Registration

Frequently Asked Questions

All deaths must be registered with a registrar of births and deaths in the area where the death occurred. Hampshire is one district. They must be registered within five days unless a coroner is investigating the circumstances of the death or the registrar has been notified that there will be a delay in registration.

A list of Hampshire Registration Offices and their opening hours can be found by looking on our 'Contact the Registration Service' pages.

Appointments

All Hampshire Registration Offices operate an appointment system and you will need to telephone or email the relevant register offices to make an appointment. If you live outside Hampshire and do not wish to travel to one of our offices then the registration may be made at any other registration office in England and Wales by 'declaration'. In this case the papers that allow you to arrange the burial or cremation and the death certificate will not be issued immediately but sent to you within a few days.

What do I need to take with me?

A medical cause of death certificate issued by the doctor, unless the death has been referred to the coroner in which case the coroners officer will tell you what to do. A list of people who may register a death will be given to you with the medical certificate, and it is important that you know that you are able to register the death.

What happens when I talk to the registrar?

The registrar will see you in private and ask questions about the person who has died and record the details. You will be asked to check the information recorded very carefully and to signify that it is correct. It is important that the information recorded is accurate, as the correction of errors discovered after the register has been signed may cause delay and inconvenience. If you have the deceased's medical card it can be handed to the registrar.

What will the registrar need to know about the person who has died?

  • Their full name and address

  • Their date and place of birth

  • Their occupation and usual address

  • If the person who has died was married or had formed a civil partnership, the full names, occupation and date of birth of the widow, widower or surviving civil partner

  • You will also be asked for the deceased's NHS number and whether they had a pension from government funds.

  • The deceased's birth certificate (and marriage or civil partnership certificate if they have one) may help you to provide this information.

What will I be given?

  • A certificate (called the Green Form) that allows you to make arrangements for either the burial or cremation. If the Coroner is involved they will issue the authority for cremation.

  • A certificate (called a BD8 Form) to take to the local benefits agency office if the deceased was receiving a state pension. (The Registrar will supply a stamped addressed envelope or advise where to send the pension book).

Do I have to pay a fee?

No. The service is free of charge. However, a certified copy of the death certificate costs £3.50p. This is universally accepted.

Do I need copies of the death certificate?

You will need these if you are dealing with the estate of the person who has died and these can be purchased from the registrar at the time of registration.

The certified copy death certificate may be needed in order to deal with:

For enquiries regarding probate or letters of administration telephone 0845 302 0900.

Additional death certificates may be purchased at a later date. It is also possible to order death certificates online. Payment may be made by debit or credit card.

 

When Your Baby is Stillborn

When your baby is stillborn, expectations, hopes and dreams are cruelly shattered and lives are changed.  Many parents have initial feelings of shock and confusion when told that their baby has died.

No one can take away the pain, but we hope the following information will answer some of your questions, provide reassurance, and be of help to you.

When can my baby’s stillbirth be registered?

A stillborn baby is ‘a child born after the 24th week of pregnancy and which did not at any time after being born breathe or show any other signs of life’.

A stillbirth in England and Wales must be registered in the district in which it took place, normally within 42 days.  A stillbirth may not be registered more than 3 months after it occurred.

Who can register my baby’s stillbirth?

  • Parents who are married to each other – If the parents of the baby were married to each other at the time of the stillbirth (or conception), either the mother or father may register.

  • Parents who are not married to each other – In order for the father’s details to be entered in the register, baby’s mother and father must attend together to sign the register.  If baby’s father is unable to attend, he may make a statutory declaration with a solicitor acknowledging his paternity which mother must produce to the registrar.  If baby’s mother is unable to attend, she may make a statutory declaration with a solicitor acknowledging the father’s paternity which father must produce to the registrar. Forms for making a statutory declaration can be obtained from any register office (or Registration Office) in England and Wales.

  • If information about the father is not recorded, it may be possible for the stillbirth to be re-registered to include his details at a later date.  You can obtain further information about how to apply for the re-registration of a stillbirth from any register office in England and Wales.

  • Other people who may register a stillbirth – If neither baby’s mother nor father is able to register, it may be possible for someone else to do so.   The Bereavement Officer at the hospital or staff at your local register office will be able to help.

Where can my baby’s stillbirth be registered?

You should go to an office in the registration district where your child was born. Hampshire is now one unified district.   Therefore for stillbirths that occurred in Hampshire, you can attend any Hampshire Registration Office.  If you are not sure where it is, call one of our offices for advice.

You should go to the register office in the registration district where your baby was stillborn. If you are not sure where it is, call one of our offices for advice.

All Hampshire’s Registration Offices operate an appointment system. The registrar will arrange an appointment time that is convenient to you.    

What if I can’t register in the district where my baby was stillborn?

If it is inconvenient to go to the district where the stillbirth took place, the information for the registration may be given to a registrar in another district. The registrar will record the details on a form of declaration and send it to the registrar for the district where the stillbirth occurred. The registrar who receives the declaration will enter the information in the stillbirth register and post the certificates on to you. If a declaration is made, there will be a delay in receiving the certificate for burial or cremation.

What information is required to register my baby’s stillbirth?

The doctor or midwife who attended the stillbirth or examined the baby afterwards will issue a medical certificate of stillbirth. The person who registers the stillbirth must take this certificate to the registrar who will also require the following information:

  • the date and place of the baby’s stillbirth, the sex, the forename(s), if the parents wish to name the baby, and surname.

  • information about the father, where appropriate. This will include his full names, date and place of birth, and details of his employment at the time of the stillbirth, or if not employed, his last occupation.

  • information about the mother: her full names, any previous names, including maiden name, date and place of birth and usual address, employment before or at the time of the baby’s stillbirth. If married to each other, details of the date of the parents’ marriage, and of any children born  previously.

It is most important that the information recorded in the stillbirth register is correct.  The person registering the baby’s stillbirth will be asked to check the information they have provided very carefully before the entry is signed.

What certificates will I receive?

After the stillbirth entry has been completed and signed, the registrar will issue a Certificate of Registration which provides proof that the stillbirth has been registered. Any names given to the baby and entered in the register will be recorded on this certificate.  You will also receive a Certificate of Stillbirth which is a full certified copy of the entry.  A Certificate for Burial or Cremation issued by the registrar, is required by the funeral director in order that funeral arrangements can be made. If the registration is delayed, it is possible for a certificate for burial  to be issued before registration, provided the stillbirth does not need to be reported to the coroner. A certificate for cremation cannot be issued before the registration.

Further information is available on the SANDS website http://www.uk-sands.org/.