Helpful Guide

What to do after death

Most people are not sure what to do after a bereavement and there are many arrangements and decisions to be made at what is a very difficult time.

The following information is a guide to some of the things that need to be done:

A Medical Certificate of Death (MCCD) will need to be issued.

From the 9th September 2024 changes to the death certification process came into effect which requires independent scrutiny of the casuse of death.

The law states that a medical examiner must review the cause of death propsed by the doctor and speak with the bereaved family or next of kin to ask if they have any questions or concerns.

Once the cause of death has been agreed the Medical examiner will notify you that the paperwork has been sent to the registrar, you will then be able to make an appointment to register the death in the district where the person passed away.

If the cause of death is not clear

When someone dies unexpectedly then the coroner will get involved and they will be  responsible for investigating the death.

Registering a death

You can only attend a registrar office if you have made an appointment, this can be done online or over the telephone.

West Sussex Registrar Office
West Sussex County Council
Southgate Avenue
Crawley
RH10 6HG

West Sussex County Council - eBookings.net Suite

Or telephone 01243 642122
Office hours Monday to Friday 09:30am to 4:30pm

Surrey Registrar Office

Reigate Library

Bancroft Road

Reigate

Surrey

RH2 7RP

Register a death

Or telephone 0300 2001002

Office hours Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm

Tell Us Once

When someone has died, their death needs to be registered with the registrar. Once this is done other organisations and government departments need to be informed.

The Tell Us Once service makes this easier for you. You only need to provide the details to the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) once and they will notify the government organisations that need to know.