When a death occurs within North Somerset it must
be registered with our Registration Service,
usually within five days.
The death must be registered by a
qualified informant - this is usually someone related to the
deceased by blood or marriage.
Usually a doctor will write a Medical Certificate Cause of Death
which you will need to bring to the registration appointment. If
the doctor cannot produce the Medical Certificate Cause of Death
promptly he or she should refer the matter to the
Coroner.
Please telephone for an appointment as soon
as you can after the death occurs, even though you may not
have the Medical Certificate Cause of Death. Registration
staff will allow time for any necessary paperwork to be made
available. If you wait until the medical certificate is available
before making an appointment it may be difficult for us to
offer you an appointment within the required five days of the
death.
Funerals cannot usually take place before the death has been
registered.
You can carry out the registration at the Register Offices in
Weston-super-Mare or Clevedon after making an appointment with our
Registration
Service.
You can find out what information you need to give the registrar
about the person who has died on our
Death registration page.
If you cannot make it to the Register Office in North
Somerset you can register the
death by declaration at another Register Office perhaps
more convenient to you elsewhere in England or Wales.
If a death is sudden or unexplained the
Coroners'
Office will investigate. In certain circumstances the registrar
is obliged to refer to the Coroner before registering a death.
For information about funerals, cremations and burials visit our
death and bereavement
section.
For more information please contact our
Registration
Service.
