The deceased has usually been attended by a medical practitioner who can issue a notification of the cause of death.
Where the death is caused by an accident, or the deceased has not been attended by a medical practitioner, a coroner will investigate the death and issue a notification of the cause of death which is transmitted to the Registrar.
Where should a death be registered?
A death should be registered in the district where it occurred. If this was Wirral, you will need to register the death with Wirral Register Office.
All death registrations must be completed face to face at Birkenhead Town Hall. You must attend the office in person and sign the register entry.
When you have completed the form to request an appointment below, the registrar will ask you all these questions again before the death is registered. This is a legal requirement to enable the death to be registered.
Registrars will not be able to contact you to book an appointment until they receive the medical certificate from the doctor, hospital, or coroner. This could take several days. Please be patient.
Hospital and Medical Examiner
If the cause of death is known, the hospital or GP should inform the medical examiner - this is a senior doctor who provides independent scrutiny of the cause of death. When the medical examiner has reviewed the cause, they will approve the documents to be sent to us at the Register Office.
The hospital bereavement team or the GP will advise you when they have informed the medical examiner. The medical examiner will contact the family to discuss the cause of death and any concerns you have.
The coroner
If the death has been reported to the coroner, they will advise when the death can be registered.
When registrars have had confirmation that the death can be registered, We will contact you to book an appointment at the Register Office.
Request an appointment to register a death
If you are unable to complete the form yourself please call 0151 606 2020 and we will do this for you.
Once we receive the medical certificate from the doctor, hospital or Coroner, a Registrar will contact you by phone and book you an appointment at the office to register the death and collect the legal paperwork.
Doctors and GP Surgeries
We are asking doctors and GP surgeries to scan medical certificates of cause of death to us at rbdm@wirral.gov.uk. Please put 'MCCD' and the name of the deceased in the subject field of the email.
Documents you will need to provide
You will need:
- the deceased’s birth certificate or passport
- some form of identification for yourself
Other information you will need to provide
You will need to tell us:
- the date and place of death
- the full name and surname of the deceased, including the maiden name of a married woman
- the deceased's date and place of birth
- the deceased's occupation
- if the deceased was married or in a civil partnership the name, date of birth and occupation of the surviving partner
- the deceased's usual address
Please check the information you give at registration very carefully. If a mistake is made an application will have to be made to the Registrar General for a correction, this may take several weeks and could cost up to £90.
Documents you will receive
The registrar will give you the following documents:
- a form to allow the funeral to go ahead
- a form for notifying social security
- certified copies of the death entry can be purchased for a fee of £11. You will need these for insurance companies, banks, etc.
The 'Tell Us Once' service
When someone has died, there are several organisations that need to know.
The ‘Tell Us Once’ service allows you to report a death once to the Department of Work and Pensions and they will do the rest of the work for you.
Register a stillbirth
Information on how to register a stillbirth.