Register a death
To register a death book an appointment with the register office in the borough where the death occurred
If the death took place in Northwick Park hospital please contact Brent Council's registration service.
We recommend that the death is registered by a relative of the deceased. If this is not possible please contact us for further advice. Ordinarily you should register a death within five days. Harrow Council's register office contact details are at the end of this page.
Medical cause of death certificate
When a death occurs, the deceased’s doctor will issue a ‘Medical cause of death certificate’. This confirms the cause of death. Alternatively the coroner will issue a post mortem report (if the coroners were involved). This document will be emailed to the Register Office. Once we have received this then you can book an appointment to register the death.
The surgery will email the register office ‘the medical certificate’ showing the cause of death. Please do not collect this from the surgery.
Post-mortem
The coroner will issue a coroners certificate directly to the registrar prior to your appointment if the following conditions are met:
- a post-mortem examination is required
- the death is confirmed to be from natural causes
To confirm that the certificate has been received from the coroner please contact us via the number at the end of this page. A medical certificate won't be issued.
At your appointment
- if a burial is intended we'll issue the relevant document to you for the burial to be arranged
- if a cremation is intended, the coroner will issue the relevant document directly to the funeral director for the cremation to be arranged
Tell Us Once service
Tell Us Once (TUO) is a free service which enables you to report a death to one government department. The report is then distributed to all the appropriate central and local government departments on your behalf. Find out more about the TUO service.
Death certificate fee
The charge for a death certificate is £11
Deaths that occur outside the borough of Harrow
If the death occurred outside the borough of Harrow you may make a declaration of the Death at Harrow. However, you will not receive the death certificate at your appointment. Instead, the details of the death will be forwarded to the borough where the death took place. That council will issue the death certificate and relevant documents and post it to your home address. There's no fee for making the declaration at Harrow, however the borough registering the death will charge the certificate fee. Please note that this process may delay the funeral as the relevant documents will be posted to your home address.