Torbay Council

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Registering a Death

Preliminaries to Registering a Death

Approximately 2,500 deaths are registered each year at Torbay Register Office.
A death must be registered by the Registrar of Deaths for the district in which the death occurred.  A death should be registered within 5 days unless the Registrar allows the period to be extended.
It may not be convenient for you to visit the Register Office of the district in which the death occurred.  If this is the case you may register the death at any Register Office in England and Wales to make a declaration of the particulars required.  If you decide to do this the death certificates and forms will be posted to you.
Most Register Offices operate an appointment system.  As soon as the Medical Certificate of Cause of Death has been issued to you by the General Practioner or hospital doctor you should call the Register Office to make an appointment.  You will need to take this certificate to the appointment and hand it to the Registar.

Coroners

In certain circumstances the death will have to be referred to the Coroner by the Doctor or the Registrar.  The Coroner may do one of three things:
  1. Decide that no action needs to be taken.  A certificate (form 100A) will then be issued to the Registrar by the Coroner.
  2. Decide to hold a post mortem examination.  A certificate (form 100B) will then be issued to the Registrar by the Coroner.
  3. Decide to hold an inquest.  The Coroner's Officer will advise you about what to do if this happens.

How to Register a Death

A death registration will take approximately 30 minutes to complete and you must call to make an appointment (this is to ensure that you are not left waiting for any length of time).
Certain people have a legal responsibility to register a death.  In order of preference they are:
The Registrar must be satisfied that the death is one that s/he may register and to establish this must be sure that number of criteria are met;
The Registrar will require to following information from the informant:
  1. The date and place of death.
  2. The full name of the deceased (and maiden name where appropriate).
  3. The date and place of birth of the deceased.
  4. The deceased occupation and the full names and occupation or her husband if she was a married woman or a widow.
  5. The deceased usual address.
  6. Whether the deceased was in receipt of a pension from public funds.
  7. If the deceased was married, the date of birth of the spouse.
  8. The National Health Service number of the deceased.  If this is not available please do not delay the registration.

Certificates

Once the death has been registered, the Registrar will issue you with some important paperwork:
A Certificate for Burial or Cremation, also known as the green form.  You will need to take this to the Funeral Director so that the funeral can take place.  In certain circumstances this will be issued by the Coroner.  There is no charge for this certificate.
A Certificate of Registration of Death, also known as form BD8.  This form is for Social Security purposes and after completion should be returned to your local social security office.  There is no charge for this certificate.
Standard Death Certificates.  A death certificate is a certified copy of the entry in the death register.  You may require copies for banks, building societies, solicitors, insurance claims and pension companies.  The Registrar will issue you with as many copies as you need. Please see our fees and charges for current pricing.
Leaflets relating to benefits are also available from the Registrar.

Tell Us Once

We can help you tell the people who need to know.

When someone has died, there are lots of things that need to be done, at a time when you probably least feel like doing them. One of these is contacting government departments and local council services that need to be told.
Torbay Council is providing a service which will make things easier. This new service means that you can just tell us and these organisations will be contacted.

It is possible to report the death to these organisations and services if you decide to use the service:


Local Councils

Department for Work and Pensions

Information you will need to use the service

Please bring the following information with you, about the person who has died, when you use the service:
The information you give will be treated securely and confidentially. The organisations who are contacted will use the information to update records; to end services, benefits and credits as appropriate; and to resolve any outstanding issues. They may use this information in other ways, but only as the law allows.



Contact Registrar