Check what to do after someone dies - register the death, arrange a funeral and tell government organisations.
Losing someone is very difficult and can feel overwhelming. The steps below set out what you need to do to make things as easy as possible.
You should tell a medical professional as soon as possible.
If you are:
You should also tell close family and friends.
If the cause of death is unknown, suspicious or there are certain circumstances such as a violent or unnatural death, it must be reported to a coroner. The police or a doctor will normally make a referral to do this.
If the coroner declines a referral because it is not in their power to carry it out, the doctor will complete a medical certificate giving cause of death (known as an MCCD). If the doctor can't give a cause of death, in rare cases the medical examiner might complete the MCCD.
When the coroner accepts a referral, they might then order a post-mortem or an inquest, which might delay registering the death or holding a funeral. You cannot refuse a post-mortem but you can give them faith or timing needs to carry it out.
After an inquest or if the case is discontinued, the coroner sends a certificate to the Registrar (or an interim certificate if the inquest will take a long time).
Any registered medical practitioner who has attended to the person who has died at any point in their life can complete the MCCD.
The medical practitioner will send the MCCD to the medical examiner, who will then give you the chance to ask questions or raise any concerns you might have.
When the medical examiner is satisfied with the cause of death, they will send the MCCD to the Registrar.
You will be told when the MCCD has been sent to the Registrar. You will then have five days to register the death.
When you register it, you'll be given:
Arranging a funeral or cremation is usually the responsibility of the Executor of the will or nearest surviving relative.
Many people leave notes with, or in, their will about the kind of funeral they would like.
You do not need to find the will before holding the funeral, but only executors of the will can see it.
If you're not an executor and you want to know if the person who has died had any particular wishes, you can speak to the executors themselves, or if a bank or solicitor is holding the will they will be able to tell you who the executors are.
You might want to employ a professional funeral director. To find one in your area visit the National Association of Funeral Directors website.
They'll ask you about any wishes the person who has died had, and any information about pre-paid funerals or funding if this applies. They'll also ask if you want a burial or cremation, and what you would like to do with the ashes if you choose cremation.
You can ask to bury or scatter cremated remains in our cemeteries. Remains can be buried in existing family graves, in half graves, or in the Gardens of Remembrance. The scattering of ashes takes place in woodland areas.
You are not allowed to scatter or bury cremated remains without asking permission.
If you want to arrange a funeral yourself, you should check what you need to do.
Once the death has been registered, you can use GOV.UK's Tell Us Once service to let government organisations know that the person has died. This includes:
You will need to let non-government organisations know directly. This includes:
You will need to give them a certified copy of the death certificate.
Cruse offer help and support online, over the phone or on a video call, or one-to-one in person.
Visit Cruse Bereavement Support
Sands support bereaved families of babies. They offer online support, run support groups and have a national helpline.