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In times of Bereavement
IN TIMES OF BEREAVEMENT
In the unfortunate event that a person has passed away, there are three things that must be done in the first few days;
- Get a medical certificate from your GP or hospital doctor (this is necessary to register the death)
- Register the death within 5 days (8 days in Scotland). You will then receive the necessary documents for the funeral.
- Make the necessary funeral arrangements.
Register the death:
- If the death has been reported to the coroner (or Procurator Fiscal in Scotland) they must give permission before registering the death.
- You can register the death if you are a relative, a witness to the death, a hospital administrator or the person making the arrangements with the funeral directors.
- You can use the ‘Register a Death’ page on the gov.uk website that will guide you through the process. This will also explain the registration process for Scotland and Northern Ireland.
Arrange the funeral:
The funeral can usually only take place after the death is registered. Most people use a funeral director, though you can arrange a funeral yourself.
Funeral directors:
Choose a funeral director who’s a member of one of the following:
- National Association of Funeral Directors
- National Federation of Funeral Directors
- Society of Allied and Independent Funeral Directors
- These organisations have codes of practice – they must give you a price list when asked.
- Some local councils run their own funeral services, for example for non-religious burials. The British Humanist Association can also help with non-religious funerals.
- Arranging the funeral yourself
- Contact the Cemeteries and Crematorium Department of your local council to arrange a funeral yourself.
Funeral costs:
Funeral costs can include:
- Funeral director fees
- Things the funeral director pays for on your behalf (called ‘disbursements’ or ‘third-party costs’), for example, crematorium or cemetery fees, or a newspaper announcement about the death
- Local authority burial or cremation fees
- Funeral directors may list all these costs in their quotes.