Clackmannanshire Council Online

Registering a Death

Registering a Death

We realise that this is a very difficult time for you. In this section there is information and guidance aimed at helping you through the registration process.

When and where can I register a death?

Any death which occurs in Scotland must be registered within 8 days by the Registrar and can be registered at any Registration Office within Scotland. To avoid unnecessary waiting please phone to book an appointment using the details at the bottom of this page.

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 documents should I take to the registrar?

• Any birth, marriage or civil partnership certificates relating to the deceased.

The following documents, if available, are also helpful:

• The deceased's NHS medical card.
• Any documents relating to the receipt of a pension or allowance from government funds.

Note: Do not worry if any of these documents are not available as the Registrar can still proceed to register the death.

What documents will I receive?

When the registration is complete the registrar will give you, free of charge:

• an abbreviated death certificate
• a certificate of registration of death (form 14) for production to the person in charge of the burial ground or crematorium;
• a Social Security registration or notification of death certificate (form BD8) for use in obtaining or adjusting Social Security benefits.

You may require one or more full death certificates, for example for Insurance purposes. These may be obtained on payment of the statutory fee.

Review of Medical Certificates of Cause of Death

An independent review service has been established by Healthcare Improvement Scotland and new arrangements for the certification and registration of deaths in Scotland were introduced on 13 May 2015. Under the new system, 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 you bring in to the registrar is selected, 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.

Tell Us Once

When someone has died we can help you tell the people who need to know. Please see our Tell Us Once - Death service page for more information.