Wirral Register Office is moving from Birkenhead Town Hall to Wallasey Town Hall. This is with effect from 30 May 2025.
All birth and death appointments from 30 May will be face-to-face at Wallasey Town Hall.
Register a death
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.
If the death occurred outside of Wirral please email rbdm@wirral.gov.uk with the details and a Registrar will advise.
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 contact the family or next of kin, to discuss the cause of death and any concerns they have.
When complete, the documents will then be scanned to the Registrar at Wirral Register Office.
The Registrars will not be able to contact you to book an appointment until they have received the Medical Certificate from the Medical Examiner.
If you have not heard from the Medical Examiner within 5 workings days (this does not include Saturday, Sunday or bank holidays) from the date of death:
- if the death took place at home or in the community please contact the doctor’s surgery of the person who has passed away
- if the death occurred in hospital, please contact the bereavement office
- if the death occurred at a hospice, please contact the hospice team to ask if the Medical Examiner has been notified of the death
The coroner
If you are aware that the death has been reported to the coroner, please complete the form below and we will contact you once we have received notification from the Coroner's Office that the investigation has been completed.
The Coroner's Office will advise you when the paperwork is ready to be sent to 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 paperwork from the Medical Examiner or coroner, a Registrar will contact you by phone and book you an appointment at the office in Birkenhead Town Hall to register the death and collect the legal paperwork.
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.
What information do I need to register a death?
When you attend the appointment it would be helpful (but not essential) to have the following documents to hand. All documents relate to the deceased unless otherwise stated.
- birth, marriage or civil partnership certificates
- passport
- driving licence
What will the registrar ask me?
The Registrar will ask you for:
- the date and place of death
- the full name and surname of the deceased person (and the maiden surname if the deceased was a married woman or civil partner)
- the date and place of birth
- their usual address
- their last occupation
- if the deceased was married, widowed or registered a formal civil partnership, the full name and occupation of their spouse or civil partner
- the date of birth of a surviving spouse or civil partner
- details of any public sector pension e.g. civil service, teacher or armed forces
When you have completed the form to request an appointment, 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.
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 £99.
Death certificates
When you make an appointment to register the death, you can order and pay for certificates using a debit or credit card. Certificates are £12.50 each.
You may also purchase certificates from the registrar during the appointment using a debit or credit card.
Children under the age of 16
All death and stillbirth certificates issued for children under the age of 16 will be issued free of charge at the time of registration.
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.