Register a Death
Death Registration
Where a death has occurred in Rotherham, there is a requirement for the death to be registered within 5 days of the Registrar having received the paperwork from the Medical Examiner or Coroner’s office.
There is a legal requirement to register a death. The deceased’s estate cannot be administered until this has been completed except where the Coroner has issued an interim death certificate.
From 9 September 2024 the Medical Examiner is legally required to independently scrutinise all deaths unless it is one which is being investigated by the Coroner. The relevant paperwork will only be released to the Registrar once this scrutiny has been completed. The Medical Examiner’s office will contact the deceased’s next of kin when they are made aware of the death by the doctor in medical attendance of the deceased and explain their process.
You can only book an appointment when the certifying Medical Practitioner has sent the Medical Certificate of Cause of Death to the Register Office. If the death has been referred to the Coroner, the Register Office must have received the coroner’s paperwork before the registration can proceed. The Coroner’s or Medical Examiner’s office will confirm when they have done this.
Appointments are booked online with the Registrar. The appointment will take place in person at the Register Office at Riverside House on Main Street in Rotherham. Further information on booking an appointment is detailed further down this page.
Only one person can act as informant to a death registration and that person must act as the primary contact with the Register Office in relation to a death. The following list denotes those persons who can act as an informant for a death registration;
- Relative of the deceased (by blood, marriage or civil partnership)
- Partner of the deceased (this is a person who has been in an enduring relationship with the deceased)
- A person present at the death
- A personal representative appointed by the deceased or the deceased’s family
- An occupier of the communal establishment in which the deceased died in (ie hospital, hospice or care home)
- A person causing the burial or cremation of the deceased.
Information you need to register
During the registration appointment our registration officer will ask you for information about the deceased person including:
- The full name the deceased were most recently known by and using
- Any former names, including maiden names
- Date and town of birth
- Last occupation and whether they were retired
- Last home address, including postcode
- Names and occupation of their spouse or civil partner, even if they have passed away or are separated but not divorced (if applicable)
- Whether the deceased received any government pensions from employment such as, Armed Forces, NHS, Civil Service, Royal Mail, Teachers, Metropolitan Police etc.
This information, alongside the name, relationship and address of the informant are recorded in the death register. It is important that all information is checked carefully by the informant prior to signing, the informant will sign the register to agree the information is true to the best of their knowledge and belief. Once signed, the entry becomes a legal document.
For errors identified after signing the register entry, a formal application must be made for correction of the entry, supporting documentary evidence be provided and a statutory consideration fee of between £83 and £99 paid. All corrections are considered by the Superintendent Registrar or Registrar General as appropriate. There is no guarantee a correction will be made.
What the registrar will issue to you at your appointment
Once the death has been registered, the Registrar will confirm with the informant which crematorium/burial authority and funeral director the burial/cremation certificate needs sending to. The Registrar will then send it electronically to the relevant crematorium/ burial authority, funeral director and the hospital mortuary as appropriate.
During the appointment the registration officer will ‘capture’ the information and issue you with an access code to use the Tell Us Once service provided by the Department for Work and Pensions for you to notify central and local government agencies about the death without needing to send a death certificate.
This page gives detailed information on the Tell Us Once service Deaths, funerals, cremations and cemeteries – Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council
At the time of booking, you will be given the option to pre-purchase any death certificates you may require. Certificates are £12.50 each and you will need them to deal with the deceased’s estate. If you would prefer to purchase these on the day of your appointment, you can do so. Payments made on the day should be by debit or credit card only. These will be issued to you at the end of the appointment.
If you find that you require further certificates after the appointment, you can order them online for £12.50 per certificate. Different postage options for certificates ordered later are detailed online and may incur a small additional charge depending on the option selected. This is currently £2.87.
The full death certificate is a certified copy of the register entry and is most used to notify different organisations of a death and administer a person’s estate. The short certificate is available at the same fee of £12.50 per certificate and this excludes sensitive information about the deceased including their gender and cause of death.
If you wish to purchase a short death certificate, please confirm this with the registration officer during the appointment.
Making an appointment
You will need to enter an email address to book online. If you wish to order death certificates in advance it would be helpful to have your payment card ready.
Make an appointment to register a death
All appointments take place at the register office:
Rotherham Register Office
Riverside House
Main Street
Rotherham
South Yorkshire
S60 1AE
You must ensure you arrive on time for your appointment, if you are late, it may not be possible to see you.
If you are unable to book online, please contact the register office by telephone on 01709 823542 to book.
You can cancel or rearrange your appointment via the reschedule/cancel link in your appointment confirmation email providing that the original appointment time has not yet passed. Otherwise you can call us on 01709 823542.
Please note, there is no public parking, other than disabled parking, directly outside Riverside House. There are several car parks nearby. The nearest public car park to Riverside House is the Statutes.