Registering a death
Guiding you through every step
It’s not a process that everyone is familiar with. If you suffer a sudden bereavement or someone close passes away after a lengthy illness, you have to register the death fairly promptly. But where do you go and how do you do it? Don’t worry. The team at Kevin Matthews Funeral Services are here to help. Here’s a simple guide to the steps to follow. If you have any questions, or need more support and advice, please get in touch with us.
Within the first few days of a death you will need to:
Get a Medical Certificate of the Cause of Death from a GP or hospital doctor
Register the death
You must register the death within five days. To do this, you will need to find a register office in the area where the person died. To find one, go to www.gov.uk/register-offices.
The death is usually registered by a relative of the person who has died. This can also be done by anyone present when the person died, or who lives in the house where the person died, or who is arranging the funeral - but not a funeral director. Once you’ve made an appointment to see the local registrar, you need to give details of:
Their full name, home address, date and place of birth
Where and when the person died
Their occupation and any benefits they were receiving, including pensions or allowances from public funds
The name, occupation and date of birth of their spouse or civil partner, if appropriate
You may also need to take the following paperwork (if you have it to hand):
Medical Certificate of Cause of Death - signed by a doctor
Passport
Proof of address
Birth Certificate
Council Tax bill
Driving Licence
NHS Medical Card Marriage/Civil Partnership Certificate, if appropriate
If you can’t find all of the paperwork or you have any queries about visiting the registrar, please contact us straight away.
Need help with getting around?
For many people, this could be the first time that you have had to go through this whole process – registering a death, arranging a funeral and so on. We completely understand how difficult this can be, that’s why we will take every step possible to provide support. This could be practical help like giving you a lift to the registrar’s office. We will also provide an appropriate member of staff to accompany you and give help if needed. Simply call us and we will make the necessary arrangements.
Use 'Tell Us Once' to tell government departments
Tell Us Once is a service that lets you report a death to most government organisations in just one go. Saving you lots of time, effort and paperwork filling at a time when you need as much help as possible. When you register the death, the registrar will tell you if the service is available in your area, give you the phone number and a unique reference number to use the Tell Us Once service online or by phone.
Contact Us
If you need us in an emergency your call will be answered by us personally – 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Location
1-5 Balmoral Road, Kingsthorpe
Northampton NN2 6LA
Telephone: 01604 792284
The Village Funeral Home, Woodley Chase
Duston, Northampton NN5 6PS
Telephone: 01604 580077