Renfrewshire Council

On this page:

• register a death
• who can register a death
• what information you need to give us
• what documents we will give you
• what happens next
• tell us once

Register a death  

Any death that takes place in Scotland can be registered in Scotland.

You should register a death or stillbirth as soon as you are able to. A burial or cremation can't take place until the death has been registered.

One of our registration team will contact you when we get the medical certificate from the relevant establishment, such as the hospital, hospice, GP surgery or undertaker.

You can contact us outside normal working hours for an emergency death registration if:

• the burial is taking place within 24 hours
• the deceased is being removed from the country for burial.

If you need to contact us for an emergency death registration, phone 07811 054 275 or 07483 402 149.

Who can register a death

A death may be registered by:

• any relative (this includes the spouse or civil partner of the person who died or a relative by marriage or civil partnership)
• any person present at the death
• the executor or other legal representative
• the occupier of the premises where the death took place, or
• if there is no such person, any other person possessing the information needed for registration.

During the Coronavirus outbreak, the process of certification has changed. 

If you are the person making funeral arrangements, medical staff will ask for your contact details and ask which registration office you intend to deal with. They will pass these details along with the Medical Certificate of Cause of Death (MCDD), or the Certificate of Still-Birth, to the Registrar, copying you in.

Once we have this form, we can start the registration process. The doctor or midwife will also post the hard-copy certificate to us.

What information you need to register a death

You will need:

• the full name, occupation, address, date and country of birth of the person who has passed away;
• the full name, including previous married surnames or surnames taken in a civil partnership, and occupation of any spouse(s)/civil partner(s);
• the date of birth of any living spouse or civil partner;
• the full name and occupation of the parents of the person who has died, including mother's maiden surname;
• the name and address of the GP of the person who has died;
• a medical certificate (Form 11) from the doctor;
• an NHS medical card (if available);
• a birth certificate of the person who has passed; and
• a marriage or civil partnership certificate (if applicable).

If you need a replacement, find out how to order a birth, marriage or civil partnership certificate.

What documents we will give you

You will get:

• a certificate of registration of death (Form 14) issued free of charge from the funeral director;
• a certificate for the Department of Work and Pensions (Form BD8);
• an abbreviated death certificate.

If required, a full death certificate can be purchased for £10.

What happens next

After the registration of a death, if the person who died was over 18, the registrar will notify the relevant council tax/electoral registration authority.

In Renfrewshire, if the person who passed away was a sole council tenant, termination of tenancy can be arranged through the Customer Service Centre or Housing and Property Services.

Tell Us Once

Renfrewshire Council offers a Tell Us Once service notifying government departments and local council services that need to be made aware when someone passes away.

Tell Us Once is a service that lets you report a death to most government organisations in one step.

If you want to use Tell Us Once, the registration service can help and give you a service number.