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Register a death

After we receive the medical certificate of cause of death (MCCD), we will contact the next of kin by phone to make an appointment to register the death at our Register Office.

The MCCD is sent securely to the Register Office by the Medical Examiner. Families are not sent a copy.

Deaths must be registered within five days of the Register Office receiving the MCCD.

There is a separate step by step process for registering a stillbirth.

Register the death as an emergency

This emergency number is only available on Saturdays and Sundays from 9 to 11am. On bank holiday weekends, the Sunday service will run on the bank holiday Monday instead. At all other times, send us an email.

You can only use this service if the MCCD has been received by the Register Office.

If a death is reported to a coroner, the documents needed to register the death may be different. The registrar cannot go ahead with the registration until the coroner has issued the necessary paperwork or clearance.

Read more about deaths reported to a coroner on GOV.UK.

Emergency mobile number: 07770 636 038
Email: registration@luton.gov.uk
Register online: Register a death form.

Who can register the death

A death can usually be registered by:

  • a relative
  • someone present at the death
  • the person making the arrangements with the funeral directors
  • the personal representative of the deceased

Depending on where the death took place, the following people may also register the death:

  • an occupant of the house where the death occurred
  • an official from the hospital or care home where the death occurred
  • the person who found the body
  • the person in charge of the body

Information you may need

It is helpful to have the following documents for the deceased, although the registration can still go ahead if you know the information: 

  • passport
  • marriage certificate
  • birth certificate
  • medical card
  • proof of address

Documents issued for a death

The registrar will give you a green form for burial or cremation to take to the funeral director. In some cases the coroner will issue a form for burial or cremation direct to the funeral directors or a different form if the deceased is to be taken out of the country.

The registrar will also issue any death certificates you may wish to purchase.

Correct a mistake on a death certificate

If you need to apply for a correction after the death is registered there is a non-refundable fee of up to £99.

Email: registration@luton.gov.uk

Read more about correcting a death registration on GOV.UK.