In Times of Bereavement

In the unfortunate event that a person has passed away, there are three things that must be done in the first few days;

  •  Get a medical certificate from your GP or hospital doctor (this is necessary to register the death).
  •  Register the death within 5 days (8 days in Scotland) within the District the death occurred. You will then receive the necessary documents for the funeral.
  •  Make the necessary funeral arrangements.

Register the Death

If the death has been reported to the coroner (or Procurator Fiscal in Scotland) they must give permission before registering the death.

You can register the death if you are a relative, a witness to the death, a hospital administrator or the person making the arrangements with the funeral directors.

To Register a Death in Leeds

PLEASE FOLLOW THE BELOW GUIDANCE WHEN REGISTERING A DEATH IN LEEDS

The Doctor will email a copy of the Medical Certificate of Cause of Death to the Register Office. The Doctor will also forward your contact details to the registrar.

On receipt of the email from the Doctor, the registrar will contact the next of kin via text message, inviting them to arrange an appointment online. Please do not call the registrar to make an appointment.

Please note, individuals who only have a landline number will continue to be contacted by phone.

A death must be registered within five days from the date it occurred. This period can be extended if the Coroner is involved and in some other exceptional circumstances. The registration must take place in the district where the death occurred.

We aim to contact you within 3 days of the date of death.

If you are the next of kin and have not heard from us within 5 days of the date of death, please telephone 0113 2224408 to check we have the paperwork. If we have not received the paperwork you will need to contact the Doctor directly to ask them to forward this.

You will be able to register at one of the following offices:-

  • Merrion House (City Centre)
  • Armley
  • Dewsbury Road
  • St George’s (Middleton)
  • Moor Allerton
  • Morley
  • Reginald Centre (Chapeltown)
  • Rothwell
  • Seacroft


What happens if the death is referred to the Coroner
In some cases, a death will be referred to the Coroner for investigation. The Coroner will contact you once they have completed their investigations. They will also send the relevant paperwork to the registrar who will contact the next of kin to arrange an appointment.

Inquests – if an inquest is held, the Coroner will inform the registrar once the inquest is over and the death will be registered without the need for an informant. If you wish to purchase death certificates after the death is registered, you can do this online at https://www.leeds.gov.uk/births-deaths-and-marriages/certificates/order-copy-certificates or by calling us (0113 2224408).
Please allow 3 days for the registrar to complete the registration before ordering. Death certificates cost £11 each.

The appointment – When we contact you to arrange an appointment this will be confirmed by email. It is important that you arrive on time for your appointment otherwise we may not be able to see you. The appointment will last approximately 30 minutes.

The registrar will require certain information from you to register the death.

It may be helpful to have the following documents available during the registration:
• Passport and/ or Birth Certificate
• Proof of Address i.e. utility bill
• Deed Poll (if applicable)
• NHS Medical Card
• Marriage and /or Civil Partnership Certificates – including any from previous relationships

What documents you will receive from the registrar
Once the registration has been completed the registrar will issue the necessary forms and certificates. Death certificates can be purchased at £11 each and we would ask for payment to be made by debit or credit card. The registrar will issue the green form (Form 9) which you will need to give to the funeral director.

Tell us Once
This is a service offered by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). Tell us Once will contact government and local council services on your behalf, following a death registration. This short information video provides further information https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xw0Ob59HFEY
At the end of your appointment the registrar will issue you with a unique reference number so you can use the service online or by phone. For more information visit https://www.gov.uk/after-a-death/organisations-you-need-to-contact-and-tell-us-once

To correct a death registration
If you notice a mistake in the registration after the appointment you can apply for a correction. In some cases, the correction will need approval from the General Register Office before the Registrar can change it. You need to:-
• Contact us to discuss the type of correction needed
• Complete an application form stating what the error is and how it was made.
• Provide documentary evidence showing the correct information
• Return any certificates you previously purchased for destruction.

It costs £75 or £90 to apply for a correction. Replacement copies of the corrected certificate will be sent to you once the correction has been completed.
Leeds Register Office (0113 2224408)
Email: register.headoffice@leeds.gov.uk

Arrange the Funeral

The funeral can usually only take place after the death is registered. Most people use a funeral director, though you can arrange a funeral yourself.

Funeral Directors

Choose a funeral director who’s a member of one of the following:

These organisations have codes of practice – they must give you a price list when asked.

Some local councils run their own funeral services, for example for non-religious burials. The British Humanist Association can also help with non-religious funerals.

Arranging a Funeral Yourself

Contact the Cemeteries and Crematorium Department of your local council to arrange a funeral yourself.

Funeral Costs

Funeral costs can include:

  • Funeral director fees,
  •  Things the funeral director pays for on your behalf (called ‘disbursements’ or ‘third-party costs’), for example, crematorium or cemetery fees, or a newspaper announcement about the death.
  •  Local authority burial or cremation fees.

Funeral directors may list all these costs in their quotes.