Deaths, funerals and cremations

Coroners - sudden death investigations: The Coroner (England and Wales) or Procurator Fiscal (Scotland) has a duty to investigate all sudden and unexplained deaths, as well as deaths in suspicious circumstances. Deaths are usually reported to the Coroner or Procurator Fiscal by the police, a doctor or the Registrar of Births, Deaths and Marriages.

Death - bereavement - advice and support: Provision of support and advice to relatives about the arrangements that need to be made after a bereavement, such as registering the death and obtaining a death certificate.

Death - exhumations: Exhumation of both buried and cremated remains generally requires a Home Office licence. An Environmental Health Officer must be present at the exhumation and supervises the event to ensure that respect for the deceased person is maintained and that public health is protected. In Scotland when a body is required to be exhumed the order must be at the controls of the Procurator Fiscal. The Divisional Officer of the Bereavement Service is in attendance to ensure that the operators carrying out the task are supervised accordingly.

Death - historical searches: Searches of the records in a Registrars Office for details of a previously registered death. Copy certificates can only be obtained from the district in which the death was first registered. The minimum information needed to find an entry is the name of the person, place and year of death.

Death - mortuaries: The mortuary service handles deaths that have been referred to the coroner or deaths where no death certificate can be issued.

Death - registering: Death should be registered in the district in which it takes place within five days of the date of death. Upon receipt of all required information pertaining to the deceased person a death certificate is issued by the registrar.

Death - repatriation of bodies - abroad: Some countries require a Cadaver Certificate before they will allow a body into the country for burial. The certificate, if issued, confirms that no epidemic of infectious disease occurred in the borough for some three months preceding the death. The certificate is issued by the Environmental Health Officer for the Council in whose area the person died, or is to be exhumed from before reburial elsewhere. Every country has its own regulations and it is always worth checking with the Embassy or Consulate first.

Death - repatriation of bodies - England and Wales: If a death occurs abroad, the death should be registered according to the local regulations of that country. To bring a body back to England or Wales either the Death Certificate or an authorisation for the removal of the body from the country of death is needed. The registrar in the district in which the funeral is to take place has to issue a 'Certificate of No Liability to Register'. You can bring a body back to Scotland once you have got the death certificate and an authorisation for the removal of the body from the country of death from the appropriate authorities. To bring the body into Scotland you will need either an authenticated translation of a foreign death certificate or a death certificate issued in England, Wales or Northern Ireland, depending on the place of death.

Funeral - burials: Provision of a community funeral service. This is a low fixed price scheme that is available for all funerals where a local resident has died. A local officer may also deal with general enquires on issues relating to bereavement.

Funeral - buying a grave: In cemeteries run by the local authority citizens may buy a grave plot usually for a period of up to 50 years. There may be conditions attached to the purchase according to the type of grave i.e. whether a memorial can be placed on the grave etc.

Funeral - civil: A civil funeral is a celebration reflecting the wishes of the deceased and their family. It is a personal and dignified tribute created by a professional celebrant who works closely with the family or executor and funeral director. The celebrant will aim to create a highly personal ceremony with the help of family and/or friends -recounting the person's experiences, attributes and qualities using music, poetry, readings and personal anecdotes. The civil funeral may be held anywhere except religious buildings and churches. The ceremony is appropriate for cremation or burial in a non-religious burial ground.

Funeral - cost information: Information about services available from the local authority and the associated costs for those who would like to organise an independent funeral.

Funeral - cremations: Provision of a community funeral service. This is a low fixed price scheme that is available for all funerals where a local resident has died. A local officer may also deal with general enquires on issues relating to bereavement.

Funeral - independent: Advice and information on how to organise a funeral without the use of a funeral director.

Funeral - low cost: Provision of a low cost funeral service for citizens. A person in receipt of benefits or on low income may be entitled to get financial assistance towards the cost of the funeral.

Funeral - memorial construction: Memorials may be erected on graves which have exclusive rights of burial. Applicants must contact the council with exact details of the construction of the memorial, the method of erection and the inscription. Permission from the council to erect the memorial is required before the memorial is erected.

Funeral - records: The Registrar's Office maintains burial and cremation records for all cemeteries in the area. Citizens may apply to the Registrar to search burial and cremation records.

Stillbirth - registering: Every still-birth in England or Wales must be registered in the district in which it takes place, normally within 42 days. This normally takes place at the Register Office (although the still-birth may be registered in the hospital in which it took place). Following registration a certificate will be issued.