Death Registration

A death must be registered within eight days. It can be registered in any registrar’s office in Scotland.

A death can be registered by:

• any relative of the deceased;
• any person present at the death;
• the deceased's executor or other legal representative;
• the occupier (at the time of death) of the premises where the death took place; or
• if there is no person as above, anyone having a knowledge of the particulars to be registered.

Documents to be produced when registering a death:

• The medical certificate of cause of death (MCCD Form) completed and issued by the doctor
• Birth certificate
• Marriage certificate (if applicable)
• National Insurance number
• Medical card (if available)
• Blue badge (if applicable)
• Driving licence (if applicable)
• V5 if the deceased is the registered keeper of a vehicle(if applicable)
• Passport (if applicable)

If these documents are unavailable, please contact the registrar for further advice.

Documents issued by the registrar at the time of death registration

• Certificate of registration of death (Form 14). This should be taken to the funeral director.
• Extract certificates of death can be provided on payment of the statutory fee. They may be required for business and financial purposes.

What if the death occurs abroad?

You should register the death according to local regulations in the country concerned and obtain a certificate of death. You may also be able to register a death with the British Consul in that country for a fee. However, there is no obligation to do so. Once a record of the death has been sent to Scotland, you will be able to request a copy from National Records of Scotland.

Tell Us Once Service

You will be offered the Tell Us Once service when registering a death. We will pass information on about the death to various government departments and services who need to know.

Please see here for information about Burial Grounds and Burial Grounds Charges