Following death the doctor who attended the deceased during their last illness will issue The Medical Cause of Death Certificate. This must be taken to the appropriate Registrar's Office, usually in the district in which the death occurred.

To register a death the Registrar will ask you:

• The date and place of death.
• The deceased's usual address.
• Full name and surname.
• If a woman, the maiden name if married.
• Date and place of birth.
• Deceased's occupation.
• If married, date of birth and occupation of surviving widow or widower.
• If widowed, full name and occupation of late husband.
• If deceased has been in receipt of a pension from government funds.

The Registrar will give you The Registrar's Certificate for Burial or Cremation (coloured green). Please bring this into our office as soon as possible. Whilst arrangements for burial or cremation can be made without this Certificate, we cannot carry them through without it.

The Registrar will also give you a white certificate. This must be completed and returned to your local D.S.S. Office with any state pension or allowance books. This form may also be used to claim Widow's Benefit should you be entitled to do so.

A standard Death Certificate, also issued by the Registrar, costs £3.50 and you may well be advised to obtain more than one copy as an original will be required as evidence of death for banks, building societies, etc.

The Coroner has officers, they may be civilian staff or uniformed police officers. Deaths that are unexpected or accidental will involve the Coroner and his involvement in these circumstances is usual. Sometimes an inquest will be necessary.

You will not be given a Medical Cause of Death Certificate by the doctor or hospital, so please do not attempt to register the death until we advise you that it is in order to do so. In these cases the Registrar has to receive an authority from the Coroner before a death can be registered. The registration of a death and documentation varies in these circumstances; please seek appropriate advice from Hinton Park.