Registering a death

To register a death you will need to contact the borough in which the death occurred.  Please note that Northwick Park Hospital is in the borough of Brent.

For a death that took place in Harrow please contact our register office to make an appointment to register the death. 

Usually you will need to register a death within 5 days.  The person best qualified to register a death is a relative of the deceased.  However if this is not possible then please contact our register office for further advice.

The death cannot be registered without a medical certificate showing the cause of death which is issued either by a hospital or by the certifying doctor.  You will need to obtain this prior to registering the death. 

If a post mortem examination is required and the death is confirmed to be from natural causes the coroner will issue a coroners certificate directly to the registrar prior to your appointment (a medical certificate will not be issued).  Please contact our register office to make sure that this certificate has been received from the coroner and also to book an appointment.

At your appointment with the registrar you will be issued with a death certificate and a burial/cremation certificate.

The burial/cremation certificate (Green form) must then be given to the funeral director in order for the funeral to take place.

However, if a cremation is to take place and there has been a post mortem, you will still need to register the death with the register office but the burial/cremation certificate will be replaced by a coroner's certificate for cremation and this will be supplied directly to the funeral director.

If a burial is to take place after a post mortem the registrar will continue to issue the burial/cremation certificate for burial and it will be issued to the informant. 

When you attend your appointment to register a death the registrar will require the following:

• The date and place of death.
• The full name of the deceased (including any middle names and maiden name if applicable).
• Date and place of birth.
• Full address and occupation.
• If the deceased was married or widowed then their spouses full names and occupations will be needed.
• In the case of a civil partner the full names and occupation of both the deceased and surviving partner will be required. 

If you urgently need a burial/cremation certificate in advance of registration and it is outside our office hours, we run a service between 9-10am on Sunday and Bank Holiday mornings.  Contact the Civic Centre for details.

Difficulty attending the office
If you have difficulty attending our register office, please ring for advice - contact details on the top right of this page.