Depending on the nature of the death and whether a coroner has been involved, if you are registering the death you may be given some of the following documents.
When a coroner IS NOT involved in the death in any way:
Forms and certificates
Medical Certificate of Cause of Death - the doctor will give this to you.
For a stillborn baby, you will be given a Medical Certificate of Stillbirth by a doctor or midwife.
There is a special Medical Certificate of Cause of Death for a baby who has died on or before their 28th day of life. This has to be issued by a doctor.
These certificates are usually given to you in a sealed envelope - most doctors (or midwives) will explain what is written or show you the certificate before it is placed in the envelope.
Formal notice - This is attached to the Medical Certificate of Cause of Death. The doctor (or midwife) will remove this before placing the main certificate in a specifically designed envelope and give it to you. This confirms that the certificate has been signed and gives a list of people who are entitled to register the death and the information they will need to be able to do this.
If a coroner has been involved in the death some of the forms and certificates are different as detailed below.
'A' certificate - When a doctor has informed a coroner of the death but the doctor has been given permission by the coroner to issue a Medical Certificate you will receive the Medical Certificate and Formal Notice in the same way as detailed above.
There may also be an ‘A' certificate. This is a form from the coroner informing the registrar that s/he is aware of the death but no further investigation is necessary and permission has been given to the doctor to issue the Medical Certificate.
In some parts of the country this is delivered by the coroner's service direct to the registrar of births and deaths but in other areas you may be asked to collect this from the coroner and take it to the registrar with the Medical Certificate. The doctor, bereavement officer or coroner's officer will explain this to you.
Notification by the Coroner (Pink form B / form 100) - if the coroner has ordered a post mortem examination but there is no requirement for an inquest, the coroner will send this to the registrar (in some cases it may be given to you to take to the registrar). This is instead of the Medical Certificate from a doctor.
Order for Burial (form 101) - when there is an inquest and the person is going to be buried. This is usually collected by the funeral director from the coroner's service on your behalf.
Certificate for Cremation (form E) - when there is a coroner's post-mortem or inquest and the person is going to be cremated. This is usually collected by the funeral director on your behalf.
Removal Notice (form 104) - when the body is going to be moved out of England and Wales. This is sometimes called the ‘Out of England' form and will often be collected by the funeral director on your behalf.
Page Last Updated : 04/09/08