Register a Death/Order a Death Certificate

All deaths, other than if there has been an inquest are registered at a face-to-face appointment at the register office. 

Deaths, where there has been an Inquest, are registered without anybody having to come in. Certificates can be ordered online after the inquest has taken place.

Doctors will send us the paperwork that we need to deathsupport@haringey.gov.uk so there is no need for you to obtain paperwork from a doctor.

Doctors' paperwork

Paperwork from doctors must be sent to deathsupport@haringey.gov.uk and not given to you.

• Doctors must send all death-related paperwork to deathsupport@haringey.gov.uk
• Do not accept a medical certificate from a doctor – ask them to send it to us by email to avoid any delays.

We can only register a death with paperwork sent to us directly from the doctor or the Coroners Team. 

On Bank Holidays and at weekends, the duty registrar can be contacted for urgent faith requirements by calling 020 8489 1000.

Please only call the number for urgent assistance if the person died in Haringey (not in hospital) and if the funeral will be happening before the next working day.

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• Where to register a death
• Who can register a death
• How to register a death
• What we need from you to register a death
• What you need to know about the deceased
• How long will my appointment take?
• How will I get my death certificates?
• How do I arrange the funeral?
• Register a death after an inquest
• Tell Us Once: advising other agencies and private companies about a death
• Register a death urgently for faith or other reasons

Where to register a death

Deaths are registered where a person died and not where they lived. This means that a death can only be registered by the Register Office in the area where the death occurred.

There are no hospitals in Haringey - if the death was in a hospital, you must register with the relevant local authority:

• The North Middlesex Hospital is in Enfield (external link)
• The Whittington Hospital is in Islington (external link).

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Who can register a death

Deaths can be registered by the following:

• A relative present at the death
• Another relative
• Person present at the death
• Person arranging the funeral
• Funeral director arranging the funeral with the agreement of the deceased family
• The occupier of a building where somebody died, such as the manager of a care home

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How to register a death

From 25 March 2022 you will need to visit the Haringey Register Office to register the death in person.

Haringey Register Office is located at George Meehan House, 294 High Road, Wood Green, N22 8JZ.

Important: we will normally not be able to see you if you walk in without an appointment.

Please use the button below to make an appointment to register a Haringey death - this form is not to be used for hospital deaths:

Book a death registration appointment For Haringey - not hospital deaths

Or call 020 8489 2605 or 020 8489 1775.

If you cannot book online call 020 8489 2605 and choose option 7 to speak to the registrar on normal working days - avoid coming to George Meehan House without an appointment.

If you need to register a death out of hours for faith reasons for a funeral before the next working day, call our Out of Hours service on 020 8489 1000 and we will assist you where we can.

All paperwork must be sent by the certifying doctor to deathsupport@haringey.gov.uk - support for doctors can be found on our Support for Doctors when certifying a death page.

Certificates can be ordered at the time of booking. Certificates can also be ordered online afterwards at a cost of £11 each. You can order as many certificates as you need.

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What we need from you to register a death

The registration of a death can change depending on whether there has been a post mortem (autopsy) or not. More information on what a post mortem is can be found on the NHS website (external link).

• If there has been a post mortem (autopsy), we will need a form from the coroner confirming cause of death (Form B) The coroner will send this form to us directly.
• If there has not been a post mortem (autopsy), we will need the doctor certifying the death to send a copy of a 'Medical Certificate of Cause of Death' - also known as MCCD or Med A - confirming how the person died to deathsupport@haringey.gov.uk. Please ensure that the doctor clearly prints their name and General Medical Council (GMC) number on the form.

The following doctors can fill in the MCCD:

• A doctor who attended to the deceased during the last 28 days of life
• A doctor that took care of the deceased during their last illness and sees the body after death (if not seen within the last 28 days of life)

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What you need to know about the deceased

There are a number of things you will need to know about the deceased for the registration. These include:

• The person's full name and if they have any other names either now or in the past
• The person's usual address
• What was their last occupation (job)
• The maiden name of a woman who changed her surname when married
• The name of a current or deceased wife, husband or civil partner
• The deceased person's NHS number if known

The following document contains the full list of everything that will be needed:

• Things to know before registering a death (DOC, 23KB)

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How long will my appointment take?

Your appointment should take around 30 to 40 minutes but can take longer, please arrive in plenty of time for your appointment, take significant extra time if you need to drive as parking is extremely limited. We advise people to walk, cycle or use public transport.

If you are late, regardless of any reason, you may not be seen.

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How will I get my death certificates?

• You can order and pay for certificates at your appointment or order them online afterwards. You may sometimes be asked to make a payment using our secure payment e-form.
• You can order as many certificates as you need, certificates ordered after the appointment need to be ordered online through the Certificates and Corrections page 

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How do I arrange the funeral?

• Please contact the funeral director of your choice to begin the process of arranging a funeral. They will then advise on the options available to you and make suitable arrangements for your loved one
• If there has not been a post mortem, or there has been a post mortem and the person is being buried, we will issue a green form for the funeral director. A copy of this form will be emailed to you or the funeral director
• If there has been a post mortem and the person is being cremated the coroner will issue paperwork to the funeral director for the cremation

See the latest government information on funerals - GOV.UK (external link).

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Register a death after an inquest

If there has been an inquest (a type of court hearing to determine how a person died) there is no need to contact us to register the death. The death will be registered by us. Once the Inquest has been concluded please order certificates online via our Certificates and Corrections page.

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Tell Us Once: advising other agencies and private companies about a death

Tell Us Once is a government service to inform government and local government departments that a person has died. Please see the Tell Us Once page for more information on how to complete the online form.

We will give you a reference number when you register a death that you will need to use when completing the online form.

The Death Notification Service (external link) can be used to inform a range of private companies such as banks about a death

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Register a death urgently including for faith or other reasons

We will do everything we can to assist you with faith deaths or where a funeral needs to take place before the next working day. During working hours please call us on 020 8489 2605 or 020 8489 1775 and ask the doctor to send a 'Medical Certificate of Cause of Death' - also known as MCCD or Med A - confirming the cause of death to deathsupport@haringey.gov.uk. Please ensure that the doctor clearly prints their name and General Medical Council (GMC) number on the form

We will assist all callers regardless of faith where there is a need to have a funeral before the next working day.

When we are closed please call 020 8489 0000 for death related assistance only. Urgent paperwork is typically issued between 9am and 11am on the days that we are closed. Please try to obtain an email address for the funeral director before calling us. You may also call 020 8489 1775 which we will answer when we can but this cannot be guaranteed outside of normal hours.

Emails can also be sent to registrars@haringey.gov.uk and we will respond to as many enquiries as quickly as possible. Please include a phone number when emailing us. If you send an email we advise to call us too.

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