented. Keep in mind that the deceased’s name will be whatever the person recording the death provides. It is quite typical for a friend who may have known the deceased by a different name or nickname to register the death (i.e. Jonathan Grover may be recorded as Jon Grover or John Grover on the certificate). Similarly, if the dead used their middle name throughout their life, their first and middle names may be reversed.
Informant details
When it comes to death registrations, someone is assigned the task of going to a registration office and registering the death. Usually, this is a family member, a friend, or a medical or nursing professional. This person’s information, referred to as the informant, will be recorded on the certificate. The name, address, and relationship of the informant to the dead will be noted.
Cause of death
On the death certificate, the reason of death will be noted. This will be determined by either a medical practitioner or, if the cause is unknown at the time, a coroner.
Date the death was registered
It is common for the death to be registered on a day other than the date of death. If the death is not reported to the coroner, it must be documented at the local register office within 5 days of the death. On the deceased’s death certificate, the date of the actual registration is noted.
Details of registrar
The name of the registrar who handled the death registration will appear on the certificate. This could be a handwritten or typed signature (in recent years).
Date the certificate was produced
The precise date that the original registration document was issued is recorded on the death certificate in the case of a re-issue.
Other information
The wording “Certified to be a true copy of an entry in the death registry” will appear on reissued death certificates. This is typical phrasing on every official death certificate, referring to the fact that the certificate is essentially a copy of the original death register’s facts. It does not imply that it is a photocopy of an original and can thus be utilized for any formal purpose, such as estate taxes or pension arrangements.
What is the death certificate number UK?
The death certificate number can be found in the top right hand corner above the title ‘CERTIFIED COPY OF AN ENTRY’ provided you have a copy of the death certificate. If you don’t have a death certificate or a number, leave this section blank; you can still register details without it.
What is shown on a death certificate?
The deceased’s age, occupation, final residence, and cause of death will all be listed in these records. It will also contain the name and relationship of the individual who is reporting the authorities, as well as information about whether or not a spouse is still alive.
Helpful tips:
- The registration takes place in the location where the person passed away. It’s possible that they died while they were away from home, so if you don’t find the record in the place you expect, broaden your search.
- If there was an inquest, the registration may have taken a long time (months or years) to complete; attempt a more general search of the date to discover the record.
Missing records
While birth, death, and marriage registration were available in 1837, it was not enforced until 1875, thus some may have been’missed’ and will not appear in our archives between these dates.
We will not have an entry in our archives if a birth, death, or marriage occurred outside of Surrey County or overseas, as we only save records of events that occurred in our area.
Additional facts to note
- Try an alternate spelling of the name because the registrar may have to put his or her interpretation of the spelling on the registration if the person enrolling is unable to read or write. This could explain why there are so many different spellings of names nowadays!
- If the registrant is unable to read or write, the registrar will ask them to sign with a cross instead of a signature. The registrar would then write ‘The mark of’ followed by the name of the individual registering to record their approval to the registration.
When creating a copy certificate, we try to scan as many records as feasible (assuming there are no problems in the original entry). If you buy a certificate from us, you might get an image of the original registration, which you can view precisely as it appears in our archives and see your ancestors’ real writing or mark!
Can you view death certificates online UK?
The death records of England provide a wealth of useful information. This provides the decedent’s death date and location. You can also get the person’s entire name, sex, age, death cause, and occupation. Surprisingly, if the decedent is a kid, the name of the child’s parent is listed, but the parent’s name is not listed for adults. You can also find out information on the death’s informant. The informant’s name, address, and relationship to the dead are all included. If the informant was a family member, the records could aid in the construction of a family tree. Finally, you’ll find the date of the death’s registration as well as the name of the registrar.
On the other hand, a free online search of the General Register Office (GRO) will assist you locate death data from 1837 to 1957 and 1984 to 2019. It offers you the name of the individual who was registered, their age at the time of death, and the year they were registered. The name of the spouse or parent, on the other hand, is not mentioned.
Who needs to see a death certificate?
After you’ve obtained the death certificate, you’ll be able to plan the funeral or arrange for the cremation. The registration of the death is free, but death certificates are not. For each insurance, bank, or pension business with which you’re dealing, you’ll normally require one certified document (not a photocopy). You may also need to give copies to the executor or administrator in charge of the deceased person’s property. The executor of the Will and the registrar should be able to assist you in determining the number of copies required.
What happens to bank account when someone dies without a will UK?
The estate of a deceased person includes all they possessed before they died. The estate may consist of the following items:
Money, both in the form of cash and in the form of money held in a bank or building society account. This could include money received as a result of a life insurance payout.
If the person who died owes money to others, such as on a credit card, for fuel, rent, or a mortgage, the estate is responsible for it.
If a person dies without leaving a will, the estate is normally divided among surviving relatives and friends, either according to the directions in the will or, if the person dies without making a will, according to the rules of intestacy.
See Who can inherit if there is no will the rules of intestacy for further information on the rules of intestacy.
An executor or administrator is a person who is in charge of the estate of a deceased individual. An executor is a person named in a will who is in charge of the estate’s administration. Before dealing with the estate, an executor may need to seek for a special legal authority. Probate is the legal term for this.
An administrator is a person who is in charge of managing an estate in certain situations, such as when there is no will or the nominated executors are unwilling to perform. Before dealing with an estate, an administrator must apply for letters of administration.
Unless you have probate or letters of administration, it is normally against the law to begin sharing the estate or receiving money from the estate until you have probate or letters of administration.
Can anyone get a copy of a death certificate UK?
Birth certificates are classified as “public records” in the United Kingdom, which means that anybody can request a duplicate certificate. The one exception is that for births that happened within the last 50 years, all data (including full date of birth and parents’ names, including the mother’s maiden name) must be provided. This is to safeguard against identity theft.
Does a death certificate show cause of death?
Don’t dismiss the informant’s information. Although the link isn’t usually indicated, this was frequently a related. This could be the sole useful genealogical detail recorded on the certificate in the case of an adult male. Even if the informant turns out to be a neighbor, their name could be a key piece of information.
Improved format
The form of the death certificate was amended on April 1, 1969, to include the deceased’s date and place of birth, as well as the maiden surname for married or widowed women. These features are genealogical gold dust, highlighting the scarcity of information on older death certificates. We’re particularly interested in the date of birth now that the 1939 National Register is accessible, because we can use it to search the records for matches.
Wills, probate & burials
Death records are inextricably linked to burial and will records. The entries in the National Probate calendars (see probatesearch.service.gov.uk) contain a lot of information about the people involved, albeit the amount of information fluctuates a lot over time. The calendars (which date from 1858 to 1967) include so much information that they can almost be used to replace a death certificate for family history reasons. The person’s entire name, residence, date and place of death, as well as the names of their executors or administrators, are all recorded; the only things missing are the person’s age, cause of death, and information on the informant.
However, not everyone left a will; in 1880, 528,624 people died in England and Wales, but the probate calendars record the wills and administrations of only 42,608 people, accounting for only 8% of the total number of deaths, and this figure includes a significant number of people who died in other parts of the UK or overseas.
Finding a record of a burial is just as significant to many scholars as finding a death certificate, especially if it leads to the discovery of a gravestone. Burial records and monumental inscriptions can also be utilized to track down death records.
Scotland
Scottish death certificates, unlike their English and Welsh counterparts, are a valuable genealogical resource. Both parents’ names (including the mother’s maiden surname) are recorded as standard, albeit the accuracy of this information should be questioned. Additional information was recorded in 1855, the first year of civil registration in Scotland, including the deceased’s birthplace, the names and years of birth of their children, the years of death of any children who had predeceased them, and their burial location. With the exception of the burial site, which was kept until 1860, all of these were discarded in 1856. Visit www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk for further information.
Ireland
The structure of Irish death certificates is identical to that of English and Welsh death certificates, with the exception of a column denoting the individual’s ‘condition,’ i.e. their married status. For certificates in the Republic of Ireland, go to www.groireland.ie, and for Northern Ireland, go to www.nidirect.gov.uk/gro.