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Register a death

Christmas opening times: our team are available for bookings on 23, 27, 30 and 31 December. We return to our normal hours from 2 January 2025.

All deaths should be registered within 5 days, starting from when we receive the necessary paperwork from the medical examiner, unless a coroner is investigating the circumstances of the death.

If you are unable to book within 5 days, just make an appointment as soon as possible. If you cannot find one in your immediate area, we suggest looking at other locations across Kent that may have more availability.

Only book an appointment if the medical examiner has made you aware that the paperwork has been sent to us.

If you have not spoken to the medical examiner and still require confirmation of the paperwork being sent to us, you will need to contact the medical examiner service relevant to the area that the death occurred.

To book an appointment to register a death at a library or gateway, you must be either:

  • a relative of the deceased
  • a partner of the deceased
  • a person who was present at the death
  • a personal representative of the deceased (a solicitor, executor of a will, family friend or funeral director)
  • an administrator from the hospital where the person died
  • a person arranging the funeral with the funeral director.

Registering a death can be an emotional experience. You could ask a close friend or family member to come with you for support. Don’t worry if you get upset during the appointment. The registrar will know you are grieving and try their best to help you.

Make an appointment to register a death

Appointment locations

To register a death visit one of the following libraries and gateways:

The registration service is free of charge.

There is a charge for buying copies of the death certificate. The registrar will discuss this with you.

What we need from you

When you are with the registrar, they will need to know some information about the person who has died and your relationship to them to be able to complete the death register.

It's common to feel confused and find it hard to concentrate, which can make answering lots of questions a stressful experience. It may help to read through our guidance (PDF, 64.4 KB) to find out what information we need from you.

During the appointment

After the registration entry is complete, the registrar will generate:

When someone dies there are lots of things that need to be organised, at a time when you probably least feel like doing them. However we are here to support you.

Tell Us Once

The Tell Us Once service lets you report a death to most government organisations in one go. At your appointment, the registrar will explain the process and they will either:

  • complete the Tell Us Once service with you
  • give you a unique reference number so you can use the service yourself online or by phone.

Find out more about the Tell Us Once service.

Banks and other financial organisations

You must contact the person’s bank and their mortgage, pension or insurance providers to close or change the details of their accounts.

You will need to produce a death certificate when you are arranging the finances of the person who has died.

After the death registration

Once you have registered the death the next steps are to arrange a funeral and to inform others of the death.

Death certificates may be needed for:

  • banks and building societies
  • insurance companies
  • national saving accounts
  • property matters that may be being dealt with by a solicitor (they can copy and certify at a cost if more than one needed)
  • stocks and shares
  • redirecting post.

Buy a copy of the death certificate for a small fee.

These can be bought on the day of registration or after the registration process.

Arranging a funeral can not only be stressful - it can also be expensive. The person may have left instructions (in their will or somewhere else) about the type of funeral they wanted and if they wanted to be buried or cremated.

Your district council can provide you with information about:

  • funeral arrangements, including local funeral directors, cremations, burial costs and cemetery plot fees
  • memorials, including benches and trees
  • financial support
  • cemetery and burial ground records.

Visit your district council's website for more information:

When you’re ready, you might need to sort out the deceased's financial matters, for example their:

  • money
  • money owed to the person who has died
  • shares
  • property
  • personal possessions like their car or jewellery.

To get help and advice visit:

Losing a loved one is a devastating time emotionally, and it can also be an incredibly difficult financially. Bereavement benefits are cash payments designed to help reduce the financial impact of losing a partner. Learn more about the Bereavement Support Payment.

Redirecting post

The Royal Mail offer a redirect post service.

Complete the special circumstances form and take it to your local Post Office - you can’t do it online or by post. The Post Office will need to see a death certificate or proof of power of attorney.

Unwanted marketing

The Bereavement Register Service can reduce the amount of unwanted marketing post being sent to them, stopping painful daily reminders.

By registering with their free service, the names and addresses of the deceased are removed from mailing lists, stopping most advertising mail within as little as 6 weeks.

Visit their website to sign up.

Bereavement and grief support

Experiencing different emotions when grieving is normal. It's important to remember we all react in our own way. Sometimes having someone to talk to about how you feel can be very helpful.

Don’t be afraid to talk to close friends and family about your grief. You might want to consider bereavement counselling to help you. You may also need to tell your employer if you will need time off work.

For help and support visit: