Deaths

The doctor will send the death certificate by email to the General Registrar's Office. The Registrar will then contact the next of kin or their funeral director and the death will be registered by phone. There will be no need to attend your local Registrar's office. If you have any issues please contact your undertaker or the Registrar on 028 9127 8003.

By law, all deaths that occur within Northern Ireland must be registered in Northern Ireland. A death should be registered as soon as possible to allow funeral arrangements to proceed, but no later than five days from the date of death, except where the matter has been referred to the Coroner.

Information required to register a death

The Registrar will ask for the following details:

the deceased person's full name, surname and address
their date and place of death (and birth)
their marital status
their occupation
the full name and occupation of the deceased person's spouse or partner (if they were married, in a civil partnership or widowed)
maiden surname (if the deceased person was a married woman)
the full names of the deceased person's father and mother, mother's maiden name and their occupations
the name and practice address of the deceased person's doctor.

People legally permitted to register a death

The people listed below can register a death:

any relative of the deceased person who knows the information needed for registration
a person present at the death
a person taking care of the funeral arrangements
the executor or administrator of the deceased person's estate
the governor, matron or chief officer of a public building where the death occurred
a person living in and responsible for a house, lodgings or apartments where the death occurred
a person finding, or taking charge of the body

Death certificates

At the time of registration, you can buy certified copies of the death certificate, for £8.00 a copy. You can pay by credit/debit card.

Additional death certificates

You cannot buy additional death certificates from the registrar's office at any time after registration. You can only buy these from the General Register Office in Belfast. An additional certificate costs £15.00.

General Register Office
NISRA
Colby House
Stranmillis Court
Belfast
BT9 5RR
Telephone: 0300 200 7890
General Register Office website

Privacy Notice

You can find out how any personal information you give to Ards and North Down Borough Council's Registrar's office is used and how it will be handled by viewing the General Register Office Northern Ireland (GRONI) privacy notice.