Where you can register a death

You should register a death with the local authority where the person died. 

If you cannot go to the registration office in the area where the death occurred, you can declare the death at another district. For example, you can declare a death that occurred in Kent at the Royal Borough of Greenwich.  

This is called registering a death by declaration. 

How to register a death by declaration 

To register a death by declaration, make an appointment at the register office of your choice.  

The registrar will then send the details of the death to the registration office in the district where the death occurred. 

You cannot get a copy of the death certificate until the death has been registered in the right district. 

Who can register a death 

You can register the death if you are: 

• a relative of the deceased person 
• a person who was present at the time of death 
• a person who lives at the same address of the deceased person and is aware of the death 
• the person arranging the funeral