The first steps
What you must do when someone dies
When someone dies you will need to inform a number of people and organisations and complete certain documents needed by law . If you are a relative or friend you can do some of these things yourself . Others will need to be done by the Executor or Administrator of the Estate . Plenty of support is available to help you through this dificult time .
What to do in the first few days
You won ’ t be able to do everything right away , but in the first few days it is important to :
• Obtain a medical certificate of cause of death signed by a doctor or if the Coroner is involved take instructions from the Coroner ’ s Oficers regarding registration of the death
• Register the death at the Register Ofice ( by law within five days from the date of death , but if that is not possible , you must inform the Register Ofice ). At the time of registering the death you will also be enrolled onto the ‘ Tell Us Once ’ service ; a system developed to save bereaved families some time and stress when notifying the relevant government and council departments ( see page 5 )
• Begin arrangements for the funeral - you should check the Will ( if there is one ) for any special requests . Information regarding choices is available in the section about funerals ( see pages 11 to 15 )
• Contact a Funeral Director if you intend to use one . Many people do use a Funeral Director , but this is not required by law
• Tell the family doctor
• Once the Registrar has given you the form BD8 , you will need to contact the Department for Work & Pensions either on the telephone number given to you or via the ‘ Tell Us Once ’ service ( see page 5 )
As early as possible
• Contact the Executor ( if one has been appointed ) as soon as you can to enable him / her to start the process of obtaining probate if necessary . The Executor is usually nominated in the Will
• If there is no Will , decide who will apply to administer the deceased ’ s afairs and contact the Probate Registry to apply for ‘ letters of administration ’ if necessary .
Documents you will need in the first few days
You will need to gather together the following documents as soon as possible to enable the registration of the death and to start funeral arrangements .
ESSENTIAL :
• You should ensure the doctor who has certified the death has sent the Medical Certificate of Cause of Death to the Registrar . This will usually be done electronically .
USEFUL BUT NOT MANDATORY :
• Birth certificate
• Marriage / civil partnership certificate
• NHS number / NHS medical card
• Organ donor card ( if appropriate )
• Passport of the deceased
• Driving licence of the deceased .
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