We can help you make the necessary decisions and arrangements when someone dies.
Losing a loved one is a difficult time. Unfortunately, there are administrative procedures which must be followed and these can seem an additional unwelcome burden. We understand that it may be daunting to have to face registering a death as well as dealing with the funeral arrangements. We will provide a sensitive and efficient service when guiding you through the process.
You should register a death in the district where it occurred. You should aim to do this within 5 days of the Medical Examiner's Office sending the medical certificate of cause of death (MCCD) to the Registrar. This includes weekends and Bank Holidays.
The Medical Examiner's Office will speak with the next of kin and advise when the medical certificate will be emailed to the register office.
Important: Do not book an appointment until the Medical Examiner's Office has told you that the medical certificate is being emailed to the Registrar. A death cannot be registered without this document.
It is a legal obligation to register a death. Ideally, a relative or the partner of the person who has died should do this.
The partner of the person who has died is defined as:
"A person is the partner of a deceased person if the two of them (whether of different sexes or the same sex) were living as partners in an enduring relationship at the time of the deceased person's death."
If no relative or partner is available, the following may register the death:
Note: If multiple appointments are made by different informants for the same death, registration will take place at the first scheduled appointment. All other appointments will be cancelled.
All registration information is gathered by directly questioning the person registering the death. Please bring supporting documents to help ensure records are as accurate as possible.
The absence of supporting documents will not prevent the registration from taking place.
| Documents for the deceased | Documents for the person registering |
|---|---|
| Birth certificate | Passport |
| Passport | Driving licence |
| Driving licence | Proof of address (utility bill) |
| Proof of address (utility bill) | |
| Marriage or civil partnership certificate | |
| Deed Poll | |
| NHS medical card or NHS number |
You will also need to know:
Appointments are available at:
Paignton Library
Monday to Friday
Appointments from 9:30am to 3:30pm
Sometimes it is not possible to attend a register office in the district where the death took place. See section below if the death did not occur in Torbay.
You will be seen in a private room. In most cases the registration process takes no more than 40 minutes.
Please have to hand:
The information will be written into a register. You will be asked to check all details carefully before signing to confirm they are correct.
After the death has been registered, we will issue a Certificate for Burial or Cremation. This should be given to the funeral director to enable the funeral to take place.
A death certificate is a certified copy of the entry in the register of deaths. It cannot be photocopied.
You can buy death certificates:
Two types of death certificate are available:
The fee is the same for both types. You do not need to specify which you want when pre-ordering.
Death certificates may be needed for: insurance policies, banks and building societies (one copy per organisation — they should be able to copy and return to you), National Savings (Premium Bonds), property matters, stocks and shares.
Death certificates are not required for state pension, DVLA or similar — these are handled by the Tell Us Once service. Funeral directors also do not need a copy.
At the end of your appointment, we will give you a reference number. You can use this to access the free Tell Us Once service, which notifies government and local council departments and services of the death at the same time.
Tell Us Once is not compulsory. It can be completed within 28 days either online or by telephone. We will explain how to do this.
The service may be used to:
All information is treated securely and confidentially. The Tell Us Once service has a full privacy statement — ask the Registration Officer if you wish to see it.
Around 60% of deaths in Torbay are reported to the Coroner. In most cases no further investigation is necessary and registration can be completed.
The Coroner must investigate a death which:
If the Coroner decides further investigation is needed, they will order a post mortem. When completed, the Coroner will receive a report on the causes of death:
Where there is a delay between the death and the inquest, the Coroner may issue interim death certificates. Once the inquest is complete, the Coroner will notify the Registrar and write to the next of kin or executor with instructions on how to obtain a death certificate. No one needs to attend to register the death.
The Coroner area is now ‘The County of Devon, Plymouth and Torbay’. All administration is handled from County Hall, Exeter.
You can register a death that occurred elsewhere at any register office in England and Wales. This is called a registration by declaration.
The medical certificate or coroner’s paperwork will need to be scanned to the office where you are registering. Please contact our office so we can make the necessary arrangements.
Copy death certificates for a registration by declaration are issued by the registration office in the district where the death occurred, at a cost of £11 each. Your contact details will be recorded so that office can arrange a copy certificate. The document for burial or cremation will be scanned to your funeral director once registration is completed.
You must follow the correct procedure for the country where the death occurred to ensure a death certificate is issued.
Information on registering a death abroad
Torbay Registrars