Book an appointment
When to book an appointment
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 the death occurred in the London Borough of Bexley, there is no need for you to book an appointment online. The Bexley Registration Team will contact you to make an appointment as soon as they have received the paperwork from the medical examiner.
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.
Who can book an appointment
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:
- Ashford Gateway Plus
- Canterbury Library (The Beaney)
- Cliftonville Library
- Danson House, Bexleyheath
- Dartford Library
- Deal Library
- Dover Library
- Faversham Library
- Gravesend Library
- Herne Bay Library
- Hythe Library
- Larkfield Library
- Maidstone Library
- Ramsgate Library
- Sevenoaks Library
- Sheerness Library
- Sittingbourne Library
- Tenterden Library
- Tonbridge Library
- Tunbridge Wells - The Amelia
- Whitstable Library.
What happens at the registration
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:
- a certificate for burial or cremation (form 9), a green form, and will email it to the funeral director.
- a unique code for you to use the ‘tell us once’ system.
Notifying government and financial institutions
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.