Clackmannanshire Council Online

Registering a Death

Registering a Death

We would like to offer you and your family our deepest sympathy at this difficult time. In this section there is information and guidance aimed at helping you through the registration process.

When and where can I register a death?

We can now register deaths remotely without a face to face appointment. You do not need to collect the death certificate (Medical Certificate of Cause of Death) from the hospital / GP or go to a registration office in person to register the death. Instead, the death certificate will be emailed to the registrar by the certifying doctor and the registration can be completed over the telephone.

Any death which occurs in Scotland must be registered at any Registration Office in Scotland within 8 days. 

If you need to register a death, please phone the registration office on 01259 723850 or email registration@clacks.gov.uk (please include a daytime phone number).

Who can register a death in Scotland?

The death can be registered by:

• any relative of the deceased; or
• any person present when the person died; or
• the deceased's executor or other legal representative; or
• the occupier of the property where the person died; or if there is no such person,
• anyone else who knows the information to be registered.

What the registrar will ask about the person who has died:

• Their full name, usual address and occupation.
• Their parents’ full names and occupations.
• Name and address of their GP.
• Their NHS number, if available.
• Details of their birth and any marriages or civil partnerships.
  • If these occurred in Scotland, the registrar can look up details on the Scottish Family History System. However, if any relevant life events occurred outside Scotland, the registrar may ask you to email them a digital copy, for example a scan or photograph of the certificates, if possible.
• Details of pensions or allowances from government funds.

After the registrar has taken the details of the person who has died over the phone, an appointment will then be made with you for the registration.  

Death registrations can only begin when the death certificate (the Medical Certificate of Cause of Death) has been emailed to the Registrar by the certifying doctor.  Please ask the certifying doctor to email the death certificate to registration@clacks.gov.uk.

Appointment phone call

During the registration appointment phone call the registrar will read over the details on the register page. You will then be sent a copy of the register page electronically to check it for accuracy. 

It may take more than one phone call to complete the registration.

Once the registration is complete, the registrar will:

• Email the Form 14 (certificate of registration of death) directly to your chosen funeral director.
• Post an abbreviated death certificate to you (free of charge).
• Full death certificates may be obtained on payment of the statutory fee, currently £10.00 each.  

Tell Us Once

Tell Us Once is a free government service that allows you to report a death when you suffer a bereavement and allows you to tell national and local government departments of the death e.g. to deal with the person’s benefits, state pension, passport, driving licence or blue badge. 

If you would like the registrar to complete this service, please have available the National Insurance number of the person who has died, the passport, driving licence and blue badge.  Alternatively the registrar will give you the contact details and the unique reference number to use the Tell Us Once service from home by telephone or online when the registration is complete. 

Please see our Tell Us Once - Death service page for more information.

Review of Medical Certificates of Cause of Death

The doctor or medical professional who issues the medical certificate of cause of death (MCCD) may have mentioned a review of the contents of the certificate. Healthcare Improvement Scotland will independently review a random sample of medical certificates of cause of death (MCCD) which have been certified by a doctor. This means that, if the MCCD is selected for review, there may be a short delay and the registration cannot be completed until the review is finished.

Please refer to Health Improvement Scotland's Q&A page for more information.

Privacy

This service is committed to ensuring your information is protected. Our privacy policy tells you how the information you provide when you use this service will be used and protected. Ask the Registrar if you wish to see the full privacy statement.

Please remember that it is your responsibility to ensure that all organisations that pay you a benefit/credit or provide a service to you have correct and up to date information about you.