A death that has happened in Ealing borough, must be registered within 5 calendar days of the medical examiner issuing the medical cause of death certificate and sending it to the register office. This includes weekends and bank holidays.
Once we have the certificate, you will be asked to book an appointment with the Ealing Register Office to register the death and get a death certificate.
If you wish to remove a body from the country or the death has been reported to the coroner, another process may apply. You will be informed of this when you contact the register office.
Deaths outside of Ealing borough
If the death happened outside of Ealing borough, you would need to contact the local council where the person died. Use the GOV.UK to find a register office
If you wish to remove a body from the country or the death has been reported to the coroner, other processes may apply. You will be informed of these when you contact the register office.
Urgent faith burials taking place within 24 hours (Jewish and Muslim)
On a Saturday, we can help you, by providing you with the right paperwork for urgent burials taking place within 24 hours.
This can only be done once we have written confirmation of the date and time of the funeral from the funeral director, and evidence that the burial will take place within 24 hours.
The registrar on call will inform you where the funeral director needs to send the confirmation email. If this information cannot be provided, we will be unable to help you on a Saturday and you will need to book an appointment for Monday morning.
Only contact us when the medical cause of death certificate issued by the medical examiner and has been emailed, as we will not be able to issue the burial notice without this.
Who can register a death
A relative of the person who has died should register the death.
If there are no relatives, the death can be registered by:
- a person who was there at the time of death
- the person who is arranging the funeral (this could be a friend, legal representative, or the funeral director)
- an official from the hospital or care home where the death happened
- the partner of the deceased
- the personal representative of the deceased (a person appointed by and acting on behalf of the family such as a solicitor, family friend, funeral director)
What you need to know about the appointment
During the appointment, you will need to give the following information to the registrar.
About the person who has died
- the date of death
- where the person died
- their full name
- any previous names, including maiden name
- their date of birth
- their place of birth
- their occupation
- the full name and occupation or their husband or wife
- if they were getting a state pension or other benefit
About you
- your relationship to the person who has died
- your full name
- your usual address
Documents you should bring
A medical examiner must send the medical certificate of the cause of death electronically to the register office.
If the coroner has been informed, they will tell you when to register the death.
It may be helpful to have the person's birth certificate or passport available during the appointment and a document containing their address details. This will ensure that we record the information accurately and there is no need to correct the information later.
You cannot change a death certificate once it has been issued. Making a correction once it has been issued, may cost up to £99 depending on the error.
Use the following form to contact the register office to request a correction
Book an appointment
All deaths need to be registered in person, by booking an appointment.
Once you have booked an appointment you can order copies of the death certificate.
We will send the funeral documentation (the green form/Form 9) directly to the funeral director.
Documents you will get
The registrar will:
- email a certificate for burial or cremation, which is required to make funeral arrangements, to the funeral director
- post out a form for social security purposes if the person was receiving state pension or benefits.
- provide you with a unique number to access the Tell Us Once service - a short information video explains the Tell Us Once service which can be viewed via YouTube
You can buy 1 or more death certificates at a cost of £12.50 each.
Extra death certificates may be needed for:
- probate or letters of administration
- bank and building society accounts
- insurance companies
- stocks and shares
- pensions
- solicitors
Register a death that happened outside of the UK
If a person dies while they are abroad, you must register the death with the local authorities in the country where the person died.
For further information on what to do after someone dies abroad, visit GOV.UK