Death Certificate UK (2026): How Many to Order, Cost & Where to Get One

A death certificate in England and Wales is a certified extract from the Register of Deaths, issued by the register office (also known as the registry office) after a death has been formally registered. It is the legal proof that a death has occurred and is the primary document required by banks, pension providers, government departments, insurance companies, probate services, and other institutions when administering a deceased person's affairs. The registration process works as follows: a death must be registered within 5 days (in England and Wales) by a 'qualified informant' — this is usually the nearest relative who was present at the death, a relative who was not present, an occupier of the premises where the death occurred, a person who is taking responsibility for arranging the funeral, or the coroner's officer in cases referred to the coroner. Registration is done at the register office for the district in which the death occurred — you can use the GOV.UK website to find your local register office and book an appointment. The registrar completes the entry in the death register using the medical certificate of cause of death (completed by the treating doctor or hospital), and the informant then signs the entry. At that point, certified copies (death certificates) can be purchased directly from the register office.

A certified death certificate costs £11 per copy when purchased at the time of registration from the register office. This is the cheapest and fastest way to obtain copies — you can order as many as you need at the time of registration and receive them immediately. Most executors and next of kin order 8–12 certified copies at registration. This may seem like a large number, but the reality of estate administration is that each institution that holds accounts, policies, or assets in the deceased's name typically requests one original certified copy and will not accept photocopies or scanned copies. You may need copies for: each bank or building society (one per institution); each pension provider; HMRC; NS&I (Premium Bonds and other savings); the probate registry (one copy for the application); each life insurance company; the Land Registry (if property is involved); DVLA; the deceased's employer (for death-in-service claims); mortgage lender; utility and subscription companies (usually accept a photocopy); and any foreign institutions or consulates. If you run out of certified copies after leaving the register office, you can order additional copies later — but the cost remains £11 per copy and the process takes significantly longer (see below).

If you need additional certified death certificate copies after leaving the register office, you have two main options: (1) Return to the register office that registered the death — most register offices will issue additional copies on production of the deceased's details and a fee (£11 per copy), usually within a few days. This is faster than applying to the General Register Office (GRO). (2) Apply to the General Register Office (GRO) — the central government repository for all births, deaths, and marriages registered in England and Wales. You can order online at gov.uk/order-copy-birth-death-marriage-certificate, by telephone, or by post. The GRO fee is £11 per copy (standard service) with a processing time of up to 15 working days for the standard service, or 1–2 days for a priority service (priority fee applies). You can also order GRO copies at some local register offices using the GRO's Certificate Ordering Service. When ordering from the GRO, you will need: the full name of the deceased, their date of death, the district where the death was registered, and the registration year. If you are unsure of the exact registration details, GRO can search their index for an additional fee. Note: the GRO holds records from 1 July 1837 onwards — deaths registered before this date may be held only at the original local register office.

A standard death certificate (full form) in England and Wales contains: the full name of the deceased; sex; date of death; place of death (address or hospital); date and place of birth; occupation and industry (if employed at death); usual address; the cause of death as stated on the medical certificate of cause of death, which may include multiple conditions (immediate cause, underlying cause, and contributing conditions); the name, address, and relationship to the deceased of the informant (the person who registered the death); the date of registration; and the signature and name of the registrar. A 'certified copy' is not simply a photocopy of the register entry — it is a document printed on official secure paper, bearing the signature of the registrar (or a reproduction of it) and the raised seal of the register office. This is what most institutions mean when they say they require an 'original death certificate'. They mean they want this certified copy, not a photocopy of it. Photocopies of death certificates are generally not accepted by banks, pension trustees, insurance companies, or the probate registry because they can be altered and are not verifiable without the original seal. Some institutions (particularly utility companies and subscription services) will accept a photocopy if the original has been seen — but always check before sending. Never send your only copy of a certified death certificate through the post — send a copy and retain originals.

When a death is referred to the coroner (because it was unexpected, unexplained, violent, or occurred in certain other circumstances), the registrar cannot register the death until the coroner has completed their investigation and issued the required documentation. This means the standard certified death certificate cannot be issued immediately. In these circumstances, the coroner issues an 'interim death certificate' — more correctly called a 'coroner's certificate' or 'interim certificate of the fact of death' — which confirms that a death has occurred and its basic facts (name, date, place), while noting that a formal inquest is pending. Most banks, pension providers, insurers, and government departments will accept an interim death certificate for administrative purposes — releasing information, freezing accounts, and in some cases releasing funds — while the full investigation is ongoing. Once the coroner has concluded their investigation (through inquest or on paper), they notify the registrar, who then registers the death in the normal way; a standard full death certificate can then be purchased. Inquests can take anywhere from a few months to several years in complex cases, so the interim certificate may be in use for an extended period. HMRC, DWP, and probate services also accept interim certificates in most circumstances, though some courts require the full registered death certificate for certain proceedings.

A UK death certificate issued by a register office in England and Wales is valid in England and Wales. For use in foreign countries — for example to administer a deceased person's assets held in a foreign bank or to deal with foreign property ownership — the death certificate may need to be 'legalised' for use in that jurisdiction. Legalisation is the process of having the document certified as genuine by the appropriate UK authority. There are two routes: (1) Apostille — for countries that are members of the Hague Apostille Convention (which includes most major jurisdictions including all EU member states, the USA, Australia, Canada, and many others), the FCDO (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) can attach an apostille to the death certificate confirming that the registrar's signature is genuine. The apostille service costs £30 per document and takes approximately 3 working days (priority service available). Apply via gov.uk/get-document-legalised. (2) Legalisation — for countries that are not members of the Hague Convention (some countries in the Middle East, Africa, and Asia), the process involves both FCDO authentication and then verification by the relevant country's embassy in the UK. If you need a death certificate for use abroad, order more certified copies than you think you need at registration, because the apostille process is applied to one copy per apostille certificate and some countries require the document to be also translated by a certified translator.

The 'green form' is the informal name for Form 100B (or the older 'certificate for disposal'), which is the document the registrar gives the informant authorising disposal of the body — burial or cremation. It is issued by the registrar after registration and is handed to the funeral director to allow the funeral to proceed. It is NOT a death certificate and cannot be used in place of one. The green form confirms that a death has been registered and that disposal of the body is permitted; it contains very limited information (name, date of death, registration number) and is not a certified extract from the register. Funeral directors collect and process the green form independently of the estate administration. The certified death certificate (the full form, purchased at £11 per copy) is the document you need for banks, pensions, insurers, and probate. Some people also confuse the death certificate with the 'medical certificate of cause of death' (MCCD) — the document completed by the treating doctor, which is handed to the next of kin to take to the register office and which triggers the registration. The MCCD is given to the registrar at registration and is not returned; you do not receive or keep it. Once registration is complete, the registrar issues you with certified copies (the death certificates) and the green form — these are the two documents that emerge from registration and serve different purposes.