Register a death

You are legally required to register a death within five days. 

If the death took place in the London Borough of Wandsworth it has to be registered at Wandsworth Register Office, and you must have an appointment to do so.

Appointments

We are only able to book your appointment to register a death once we have received the Medical Cause of Death Certificate or additional documentation from the Coroner’s Office.

The Medical Examiner or Coroner will contact the next of kin to confirm the cause of death and send the documents to the Register Office.

Once we have received the required documents the next of kin should book an appointment using the link below.

Death registrations are by appointments only and are available Monday to Friday between 9am and 4.30pm.

Make a booking

Investigations and inquests

If there is an investigation into the death, with the Coroner involved, the death may be registered outside of the five days. If the investigation leads to an inquest, then the registration will take place once the inquest has been held.

The Coroner will contact the family to let them know when they are able to obtain death certificates from the Register Office.

Deaths outside of Wandsworth

If the death took place outside of the London Borough of Wandsworth and you are a Wandsworth resident, a declaration can be completed and sent to the register office for that area. 

You will not be issued with a death certificate or burial or cremation certificate at the declaration. Your documents will be posted to you after the registration has been completed by that office. Please contact the receiving office to ask how payments can be made for certificates. 

Who can register a death

Qualified informants can register a death. A qualified informant can be:

• A relative
• A person who was present at the death
• Partner of the deceased
• Personal representative. Someone appointed and acting on behalf of the family, such as a solicitor or family friend
• The occupier of the premises where the death occurred. The informant must either be the Senior Resident Officer or Matron of the establishment where the death occurred
• The person arranging the funeral. A person arranging the funeral should only register a death if there are no relatives available
• If the informant does not speak or understand English, they need to bring someone who can translate for them

Fees

£12.50 per certificate (statutory fee).

What we will need

• Medical certificate of cause of death - issued by the certifying Doctor.
• Coroners post mortem form - issued from the Coroner.

If available, please have the following to refer to in relation to the deceased:

• Passports or birth certificates
• Marriage or civil partnership certificates (if applicable)

Information we will need

Details of the deceased:

• Date and place of death
• First name, middle names (if applicable), and surname
• Any other names the deceased was otherwise or previously known by
• Maiden name (if applicable)
• Date and place of birth
• Occupation and whether retired or not
• Address

Details of the spouse/civil partner of deceased:

• First name, middle names (if applicable), and surname
• If deceased or not
• Occupation
• If retired or not
• Date of birth

Documents we will issue

• Green certificate for burial or cremation - we will email this directly to the funeral director of your choosing.
• Form for the Department of Work and Pensions 
• Unique number to access the Tell Us Once service
• Death certificate 

Out of hours Emergency Burial Certificate Service

An on-call service is available on Saturdays, Sundays and Bank Holidays between 9am and 11am. This service is for the issue of burial certificates required for a funeral that is to take place within 24 hours.

The on-call registrar will issue the burial certificate if:

• You can provide confirmation that the burial is to take place within 24 hours
• We have received a correctly completed medical certificate of cause of death from the doctor
• The death does not have to be referred to the coroner
• You are qualified to register the death

There is no basis in law for the mortuary or persons holding the body to require sight of the green Certificate for Burial or Cremation in order to release the body. The certificate is not intended for this purpose and will not be issued unless the criteria above are met.

Council switchboard emergency line: 020 8871 6000