Our contact details
Most deaths occur in a house, a hospital or a residential or nursing home and the law states that a death may be registered by (in this order of preference):
- A relative of the deceased.
- A person present at death.
- The occupier of the house or institution where the death took place, if there is no known relative who is able to register.
- The person who is arranging the funeral, (i.e. the person instructing the funeral director).
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The death has to be registered before a Registrar of Births and Deaths for the district in which it took place. For example if the death occurred in Leicester General Hospital, the registration will be made at Leicester City Register Office.
You can go to a different office to make a declaration if it is more convenient, but the registration process will take a few days longer. The Registrar will need to forward your information to the original district where the death occurred. The original district will then issue and send out the death certificate and other paperwork. Doing things this way may mean a slight delay to the funeral, since it is not possible for a burial or cremation to take place until after the Registrar has issued the necessary documents.
At most Register Offices an appointment is required. Please telephone to arrange an appointment.
Click here to search for your local Register Office.
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Yes. For further details refer to later sections about coroners, but please also read the remainder of this information.
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Yes. In normal circumstances you should arrange to register the death within five days of the date of death. This does not apply when the Coroner is involved.
A telephone call to the relevant Register Office will confirm the opening hours and if an appointment is necessary.
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The registration takes about 30 minutes if all the necessary information is at hand. In some circumstances the Registrar may have to refer the death to the Coroner. Only provisional funeral arrangements should be made until the death has been registered and then confirmed when the authority for the funeral has been issued.
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You may find it useful to write down these details:
- Date and place of death.
- Full name of the deceased.
- Maiden name in the case of a woman who has been married.
- Date and place of birth of the deceased.
- Occupation of the deceased and the full name and occupation of their husband / wife / civil partner.
- The address of the deceased.
- If the deceased was still married or has formed a civil partnership, the date of birth of their spouse.
- If readily available the medical card or the National Health Service Number.
- Whether the deceased was in receipt of a pension or benefits from public funds.
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Yes. The Registrar will issue you with a form to take to the funeral director (in some cases this will have been issued by the Coroner) which gives permission for burial or cremation (often known as the Green Form). You will also be given another form, which you should take or send to the Benefits Agency in respect of the state pensions and benefits.
You will also be able to purchase, for a fee, standard death certificates. These are certified copies of the entry in the Register, which you will need for sorting out the estate.
Leaflets explaining about relevant State Benefits are available at the Registration Office. If they are not displayed please ask the Registrar for copies.
If you have decided not to use a solicitor and to deal with the estate yourself, the Registrar will be able to advise you of the Probate Registry's address and telephone number.
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A death may be referred to the Coroner for a number of reasons:
- The death was unexpected; the doctor is unsure of the precise cause of death or the doctor was not in medical attendance during the deceased's last illness.
- The Coroner feels that for legal reasons the circumstances of the death requires further investigation, for example following an accident.
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Once a death has been reported to the Coroner one of three things will happen:
- The Coroner may decide that no action is necessary and he will issue a form 100A to the Registrar stating this. You should check with the relevant Register Office to ensure the form has been received and make arrangements to register the death
- The Coroner may decide to ask a pathologist to carry out a post-mortem. When this happens there will be a delay whilst the cause of death is established. The Coroner will study the pathology report and any other information about the circumstances of the death.
The Coroner may then decide to issue a form 100B to the Registrar and the informant should check with the relevant Registration Office that the form has been received and arrange to register the death.
- The Coroner may decide, after considering the pathology report and circumstances of the death, to hold an inquest.
A date will be set for the inquest. During this period of waiting the death cannot be registered, although the Coroner may be able to release the body for the funeral soon after the cause of death is known.
Where hardship would result from not being able to produce a death certificate, the Coroner may arrange to issue an interim death certificate.
After the inquest, form 99A or B will be issued to the relevant Registration Office and the death will be registered on the Coroners information. It is not necessary for you to attend in these cases.
Once the death has been registered, death certificates can be obtained by personal or postal application. A telephone call to the Registration Office will answer any questions you have about obtaining the certificates.
You may find it helpful to record the following details:
- Coroner’s address: H.M. Coroner, Town Hall, Leicester, LE1 9BG
- Coroner’s telephone no: (0116) 225 2534
- Registration Office address: The Register Office, Town Hall, Leicester LE1 9BG
- Registration Office telephone no: 0845 045 0901
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We can help you tell the people who need to know.
When someone has died, there are lots of things that need to be done, at a time when you probably least feel like doing them. One of these is contacting government departments and local council services that need to be told.
The Leicester City Council’s Registration Service providing a service which we hope will make things easier. The service is free of charge. This new service means that you can just tell us and these organisations will be contacted.
Depending on your circumstances the following organisations can be notified:
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Adult services
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Attendance Allowance
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Bereavement Benefit
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Blue Badge Parking Permit Carer’s Allowance
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Child Benefit
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Child Tax Credit
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Children’s Services
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Collection of Payment for Council Services Council Housing
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Council Tax
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Council Tax Benefit
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Disability Living Allowance
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Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency
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Electoral Services
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Employment and Support Allowance
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Housing Benefit
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Identity and Passport Service
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Incapacity Benefit
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Income Support
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Jobseeker’s Allowance
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Library Services
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Pension Credit
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Personal taxation
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State Pension
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Working Tax Credit
When you make an appointment to register a death you will be asked whether or not you wish to use the Tell Us Once service.
To make sure the right information is given to any organisations we contact for you, and so that you get the most out of the service, you will need to bring along with you the following information about the person who has died:
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Their National Insurance number and date of birth
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Details of any benefits or services they were receiving
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Their Driving Licence or Driving Licence number
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Their Passport or Passport number
We may also ask you for information about:
You must obtain the agreement of the persons listed above if you are going to provide us with information about them.
This can be obtained From the Register Office for the City of Leicester:
View the Coroner's Charter
