In Times of Bereavement

In the unfortunate event that a person has passed away, there are three things that must be done in the first few days:

  • Get a medical certificate from your GP or hospital doctor (this is necessary to register the death)
  • Register the death within 5 days. You will then receive the necessary documents for the funeral
  • Make the necessary funeral arrangements

Register the death

If the death has been reported to the coroner they must give permission before registering the death.

You can register the death if you are a relative, a witness to the death, a hospital administrator or the person making the arrangements with the funeral directors.

You can use the ‘register a death’ page on the gov.uk website that will guide you through the process.

Arrange the funeral

The funeral can usually only take place after the death is registered. Most people use a funeral director, though you can arrange a funeral yourself.

Funeral directors

Choose a funeral director who’s a member of one of the following:

These organisations have codes of practice – they must give you a price list when asked.

Some local councils run their own The British humanist association website can also help with non-religious funerals.

Arranging the funeral yourself

Contact the cemeteries and crematorium department of your local council to arrange a funeral yourself.

Funeral costs

Funeral costs can include:

  • Funeral director fees
  • The funeral director will pay for ‘disbursements’ or ‘third-party costs’ on your behalf. This includes, crematorium or cemetery fees, or a newspaper announcement about the death
  • Local authority burial or cremation fees

Funeral directors may list all these costs in their quotes.