Register a death or stillbirth

Our deepest condolences on your loss.

Register a death

A death which has taken place within North East Lincolnshire should be registered within five days.

You have a legal obligation to register a death if you’re:

a close relative of the deceased
a person present at the death
a person arranging the funeral (not the funeral director)

Registering a death is by appointment only. The GP surgery or hospital will send the necessary documents directly to the Registrar. The next of kin will be contacted once the Medical Certificate of Cause of Death (MCCD) has been received and authorised for registration.

You will need to provide the registar with the following information:

Full name and surname of the deceased
Date and place of birth
Occupation (even if retired)
Usual address
The full name and occupation of the husband, wife or civil partner of the deceased
The date of birth of the widow or civil partner of the deceased

It would be useful to have the birth and marriage certificates relating to the deceased with you but it is not essential.

If the deceased was in receipt of a pension from public funds for example Civil Service or HM Forces please bring details with you and tell the registrar.

You will receive these documents after registration.

A certificate for burial or cremation (green form) – this is required by the funeral director.
A certificate of registration of death (white form) – this certificate is for social security (benefits agency) purposes usually referred to as a BD8

For an additional fee:

Certified copies of a death entry – available from the registrar and are generally referred to as ‘death certificates’.

If you purchase death certificates at the time you register, you will pay £11 for each certificate. These certificates may be required for banks, insurance companies, occupational pension schemes and Premium Bonds. It’s a good idea to consider how many certificates you may require before you attend to register the death.

Register a stillbirth

A stillborn is a child born after the 24th week of pregnancy, and didn’t breathe or show any other signs of life. When a child is stillborn the midwife or doctor will issue a medical certificate of stillbirth. A stillbirth should be registered within 42 days and you need to provide the certificate provided by the midwife or doctor.

A stillbirth which has taken place within North East Lincolnshire should be registered with the Bereavement service.

Who can register?

If the natural parents are married to one another, or were married at the time of conception, then either parent may attend.

If the natural parents are not married to one another and the fathers details are to be recorded on the stillbirth certificate, both parents should attend. If this is not possible, one parent can make a statutory declaration acknowledging parentage but there is a statutory form to use that you obtain from the registrar. If you wish to do this please contact us on 01472 326295 for more information.

If the parents are civil partners and had formed their legal civil partnership prior to the assisted conception of the child, then either parent may attend to register.

For same sex couples who are not civil partners but had entered into a parenthood agreement prior to assisted conception at an approved fertility clinic within the United Kingdom, if the second parents details are to be recorded on the stillbirth certificate, both parents should attend.

Although in most circumstances the parents attend to register the stillbirth, if this is not possible the law does permit for certain other people to register. They are:

The occupier of the house or hospital were the still-birth took place
Someone who was present at the still-birth
A person who is responsible for the still-born child

We would suggest that if the parents are unable to register the still-birth, you contact the register office to discuss the individual circumstances.

What documents do I need to register a stillbirth?

The medical certificate issued by the midwife or doctor.

What information will the registrar ask me for?

The registrar will require the following information:

Child’s details

The date and place of the stillbirth
The forenames and surname that the parents may wish to name their child
The sex of the child

If the fathers details are to be recorded on the stillbirth certificate:

Forenames and surname
Date and place of birth
Occupation

For the mother we need:

Forenames and surname
Maiden surname (if applicable)
Date and place of birth
Occupation
Usual address at the time of the stillbirth

For married parents, we also require:

Date of the marriage
Number of previous children born to present husband or any former husband

You will receive these documents after registration:

A certificate for burial or cremation – this is required by the funeral director
A certificate of registration – this certificate is proof of registration and shows the date of the stillbirth and any names given to the child
A stillbirth certificate – a certified copy of all the details held in the register is also available

Can I obtain a stillbirth certificate at a later date?

Due to the sensitive nature of a stillbirth registration, the procedure for ordering and obtaining certificates differs from birth, death and marriage certificates. With the exception of very recent stillbirth registration, all records are held at the general register office and not at the local register office. The records date back to the 1 July 1927.

Certified copies of stillbirth registration’s may only be obtained by the registrar general’s consent and the following conditions apply:

Only the natural parents of the still-born child will be issued with the certificate
Siblings of the stillborn child may apply if both the parents are deceased.
The names, dates and places of death for both parents will be required

Contact details

North East Lincolnshire Register Office, Cleethorpes Town Hall, Knoll Street, Cleethorpes, North East Lincolnshire, DN35 8LN

Email: [email protected]

Telephone: 01472 326295

Opening times: Monday to Friday, 9am to Midday and 1pm to 4pm, except bank holidays