When a death occurs within North Somerset it must be
registered with the Registration Service normally within five
days.
The death must be registered by a
qualified informant - this is usually someone related to the
deceased by blood, marriage, civil partnership or legal
adoption.
Funerals cannot normally take place before the death has been
registered.
Occasionally, the Registrar may have to involve the
Coroner before
registering a death and it is best not to make firm funeral
arrangements until registration is complete.
You will need to contact the
Registration
Service and make an appointment to register the death either
at the Register Office in Weston-super-Mare or
Clevedon.
If you cannot make it to a Register Office in North Somerset you
can register the
death by declaration at another Register Office more convenient
to you in England or Wales.
Following most deaths a doctor will issue a medical certificate
of cause of death which should be taken, unopened, to the Register
Office.
Providing it has not been necessary to involve the
Coroner the
death can then be registered by a qualified informant
at a Register Office.
The following information is required for registration:
- The full name of the deceased at the time of their death -
their maiden name if the deceased was a woman who had married
- The date and place of the death
- The most recent regular occupation of the deceased
- The date and place of the deceased’s birth
- The full name and most recent occupation of the deceased’s
spouse or civil partner
- The date of birth of the deceased's spouse or civil partner if
they were living at the time of the deceased's death
- The deceased’s home address and postcode at the time of their
death
- The qualified informant's full name and address and their
relationship to the deceased - if related
- Whether the deceased was in receipt of a government-funded
pension other than the ordinary state pension with a reference if
possible
- The deceased's NHS number - where death's occur in a hospital
this will normally be provided by the hospital management
After registration, a green form will be issued which
should be passed on to your funeral director so they can
proceed with funeral arrangements.
We will also issue a white form (BD8) which should be
completed and sent to the
Department for Work and
Pensions.
If the deceased had a blue concessionary parking permit or Diamond
Travelcard issued by North Somerset Council, please take it to the
registration appointment if you can.
There are no original death certificates but you can request
certified copies of the register entry for £3.50 each.
When applying for addtional certificates after the appointment
the fee is £7 each.
If you are applying for additional certificates more than 28
days after the death was registered please contact the Registration
Service for confirmation of the certificate fee.
The information provided in this section is for guidance only
and is not a full expression of the law.
For more information contact our
Registration
Service.
