Registering a death

Our aim is to support you in a respectful and dignified manner and to offer help and advice on the bereavement journey through the Tell Us Once Service.

How soon can the death be registered?

Following the implementation of the statutory Medical Examiner service on 9th September 2024 all deaths occurring in England and Wales where there is no coroner involvement must be referred to the Medical Examiners service for independent scrutiny prior to registration. The Medical Examiner will contact the designated Next of Kin to discuss the cause of death and any concerns they may have before forwarding the paperwork to the relevant register office to allow registration to take place.

Upon receipt of the paperwork from the Medical Examiner/Coroner we will then call the next of kin to offer an appointment to attend to register, deaths should be registered within 5 days of us receiving the necessary

Who should register a death?

The primary responsibility for registering a death rests with a nearest relative of the deceased person.

If no relative is available, please contact your local register office for advice.

Where can I register a death that occurred outside of Rhondda Cynon Taf?

A death should be registered within the district in which it took place. If a death occurred outside the district of Rhondda Cynon Taf, you can either:

• attend at the Register Office in person in the district in which the death occurred and purchase copies of the death entry at the time of registration, or, if you live in Rhondda Cynon Taf and the death occurred far away, you can complete and sign a declaration stating the details to be entered in the register at the Register Office, Municipal Buildings, Gelliwastad Road, Pontypridd CF37 2DP.
• please ring to make an appointment on (01443) 494024. We will forward the declaration to the appropriate office in the district where the death occurred on your behalf.

Please note: if you register the death in this way, it may lead to delays with funeral arrangements.

Most offices within England and Wales operate an appointment system, you should therefore contact the office you wish to attend and make an appointment before attending.

What information will I need to supply to the registrar?

When attending to register you will be asked questions regarding, names, dates, addresses and places which will feed into the register entry. Please ensure you have the correct spellings prior to the appointment.

You must check the register entry carefully to ensure that the information recorded is accurate, as a fee of up to £99 for a consideration of any correction found to a completed entry is made.

Once the all the paperwork has been completed you can purchase full copies of the entry, at a cost of £12.50 per certificate

Please note: the above office operates a strict appointment system, please telephone the office to arrange a mutually convenient appointment before attending

What information will I need to supply to the Registrar?

• the deceased's full name and any previous names
• their date and place of birth, occupation and usual address
• the full name and occupation of their spouse or civil partner
• the full name and address of the informant and their relationship to the deceased

Bi-lingual Registration

If you would like to have the death registered in both English and Welsh, please indicate this when you book your appointment. You should have the correct English and Welsh spellings available in preparation for your appointment.

What documents will the registrar issue?

Once the registration has been completed, in most cases, you will be issued with the following documents free of charge:

• A green form - to allow the funeral to take place
• A white form - this is a notification of death for the Department of Social Security

Certified copies of the death entry are available at the time of registration at the statutory fee of £12.50 per certificate.

Certificate fees are set by statute and reviewed annually. You may need a few of these if you have to settle the deceased's estate.

What are the costs?

There is No Charge for registering a death.

What is a certified copy?

A certified copy (Birth, Death or Marriage certificate) is an exact copy of the register entry made on water marked paper and subject to crown copyright. They can be used for legal and evidential purposes.

Tell Us Once Service

This service is designed to help bereaved families inform other council departments and government organisations about the death at the time of registration so they do not need to make other appointments to see lots of different departments and organisations at a later time. You will need to bring the deceased's passport, driving licence and national insurance card with you to your appointment if you wish to take up this service.

Special Assistance

If English is not your first language and you would like someone to help you with the registration, please ask a relative or friend who speaks and understands English to accompany you to your appointment.

Please remember you must register the death personally. You cannot ask a friend to register for you.

If you require further assistance, then please discuss your needs with the registrar when you telephone to book your appointment.

Probate

The person who deals with the deceased's estate is known as the personal representative (also known as the executor if they are named as such in the will, or the administrator if there is no executor named or no will)

If you are the personal representative you may have to apply to prove the will or, if there is a will, apply for letters of administration. This will give you permission to pay the bills and deal with the estate.

For more information on how to obtain probate contact the Probate and Inheritance Tax Helpline on: 0845 30 20 900.

The helpline is open Monday to Friday 9am to 4pm, except bank holidays. Alternatively, you can obtain information online from the Court Service website. Information about Inheritance Tax is available from the Inland Revenue.

Further Information

If you need further information / advice regarding registering a death please contact us on 01443 494024. We will be happy to advise you. alternatively, you can visit the General Register Office's Website at: www.gro.gov.uk

The information included on these pages is for general guidance purposes only and is not a complete or exhaustive explanation of current death laws.

Customer Satisfaction

Customer satisfaction is very important to us, we wish to offer a high quality, personal and professional service and to give support and advice where we can. Please let us know what you think by completing our registration service questionnaire. alternatively you could write to:-