Registering a death in Kent
All deaths must be registered with a Registrar of Births and
Deaths in the area where the death occurred. They should be
registered within five days unless a Coroner is investigating the
circumstances of the death.
What do I need to do first?
When someone dies, a Doctor issues a medical certificate of
cause of death. If the death occurred in Kent and you have this
certificate, you will need to call KCC's Contact Centre on 08458
247 400 to make an appointment to register the death.
Alternatively, you can make an appointment using KCC's
online booking service (link opens in a new
window).
Please Note: Kent does not include the Medway Towns (Chatham,
Gillingham, Rochester, Strood) or the London Boroughs of Bexley or
Bromley. Any deaths occurring in these areas must be registered
there. If you are unsure where you need to register please call
08458 247 400 for advice. You can find out more about our
Register Offices here.
Who can register a death?
● A relative
● A person present at the death
● Someone who lives in the house where the person died
● A person arranging the funeral with the funeral director
● A responsible person from the hospital or home where the person
died.
What do I need to bring?
● The medical certificate of cause of death issued by a Doctor
(if there has been a post mortem the coroner will send this
directly to the Registrar)
● If they are available - birth, death, marriage or civil
partnership certificates, which confirm the details to be entered
into the death register
● Disabled parking 'Blue Badge' if the deceased had one
● A method of payment for copies of the death certificate (i.e.
cash, credit/debit card, cheque book and cheque guarantee card)
What happens when I see the Registrar?
The Registrar will ask you to confirm the following
information:
● The date and place of death
● The full name that the person who died was using at the time of
their death
● Details of any other names they might have been known by
● The date and place of birth
● The occupation and whether or not they were retired
● The current home address
● If the person who died was a married woman or widow, her maiden
surname (what her surname was before she was married) and the full
name and occupation of her husband
● In the case of a man, the name and occupation of his wife
● In the case of a couple who have registered their civil
partnership, the partner's name and occupation
● Your full name and address and your relationship to the person
who has died
The following confidential information will also be required
for government statistics:
● Was the person who died single, married, widowed, divorced, a
civil partner, surviving civil partner or former civil
partner?
● Is their spouse or civil partner still alive? If so, what is
their date of birth?
● How long did they stay in hospital or in another establishment (a
hospice for example)?
● Was the person under 75?
● What industry did they work in and what position did they
hold?
● Did they get a pension paid from government funds? This includes
the civil service, teachers, armed forces and war widows. This does
not include the state pension or pension credits
● The person's NHS number found on their medical card (if
available).
Once the registration has been completed you will be asked to
sign the entry. It is important that the information recorded is as
accurate as possible as the correction of errors discovered after
the register has been signed may cause delay and inconvenience.
The Registrar will then give you:
● A green form to give to the funeral director. If the death has
been referred to the coroner and the funeral is a cremation, the
equivalent form will be sent by the coroner to your funeral
director
● A white BD8 form, to be completed and sent by you, with any
benefit or pension details to the Department of Work and
Pensions
Do I have to pay a fee?
No. The service is free of charge. However, certified copies of
the death entry (death certificate) can be purchased for a small
fee. You will need to produce a death certificate when you are
sorting out the finances of the person who has died (for example
with banks, building societies and insurance companies). It is also
possible to order death certificates
online (link opens in a new window).
I want to register the death but I don't live in Kent
If the death occurred in Kent and you do not live in Kent, it is
possible to give the details to any Registrar in England or Wales.
This is known as registering by declaration. The Registrar to whom
the declaration is given does not register the death, but will send
the information to the Kent Register Office in Maidstone, where it
will be registered. You may also order death certificates. A charge
is made for these and you will need to have a cheque and cheque
card or postal order with you when you give the declaration. The
Registrar will send the order and cheque/postal order to the Kent
Register Office.
Once the death has been registered at the Kent Register Office
you will be sent:
● Any certified copies of the death entry that you have ordered
and paid for
● A green form to give to the funeral director. If the death has
been referred to the coroner and the funeral is a cremation, the
equivalent form will be sent by the coroner, to your funeral
director
● A white BD8 form, to be completed by you, and sent with any
benefit or pension details to the Department of Work and
Pensions
These arrangements also apply if you live in Kent but need to
register a death occurring elsewhere in England or Wales but do not
wish to travel to where the death occurred.
If you are unsure where you need to register please call 08458
247 400 for advice.
'In memoriam' Certificate
Special Kentish 'in memoriam'
certificates are available from the
Registrar.
A Bereavement Service - helping you to tell the people who need
to know
If the person who has died lived in the Ashford, Dover,
Maidstone, Thanet or Tunbridge Wells District or Borough Council
area you can participate in a new notification service called 'Tell
Us Once' which will make it easier to notify central and local
government departments about the death.
Find out more about
A Bereavement Service.
You may also wish to read our online guide book -
What to do when someone dies (link opens in
a new window). This provides more information on registering a
death as well as legal processes, funeral arrangements and
organisations who can provide you with further support.
A Kentish Funeral Ceremony
Kent County Council provides a Kentish civil funeral ceremony
which is designed to celebrate a life - reflecting the wishes,
beliefs and values of the deceased and their family. It is a
personal tribute created by a professional civil funeral celebrant
working with the family or the funeral director. Please ask the
Registrar for details or visit our dedicated ceremonies website at
www.akentishceremony.com (link opens in a new
window).
The coroner
When a death occurs in the following circumstances it will be
referred to the coroner:
• The death is sudden and unexpected
• The cause of death is industrially related
• The cause of death is unknown
• There are suspicious circumstances surrounding the death
• When a Doctor has explained that he/she is unable to issue a
medical certificate of cause of death
Deaths reported to the coroner
The coroner will investigate the circumstances of the death and
do one of the following:
• Issue a certificate allowing the death to be registered
• Arrange a post mortem and when this is complete issue a cause of
death certificate allowing the death to be registered
• Arrange a post mortem and hold an Inquest. The coroner will then
arrange for the death to be registered after the Inquest has taken
place.
Find out more about the role of the
coroner.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us
on 08458 247 400. |