Isle of Anglesey County Council

The following can register the death.

In order of preference:

• a relative of the deceased, present at the death
• a relative of the deceased, in attendance during the last illness
• a relative of the deceased, living or being in the area where the death occurred

If there is no known relative who is able to register:

• a person present at the death
• the occupier of the house or institution where the death took place
• any inmate of the house if they knew of the occurrence of the death
• the person who is arranging the funeral (this does not mean the funeral director)

Addition information needed to register the death about the informant:

• informant’s forename(s) and surname
• their current address
• informant’s relationship to the deceased

The death must be registered by the registrar for the area where the person died. For this area you must register in Llangefni or Holyhead.

If you have difficulty in attending the Register Office for the area where the death occurred, you can go to a registrar in a more convenient place in England or Wales. They will note the necessary information needed for the death registration and send it to the correct register office. The registrar will not be able to give you the certificate for the funeral director nor any other certificates. These will be posted to you a few days later by the register office in the area where the person died. This unfortunately may cause a delay in organizing the funeral.

Before deciding to go to register office outside the area where the death took place it would be sensible to inform the following people:

• the funeral director
• the registrar for the area in which the death took place
• limited arrangements are available for the emergency issue of burial certificates, please contact the registration office

In order to register the death, you must have:

• the medical certificate of cause of death issued by the doctor who was treating the deceased. You must bring this within five days of receiving the certificate
• birth certificate
• marriage / civil partnership certificates
• NHS number / medical card

If a death is reported to the coroner which does not need to be the subject of an inquest, (when death is a result of natural disease or illness) a certificate giving the cause of death will be sent to the registrar on completion of the coroner’s enquiries.

You can then go ahead and register the death.

In a small number of cases – where the cause of death is unclear, sudden or suspicious – the doctor or hospital or registrar will report the death to the coroner. In this case registration of the death will be delayed as an inquest may be held.

It is the duty of the coroner to investigate deaths that are reported to them and which:

• appear to be to violence or neglect
• are unnatural
• are of sudden and of unknown cause
• occur in legal custody

The coroner will preserve confidentiality as far as possible but you should remember that the system is based on public court hearings. If you request it, the coroner will explain the reasons for the procedures adopted in particular cases as long as the coroner is satisfied that the person has a proper interest and a right to know.

An inquest is not a trial. It is an enquiry to establish who the deceased was and how, when and where they died. After the death the coroner will issue an interim certificate to enable the estate to be dealt with.

On conclusion of the inquest, the next of kin will be provided with an explanation about how, where and when a copy of the death certificate can be obtained.

About the deceased

• full name and surname of the deceased or the Maiden name in the case of an unmarried woman or widow
• the date and place of death 
• date and place of birth of the deceased
• occupation of the deceased and in the case of a woman who is married or widowed, the full name and occupation of her husband
• the usual address of the deceased
• if the deceased was still married, the date of birth of their spouse
• whether the deceased was in receipt of a pension or benefits from public funds
• in the case of a child, the father and mother’s full names and occupations and the child’s full address

The Registrar will issue you with a green form (called a 9W) to give to the Funeral Director (in some cases this will have been issued by the coroner) which gives permission for burial or cremation.

You will also be given a white form (called a BD8), this is for pension and social security purposes only. You will need to complete and send this form either to the Swansea Pensions Centre or you local Job Centre, Job Centre plus or social security office. The registrar will advise where the form should be sent and provide a business return envelope for your use. Both forms a free of charge.

You will also be able to purchase for a fee, a standard death certificate. These are certified copies of the entry in the Register, which you will need to deal with the estate of the deceased. There are purposes for which a certificate may be required. These can be paid for by debit or credit card.

Tell Us Once is a service that lets you report a death to most government organisations in one go.