Documents and Certification

Once the Registrar has the required information and documents, they will issue the following certificates which enable you to start arranging the funeral and sorting out the affairs of the person who has died:

Certificate for Burial or Cremation – also known as the ‘green form’

This certificate is free of charge and needs to be given to the funeral director as soon as possible, as it gives permission for the person who has died to be buried or cremated. In cases where the coroner is involved, this certificate may not be issued. Instead a separate certificate will be issued directly to the funeral director.

Certificate of Registration of Death BD8 – also known as the ‘white form’

Another free certificate. This is used where the person who has died was in receipt of any state pensions or benefits. This form is used in all cases and should be sent to the address on the back of the form, along with any relevant pension books.

Death Certificate

A Certified Copy of an entry of death (more commonly known as a death certificate) is issued as legal proof of the death and is required to settle the affairs and estate of the person who has died.

This is the only form you will have to pay for. You might want to consider purchasing several copies, as you will need a separate one each time you deal with a bank, pension company, insurer or any other organisation.

Companies such as these will always require an original and not a photocopy. However, they will almost certainly return it if you prefer to pay for a single copy and use it more than once.

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