Register a death

We are here to make the process of registering a death as simple as possible. Should you need further help or information, please email us at registrars@kingston.gov.uk or call us on 0208 547 6196 

Register a death - when and how?

The doctor or hospital will send us the medical cause of death certificate electronically, once received, we will contact you to book a registration appointment. Please make sure the correct email address and telephone number are provided to the hospital or GP surgery. 

If you have been given the medical cause of death certificate, then please email registrars@kingston.gov.uk on how to proceed with the registration. 

When a person dies in the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames, you must register death with Kingston Register Office within five days from the date of death. On occasion the Registrar or Coroner may either need or agree to delay this. Your registration appointment will be booked with you  as soon as we have received the medical certificate.

To help ensure the information recorded is accurate, please bring supporting documentation with you for the deceased for example, their passport, driving licence, utility bill, birth and marriage certificates. However if any of these documents are not available, the Registrar can still go ahead with the death registration.

The registration appointment usually takes around 40 minutes. At the end of the appointment you will recieve the death certificates on unique reference number for the Tell Us Once service.  The green certificate for burial or cremation will be emailed directly to your chosen Funeral Director.

Cost of registering a death

There is no charge to register a death with Kingston Register Office. Death Certificates cost £11 each and can be pre-ordered when booking your appointment. 
Certificates are needed to finalise certain private financial affairs such as banks, mortgage providers, shares, investments, private pensions and life insurance. People usually order around five certificates but you may need more or less depending on who you need to notify. 

The following people can register a death

• a relative
• someone who was with the person when they died
• someone who lives at the address where the person died
• someone who is arranging the funeral (but not the undertaker)

Information the registrar will need about the person who has died

• date of death
• where the death occurred
• full name (including any other names they may have been known by)
• date of birth
• where they were born
• occupation
• address
• your name and address

Recording of spouses and civil partners

In the case of a married man or widower, the registrar will record the wife’s full name and occupation.
In the case of a married woman or widow, the registrar will record the maiden surname and the husband’s full name and occupation.
In the case of a civil partner or surviving civil partner, the registrar will record the partner’s full name and occupation.

Deaths reported to the coronor

Wait to hear from the Coroner's Officer before you go the registry office. If the death has gone to inquest you will not need to register the death.

Further information regarding coronor services and coronor investigations is available on GOV.UK website. 

Correcting a death certificate

A correction can only be made when the information on the certificate is wrong (e.g. mistake made in a date of a death). There is a fee for this service.

You should contact the register office for the area where the death was registered to find out if it is a mistake they can correct. Alternatively, you can contact the General Register Office (GRO) on 0300 123 1837 who can also confirm where your application needs to be sent.

Visit the GOV.UK website to find out:

• what corrections can be made
• who can apply
• how to apply
• how much it costs 
• how long an application takes

Deaths registered following a coroner's inquest 

The guidance at GOV.UK will not apply if you want to correct a death registration which was originally registered following a Coroner’s Inquest. For advice on how to apply for a correction where there has been an inquest, you should contact the register office in the area where the death occurred.