Register a death

How do I register a death?

You need to register a death within five days unless the coroner has requested a post-mortem or an inquest.

To register a death, you need to book an appointment with us. 

If you urgently need to register a death, call 01983 821000 (or 01983 821105 if outside of working hours).

How to book an appointment at the Isle of Wight Register Office

You can book an appointment on the booking system when

  • the paperwork from the GP surgery, the Medical Examiner’s Office and/or the Coroner’s Office is processed
  • all statutory checks are complete and uploaded to the appointment booking system
  • the appointment will take approximately 40 minutes

What you need to know before you try to book

  • medical certificates of cause of death (MCCD) are electronically scanned directly to us
  • the paperwork comes from from the GP surgery or Medical Examiner’s Office at the hospital
  • you should not receive the original paperwork in any case
  • the coroner’s office will also scan their paperwork directly to us
  • when you enter the details of the deceased, the booking system will link to paperwork we hold
  • you can then book the appointment for the death registration
  • if the details you have enter do not match paperwork we hold, you cannot make an appointment
  • spelling on names and/or the date of death need to be the same
  • if the paperwork is not processed or uploaded, you cannot make an appointment
  • paperwork is processed during office hours Monday to Thursday until 3.30 pm and Friday until 2pm
  • paperwork is not processed on bank holidays
  • paperwork received after the times is processed on the next working day
  • allow at least one working day before trying to book again

Should you have any queries or concerns, please contact the office on registrars@iow.gov.uk

Before attending you need to read the guidance on what to do after someone dies.

You can find more information on bereavement support on the islefindit website and The National Bereavement Services website. 

Tell us once

At the end of the death registration appointment the Registrar will give you a unique reference to access the Tell Us Once Service.

This service lets you report a death to most government organisations in one go and may help when you are dealing with someone’s death.

You can contact them online or by calling the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) on 0800 085 7308. Lines are open Monday to Friday between 9.30am and 3.30pm.

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