What to do when someone dies
Back to Topic
Click to Print
Useful Websites
Glossary Term Selection
How to get a death certificate
After someone dies, one of the first things to do is get a Medical Certificate of Cause of Death to be able to register the death.
When a death is from known and natural causes, the doctor who was caring for the person will issue this certificate.
If the cause of death is unknown or is not natural, the doctor (or sometimes the police) will notify a coroner, and a post-mortem might be required. This means the Medical Certificate can’t be issued straight away, and this can delay funeral arrangements.
The coroner’s office will tell you what the cause of death was. If it is found to be from a natural cause you will be told how to make an appointment to register the death, otherwise there may be an inquest, except in Scotland where there are no inquests. There is more information about this on the Government’s page on coroner services.
How to register a death
Once you have the Medical Certificate of Cause of Death, you need to register the death in the area...
Want to see the rest of this article?
Would you like to see the rest of this article and all the other benefits that Issues Online can provide with?
- Useful related articles
- Video and multimedia references
- Statistical information and reference material
- Glossary of terms
- Key Facts and figures
- Related assignments
- Resource material and websites
