Death Registration
- When and where should a death be registered?
- Who should register a death?
- Documents to be produced when registering a death
- Documents issued by the registrar at the time of death registration
- Tell Us Once Service
When and where should a death be registered?
A death must be registered within 8 days. A death can be registered either in the registration district where it takes place or in the registration district where the deceased person had a current home address (only if the usual residence is in Scotland).
Who should register a death?
A death can be registered by:-
- any relative of the deceased;
- any person present at the death;
- the deceased's executor or other legal representative;
- the occupier, at the time of death, of the premises where the death took place; and
- if there is no person as above, anyone having a knowledge of the particulars to be registered.
Documents to be produced when registering a death
- the medical certificate of cause of death (Form 11) completed and issued by the doctor,
- the deceased's birth certificate, also the marriage certificate (if applicable),
- the deceased's medical card (if available).
If these documents are unavailable, please contact the registrar who will advise.
Documents issued by the registrar at the time of death registration
- Certificate of registration of death (Form 14). This should be taken to the Funeral Director;
- Green Form (Form334S1). This should be completed and sent to the Department of Work and Pensions (formerly the Benefits Agency);
- Extract certificates of death can be purchased on payment of the statutory fee. They may be required for business and financial purposes.
What if the death occurs abroad?
You should register the death according to local regulations in the country concerned and obtain a certificate of death. You may also be able to register a death with the British Consul in that country for a fee. However, there is no obligation to do so. A record of the death will be sent to Scotland and you will thereafter be able to get a copy from New Register House.
Tell Us Once Service
The Moray Council are providing a service where we can help you give information about the death to the various government departments and services who need to know.
We will contact the following organisations if we need to:
- Department for Work and Pensions
- The Pension, Disability and Carers Service
- Jobcentre Plus
- HM Revenue & Customs
- Child Benefit
- Tax Credits
- Identity and Passport Service
- Housing Benefit Office
- Council Tax Benefit Office
We can also contact the following services and organisations, if you ask us to:
- Libraries
- Blue Badges
- Social Work (Adult Services and Children's Services)
- Collection of payment for Council services
- Council Housing
- DVLA
- Council Tax
- Electoral Registration
You will be offered the service automatically when registering the death. The Registrar will explain how the service works and what you'll need to do.
