Death Registration

A death occurring in Scotland may be registered in any registration District, regardless of where the death occurred. Please note all registrations in Dundee are by appointment only by calling 01382 435222.  All death appointments in Dundee are currently still being done remotely by telephone.

A death occurring in Scotland must be registered within 8 days. The body cannot be cremated until the death has been registered.

A death may be registered by:

• Any relative
• Any person present at the death
• The deceased's executor or other legal representative
• The occupier of the premises where the death took place
• Or, finally, any other person possessing the information needed for registration.

The doctor or hospital will normally issue a Medical Certificate of Death (Form 11). This will be scanned directly to the Registration Office, with the original then being posted to them. The registrar requires this to register the death.  When you make initial contact, the Receptionist will ask you a series of questions.  The following documents will help ensure that the registration is completed swiftly and accurately:

• The birth certificate for the deceased, although if born in Scotland, it can be looked up on the system
• Any marriage certificates for the deceased although if married in Scotland, it can be looked up on the system
• National Insurance Number
• Any pension book, documents or details relating to any pensions or allowances which the deceased received from public funds.

Tell Us Once is a free service offered by HM Government.

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When someone has died, there are lots of things that need to be done, at a time when you probably least feel like doing them.

Tell Us Once is voluntary to use and very helpful. It enables you to report a death only once, telling central and local government services securely and confidentially without you having to inform them individually.

Many services can be notified and these include:

• the Local Council - to update services such as Council Housing, Housing Benefit, Council Tax, Blue Badge and remove the person from the Electoral Register
• HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) - to deal with personal tax and to update regarding Child Benefit and Tax Credits claims (contact HMRC separately for business taxes, like VAT)
• Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) - to update benefits information for example: State Pension, Universal Credit
• Passport Office - to cancel a British passport
• Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) - to cancel a driving licence and to remove registered keeper details, possibly for up to five vehicles
• Public Sector or Armed Forces Pension Schemes - to update pension records

How do I use the service?

After you have registered the death with the Registrar, they will complete the Tell Us Once service with you at the same time. Otherwise, the Registrar will provide you with a unique Tell Us Once reference number, which will enable you to access the service Online via GOV.UK at https://www.gov.uk/after-a-death or via their telephony service 0800 085 7308.

It will help you to have all the relevant information listed below about the person before using Tell Us Once:

• date of birth
• address of the deceased
• National Insurance number
• driving licence number
• vehicle registration number
• passport number

You will also need:

• details of any benefits or entitlements they were receiving, for example State Pension, Universal Credit
• details of any local council services they were receiving, for example Adult Social Services, Blue Badge, travel pass
• the name and address of their next of kin
• the name and address of any surviving spouse or civil partner
• the name, address and contact details of the person or company dealing with their estate (property, belongings and money), known as their ‘executor’ or ‘administrator’
• details of any public sector or armed forces pension schemes they were getting or paying into

Please note

• Permission is required from the next of kin, the executor, the administrator and anyone who was claiming benefits or entitlements jointly with the person who died, before you give their details.
• Tell Us Once is not a claim to benefit, therefore please contact GOV.UK or the relevant department for advice.
• Once the various agencies informed by Tell Us Once have received notification of the death, they will make any further contact if necessary with the bereaved family.
• Tell Us Once does not notify any commercial organisations of the death and cannot arrange for redirection of post.

If the documents above are available, the death should be registered without any problem. If none of these documents are available, the registrar will require the following information about the deceased:

• Full name
• Date and place of birth
• Occupation
• Address
• The full names of all spouses and their occupations
• Father's full name and usual occupation
• Mother's full name and usual occupation
• Name and address of the registered NHS doctor

When the death has been registered, the registrar will give you the following documents:

• A letter confirming 'Tell Us Once' details
• An abbreviated extract (free of charge)
• If requested, a full certificate, which is required for purposes such as, bank, life insurance, shares, mortgage, superannuation etc. The fee for each extract is currently £10.00, and you may purchase as many certificates as you wish

The Registrar will liaise directly with your funeral director and will send them the required documentation to enable the funeral to take place

A death occurring outside Scotland must be registered with the local authorities in the country where it occurred, according to local regulations of that country. You should ensure that you receive a certificate of death at the time, as this may be difficult to obtain later. If the death occurred outside the UK, you can register the death with the British Consul. If the deceased was Scottish, this will ensure that a record of the death is recorded in Scotland, allowing certificates to be obtained from the Registrar General in Edinburgh, at a later date.