Registering a Death
By law a death has to be registered before the funeral can take place. However, it is not necessary to register the death before starting to make provisional arrangements. Please note, that any funeral arrangements should not be treated as confirmed until after registering the death.
In most cases a Medical Cause of Death Certificate will have been issued by the doctor who had been treating the deceased immediately before death. This certificate is collected from the Bereavement Officer if death occurred in hospital or from the normal doctor’s surgery if death occurred in a nursing home or private residence.
It is not advisable to attend the Register Office without an appointment, you may have to wait for a long time, or not be seen at all. You will not be given an appointment until you know when the Medical Cause of Death Certificate will be available to you.
Registering a death will usually take about half an hour, and will consist of an interview with a registrar who will ask for the following information: –
- The date and place of death
- The full name of the person who has died
- Their name before they were married, if this was different
- Their date and place of birth
- Their job and, if they were a married woman, the full name and job of their husband
- Their usual address
- The date of birth of their husband or wife (if they were married)
- Their National Health Service Medical card, if you have this
After the death has been registered, the Registrar will issue a document which allows the funeral to take place. This should be handed to the funeral director. The Registrar will also issue copies of the entry in the register, these are often referred to as the death certificates (there is usually a charge for these) and may be required for bank accounts, insurance claims etc.
York Register Office
Address: The Register Office, 56 Bootham, City Centre, York YO30 7DA
Telephone: 01904 654477
Email: registrar@york.gov.uk
Opening hours are; 8:30am to 5:00pm Monday to Friday, and 10:00am to 3:00pm on Saturday. Please make an appointment to see a Registrar by telephoning during office hours.
The map below shows the York Register Office. Click on the marker icon on the map for more information.
York Register Office
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Need help or advice?
We are here to help and support you and your family through one of the most difficult times of your lives. If you need funeral support, please contact our compassionate funeral directors.