Forms and certificates received when registering a death

June 2, 2014


When you register a death, the registrar will give you the following:

  • A certificate for burial or cremation (known as the ‘green form’) unless the coroner has given you an order for burial (form 101), or a certificate for cremation. These give permission for the body to be buried or to apply for the body to be cremated. You should take this to the funeral director so that the funeral can be held.
  • A certificate of registration of death (form BD8). This is for benefit claim purposes only. You should read the information on the back of the certificate. If any of it applies, fill in the certificate and contact Jobcentre Plus or The Pension Service.

The death certificate

Craven handThe death certificate is a certified copy of what is written in the death register. The registrar can let you have a death certificate if you want one, but you will have to pay a fee. You may need a death certificate for the will and for any pension claims, insurance policies, savings bank certificates and premium bonds. You may want to ask for more than one copy of the death certificate straight away, as the price increases if you need additional copies later on. The registrar may not be able to give you all the copies straight away and may ask you to call back or ask you to pay an amount towards postage so that they can send them to you.

Registering the death of a stillborn baby

The registrar will give you a certificate for burial or cremation and a certificate of registration of stillbirth.

You can ask to have a first name for a stillborn baby when you register the death. The registrar will write the baby’s name on these certificates if the name is recorded in the register. It is also possible to get certified copies of what is written in the death register.

The following is a list of some of the forms and certificates the registrar will give you when you register a death. The list explains when and where you get each form.

When you register a death You will usually get the following
If no coroner has issued a certificate for cremation or a burial order Certificate for burial or cremation (the green form)
If Jobcentre Plus or the Pension Service needs to know about the death Certificate of registration of death (form BD8)
If you need evidence of the death to get probate, pensions claims, insurance policies, savings certificates or premium bonds Death certificate
If a baby is stillborn Registration of stillbirth
If a baby is stillborn and you want a burial or cremation Certificate for burial or cremation (the white form)

 

For more information about what to do when a loved one dies, click here to read our helpful guide.