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After someone dies, a medical examiner will check the cause of death to make sure it鈥檚 accurate.

They will be a senior doctor and they will not have been involved in the care of the person who has died. 听

The medical examiner鈥檚 office will then contact you to:

• explain the cause of death
• answer any questions you have about this or the healthcare provided to the person before they died

This is voluntary and you do not have to speak to them.听

Registering the death

You鈥檒l also be contacted by the medical examiner鈥檚 office to confirm you can register the death.

Register the death within 5 days (8 days in Scotland) of being contacted. This includes weekends and bank holidays.

After you鈥檝e registered the death

You鈥檒l get a certificate for burial or cremation (often called 鈥榯he green form鈥�).

Give the certificate to your funeral director, crematorium or burial authority. You must do this before the funeral can take place.

If a death is reported to a coroner, the documents you need to register the death may be different. The coroner will decide either:

• the cause of death is clear
• that a post-mortem is needed
• to hold an inquest

The cause of death is clear

If the coroner decides that the cause of death is clear:

1. They鈥檒l issue a certificate to the registrar saying that a post-mortem or inquest is not needed.

2. The registrar will register the death.

A post-mortem is needed

The coroner may decide a post-mortem is needed to find out how the person died. This can be done either in a hospital or mortuary.

You cannot object to a coroner鈥檚 post-mortem - but if you鈥檝e asked the coroner must tell you (and the person鈥檚 GP) when and where the examination will take place.

After the post-mortem

The coroner will release the body for a funeral once they have completed the post-mortem examinations and no further examinations are needed.

If the body is released with no inquest, the coroner will send a form (鈥楶ink Form - form 100B鈥�) to the registrar stating the cause of death.

The coroner will also send a 鈥楥ertificate of Coroner - form Cremation 6鈥� if the body is to be cremated.

The coroner holds an inquest

A coroner must hold an inquest if:

• the cause of death is still unknown
• the person might have died a violent or unnatural death
• the person might have died in prison or police custody

Death certificates

If you need proof of the death while you wait for the inquest to finish, ask the coroner for an interim death certificate.

Once the inquest is over, you can get the final death certificate from the registrar.

You can use either certificate to:

• apply for probate
• report the death to more than one government organisation using Tell Us Once - the registrar can help you to do this

Get help

You can get free, independent support from .

You must register a death with the local authorities in the country where the person died.

In many countries you can also register the death with the UK authorities.

These rules apply if you live in England and Wales. There are different processes in and .

Reporting the death

The Tell Us Once service lets you report a death to most government organisations in one go.

You can use Tell Us Once if the person who died:

• normally lived in England, Scotland or Wales
• was abroad temporarily (for example, on holiday or a business trip)

Contact a register office to use Tell Us Once. They will either:

• complete the Tell Us Once service with you
• give you a unique reference number so you can use the service yourself online or by phone

If you cannot use Tell Us Once, tell organisations about the death yourself.

Bringing the body home

To bring the body home you must:

• get a certified English translation of the death certificate
• get permission to remove the body, issued by a coroner (or equivalent) in the country where the person died
• tell a coroner in England if the death was violent or unnatural

Read information about the country where the person died to find out what you need to do.

Contact a register office

Once the body is home, take the death certificate to the register office in the area where the funeral is taking place.

As the death has already been registered abroad, the registrar will give you a 鈥榗ertificate of no liability to register鈥�. Give this to the funeral director so the funeral can go ahead.

If you鈥檙e arranging the funeral yourself, give the certificate back to the registrar after the funeral鈥檚 taken place. You must do this within 96 hours of the funeral.

When a coroner will be involved

A coroner will usually hold an inquest in England or Wales if the cause of death is unknown or if it was sudden, violent or unnatural.

You need a certificate from the coroner (form 鈥楥remation 6鈥�) if the person is to be cremated.

Bringing ashes home

When leaving a country with human ashes you will normally need to show:

• the death certificate
• the certificate of cremation

Each country has its own rules about departing with human ashes and there may be additional requirements. Read information about the country where the person died to find out what you need to do. You鈥檒l need to fill in a standard customs form when you arrive home.

Contact your airline to find out whether you can carry the ashes as hand luggage or as checked-in luggage. They may ask you to put the ashes in a non-metallic container so that they can be x-rayed.

Tell Us Once is a service that lets you report a death to most government organisations in one go.

When to use Tell Us Once

You can use Tell Us Once if the person who died was living in England, Scotland or Wales. This includes if the person died while they were abroad temporarily, for example on a holiday or business trip.听

The death must have been either:

• registered
• reported to a coroner and you have a final or interim death certificate

You cannot use Tell Us Once if the person was:

• living abroad permanently when they died

How to use Tell Us Once

A registrar will explain the Tell Us Once service when you register the death. They will either:

• complete the Tell Us Once service with you
• give you a unique reference number so you can use the service yourself online or by phone

The registrar will give you a number to call. This includes if you cannot hear or speak on the phone. If you鈥檙e a British Sign Language (BSL) user, there鈥檚 a if you鈥檙e on a computer - find out how to .

If you cannot register the death because an inquest is underway, you can still ask a registrar for a unique reference number. You鈥檒l need to get an interim death certificate from the coroner holding the inquest first.

Before you use Tell Us Once

You鈥檒l need the Tell Us Once reference number that you got from the registrar.

You鈥檒l also need the following details of the person who died:

• surname
• date they died
• name, address and contact details of the person or company dealing with their estate (property, belongings and money), known as their 鈥榚xecutor鈥� or 鈥榓dministrator鈥�
• if there鈥檚 a surviving spouse or civil partner, the name, address, telephone number and the National Insurance number or date of birth of the spouse or civil partner
• if there鈥檚 no surviving spouse or civil partner or their spouse or civil partner is not able to deal with their affairs, the name and address of their next of kin
• if they died in a hospital, nursing home, care home or hospice, the name and address of that institution

You may also need:

• if they had a passport, their passport number and town of birth
• if they had a driving licence, their driving licence number
• if they owned any vehicles, the vehicle registration numbers
• if they were paying Council Tax or getting services from their local council, such as Housing Benefit payments, the name of their local council and which services they were getting
• if they had a Blue Badge, their Blue Badge number if you know it
• if they were getting any benefits, tax credits or State Pension, information about which ones they were getting
• if they were getting money from an Armed Forces Pension or Compensation Scheme, details of that scheme
• if they were getting money or paying into public sector pension schemes, details of those schemes

You鈥檒l also need their National Insurance number if they were getting money or paying into any of the following pension schemes:

• NHS Pensions for NHS staff in England and Wales
• Scottish Public Pension Agency schemes for NHS staff, teachers, police and firefighters in Scotland
• Pension Protection Fund and Financial Assistance Scheme
• Local Government Pension Schemes (LGPS)

Otherwise, you do not need their National Insurance number. If you can still provide it though, it will help some organisations match their records faster.

Use Tell Us Once online

Organisations Tell Us Once will contact

Tell Us Once will notify:

• HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) - to deal with personal tax and to cancel benefits and credits, for example Child Benefit and tax credits
• Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) - to cancel benefits and entitlements, for example Universal Credit or State Pension
• Passport Office - to cancel a British passport
• Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) - to cancel a licence, remove the person as the keeper of up to 5 vehicles and end the vehicle tax
• the local council - to cancel Housing Benefit, Council Tax Reduction (sometimes called Council Tax Support), a Blue Badge, inform council housing services and remove the person from the electoral register
• Veterans UK - to cancel or update Armed Forces Compensation Scheme payments
• Social Security Scotland - to cancel benefits and entitlements from the Scottish Government, for example Scottish Child Payment

HMRC and DWP will contact you about the tax, benefits and entitlements of the person who died.

Tell Us Once will also contact some public sector pension schemes so that they cancel future pension payments. They鈥檒l notify:

• Armed Forces Pension Scheme
• NHS Pensions for NHS staff in England and Wales
• Scottish Public Pension Agency schemes for NHS staff, teachers, police and firefighters in Scotland
• Pension Protection Fund and Financial Assistance Scheme
• Local Government Pension Schemes (LGPS)

After you use Tell Us Once

To close or change the details of the person鈥檚 financial accounts, you鈥檒l need to contact organisations like:

• banks
• mortgage providers
• insurance providers
• companies that the person had contracts with, like utility companies, landlords or housing associations
• personal or workplace pension schemes, unless they鈥檙e one of the public sector pension schemes that Tell Us Once contacts

You may also need to:

• update the property records, if the person owned land or property
• contact DVLA, if the person owned a vehicle and you sell it or keep it and tax it in your own name
• contact HMRC, if the person owed business taxes like VAT
• contact the Student Loans Company (SLC), if the person had a student loan from them

If you do not use Tell Us Once

You must let the relevant organisations know about the death yourself.

Contact the following organisations if you cannot use the Tell Us Once service.

HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC)

Contact HMRC, who will work out whether the right amount of tax has been paid by the person who died. They鈥檒l let you know:

• what tax they need to collect or repay
• whether you need to fill in a Self Assessment tax return on the person鈥檚 behalf, for example when the estate continues to receive income

Inheritance Tax may be due on the person鈥檚 estate after they die.

You may be able to get free tax advice if you鈥檙e on a low income.

National Insurance (NI) Contributions Office

Contact the NI Contributions Office to cancel the person鈥檚 NI payments if they were self-employed or paying voluntary NI.

Child Benefit Office

Contact the Child Benefit Office if a child or the parent dies. You need to do this within 8 weeks of the death.

Department for Work and Pensions (DWP)

Contact the bereavement service to cancel the person鈥檚 benefits and entitlements, including their State Pension. They鈥檒l also check if you鈥檙e eligible for help with funeral costs or other benefits.

If they were living abroad when they died, contact the International Pension Centre instead.

Personal, workplace and armed forces pensions

What you need to do to stop pension payments will depend on the type of pension.

Use the Pension Tracing Service to find details of the person鈥檚 personal or workplace pension.

Contact Veterans UK if the person had an armed forces pension.

Vehicles and driving licences

Contact the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) if the person held a driving licence or owned a vehicle.

HM Passport Office (HMPO)

Fill in the form 鈥榃hat to do when a passport holder dies鈥� and send it to the address on the form.

Social Security Scotland

Contact Social Security Scotland to cancel the person鈥檚 benefits and entitlements from the Scottish Government, for example Scottish Child Payment. They can also check if you鈥檙e eligible for help with funeral costs.

Student Loan Company (SLC)

Contact the SLC if the person was repaying student loans to them.

The funeral can usually only take place after the death is registered, unless the death has been reported to a coroner.

You can pay for a funeral director to arrange the funeral or do it yourself.

This guide is also available in Welsh (Cymraeg).

Funeral directors

A funeral director will provide advice and support when you鈥檙e arranging a funeral.听

If you hire a funeral director, you can choose a funeral director who鈥檚 a member of:

These organisations have codes of practice - they should give you a price list when you choose their services.

Contact your local council to see if they run their own funeral services. Some local councils do this alongside local funeral directors, for example for non-religious burials.听

The and can also help with non-religious funerals.

Arranging the funeral yourself

You can choose to arrange a funeral yourself.听

Contact your local council for information about:听

• buying burial plots
• contacting crematorium services
• funeral costs听

Cremations

There are different forms to complete depending on where the death took place.听

Contact your local council or crematorium if you need support with your application.

Funeral costs

Funeral costs can include:

• funeral director fees
• things the funeral director pays for on your behalf (called 鈥榙isbursements鈥� or 鈥榯hird-party costs鈥�), for example the person who performs the funeral service, crematorium or cemetery fees, or a newspaper announcement about the death
• local authority burial or cremation fees听

Funeral directors are legally required to publish a price list for the standard set of products and services they offer.

MoneyHelper has .

Paying for a funeral

The funeral can be paid for:

• from a financial scheme the person had, for example a pre-paid funeral plan or insurance policy
• by you, or other family members or friends
• with money from the person鈥檚 estate (savings, for example) - getting access to this is called applying for a 鈥榞rant of representation鈥� (sometimes called 鈥榓pplying for probate鈥�)

The Children鈥檚 Funeral Fund for England can help to pay for some of the costs of a funeral for a child under 18 or a baby stillborn after the 24th week of pregnancy.

Moving a body for a funeral abroad

You need permission from a coroner to move a body for a funeral abroad. You must do this even if the death is being investigated by the coroner.听

Apply at least 4 days before you want the body to be moved.

Find a local coroner using the .听听

There is a different process for:

• 听

You must register the death. You may also need to report the death of a child to other organisations depending on your circumstances.

There are different rules for registering a stillbirth.

Child Benefit

You should tell the Child Benefit Office as soon as possible if you鈥檙e claiming Child Benefit.

Child Benefit payments will usually carry on for 8 weeks after a child鈥檚 death.

You may still be able to claim Child Benefit if your child died before you made a claim.

If a newborn baby dies

You鈥檙e entitled to up to 8 weeks of Child Benefit if you claim within 3 months of the death.

If the child died before the end of the week they were born in, the 8 weeks starts from the Monday following the death.

If a child is stillborn

You cannot claim Child Benefit if the child鈥檚 stillborn.

Tax credits

If you鈥檙e claiming tax credits and your child dies, your payments may change. You鈥檒l need to tell HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) within 1 month of the death. If you do not, you might:

• have to pay back overpayments
• not get all the money you鈥檙e owed

You can continue to get tax credits for up to 8 weeks following the death.

If the child died before you claimed tax credits, you can still claim (unless the child was stillborn). Call HMRC to claim.

Sure Start Maternity Grant

You can still get the grant if you qualify. You must make a claim within 3 months of the birth.

Maternity and paternity leave and pay

You鈥檒l still qualify for leave and pay if your baby:

• is stillborn after the start of the 24th week of pregnancy
• dies after being born

Parental bereavement leave and pay

You and your partner may be eligible for parental bereavement leave and pay if you鈥檙e employed and either:

• your child dies before they turn 18
• you have a stillbirth after 24 weeks of pregnancy

The death or stillbirth must have happened on or after 6 April 2020.

Child Trust Fund payments

When a child dies, any money in their Child Trust Fund account - including any payments from the government - usually passes to whoever inherits the child鈥檚 estate.

Bereavement is a personal experience and can affect people in different ways.

You can find information about understanding and managing grief from the following organisations:

• for ways to manage grief
• 听 for support if you are newly bereaved

You can find someone to speak to about bereavement from the following organisations:

• for ongoing support over the phone
• includes an online community to talk to others who are grieving, a video chat counselling service and personalised grief support by text message
• for free live chat with a bereavement counsellor

and things you might need to do, depending on the circumstances.

Children and young people

If you鈥檙e a bereaved child or young person, or a child you know has suffered a bereavement, you can get help from the following organisations: