You should register a death within 5 days, unless a coroner is investigating the circumstances leading to the death.
You should register the death in the district where the person died. Visit the government's website to find the right register office.
You cannot register a death until a medical certificate of the cause of death has been issued. The medical certificate can be issued by:
- the family doctor
- the hospital doctor, via the Patient Affairs Officer.
This will be sent directly to the register office. You do not need to do anything.
If the death was in Slough, we will call you when we receive the medical certificate. We will book an appointment with you to register the death at a time that works for you.
All death registrations in Slough must be made face to face.
You will need the death certificate to:
- make funeral arrangements
- use our Tell Us Once service to notify government agencies and departments.
If a post-mortem is needed
In some cases, the coroner will need to do a post-mortem to understand the death.
For information about post-mortems in Berkshire, visit Reading Borough Council’s website.
When the coroner's office has completed a post-mortem, they will contact you. They will tell you when you can arrange an appointment with a register office to register the death. To book your telephone appointment, call 01753 787600. Leave a message with your contact details and the deceased’s full name and date of death. We will call you back.
The coroner will begin an inquest into the death after the post-mortem if the death is:
- a sudden, unexpected death
- not by natural causes.
If you need to arrange a funeral quickly
The funeral director, Slough Crematorium and the register office can arrange a funeral quickly if:
- the register office has received the medical certificate of cause of death
- it is for religious reasons.