Book a death registration appointment
The Medical Examiner or Coroner will tell you when you can book an appointment to register the death.
- Once the Medical Examiner or Coroner tells you to register, you should register within 5 days.
- Please arrive no more than 5 minutes before your appointment.
- Our offices are small, only those essential to the registration should attend.
If you are usure if you can register the death, contact the Medical Examiner or the Coroner.
Where should I register a death?
For deaths that occurred in East Sussex (excluding Brighton & Hove).
You can register the death at one of our Register Offices.
For deaths that occurred elsewhere.
You should register with the local registration service where it happened.
For deaths that occurred overseas.
The process of registration is different. For advice visit Register a death (gov.uk).
Who should register?
- A relative of the deceased.
- The partner of the deceased.
- A person present at the death.
- The owner or manager of the residential home where the death occurred.
- The person responsible for organising the funeral.
- The personal representative of the deceased, appointed by and acting on behalf of the deceased person’s family (such as a friend, solicitor or funeral director).
If you cannot register within 5 days, you should ask someone else to register. You can appoint a personal representative to act on your behalf.
A personal representative can be appointed by the family without any formal process. This can be a friend, solicitor or funeral director. You should ensure they have all the relevant information.
What will the registrar ask?
When you register, it may be useful to bring the deceased’s:
- Passport
- Driving licence
- Utility bill
- Birth and marriage certificates
If these are unavailable, we can still register without them.
| Details required | Guidance notes |
|---|---|
| Date of death | The date you understand the death took place on. |
| Place of death | The name of the hospital or nursing home, the name or number of the house, the name of the street and town. Death can take place in an ambulance, car or some other place without a recognised address. You would need to provide further details. The registrar will provide guidance. |
| Name and surname | The name the deceased was known by at the time of their death. You should also provide any other names the deceased was known by. |
| Sex | Male or Female. |
| Maiden surname of a woman who has married | If the deceased was a woman, this is the surname in which she contracted her first marriage. |
| Date of birth | Be as accurate as possible, but if the exact date is not known please provide approximate date. |
| Place of birth | The town and county (or London borough). If they were born outside of the UK, the registrar only needs to know the country. |
| Occupation | The deceased’s most recent or main occupation. You should also tell the registrar if the deceased was retired. |
| Marital status | If the deceased was married or in a civil partnership, at the time of their death. What are/were the names of their spouse or civil partner (including if they are deceased). |
| Usual address | Including the name or number of the house, name of the street, town and county. |
Death Certificates
After you have registered, you can buy death certificates.
- These are needed for notifying banks, insurance, probate and other services.
- These are charged at the statutory fee of £12.50 each.
Authorisation for burial or cremation will be issued directly to the funeral director of your choosing.
Tell Us Once
After registering the death, you can access Tell Us Once, a free Government service.
This allows you to notify local and central government about a death, in one simple step.
Agencies that can be notified through the scheme include those responsible for,
- Income Support
- Jobseeker’s Allowance
- Pension Credits
- Council tax
- Housing benefit
- Other state benefits
- The electoral register
- Disabled blue badges
- Bus passes
- Driving licences
The Registrar will give you a unique reference number. This will enable you to access Tell Us Once (gov.uk).
Tell Us Once is not a claim to benefit, please contact Benefits (gov.uk) or the relevant department for advice.
Tell Us Once does not notify any commercial organisations of the death.
Tell Us Once cannot arrange for redirection of post.
