Registering a death during the coronavirus pandemic
All death registrations will now take place over the telephone.
When someone close to you dies, this is always an extremely difficult time. We understand that the coronavirus pandemic is making things more challenging for many people and we will aim to make sure that your needs are met at this difficult time.
Following government advice on social distancing, the South Tyneside Registration Service is no longer open for face to face death registrations. We are still here to make the process of registering a death as simple as possible.
All death registrations will now take place over the telephone. You will not be required to attend the register office in person.
Unless the death has been referred to the coroner, it is still a legal requirement to register the death within five days.
If the death happened in South Tyneside you can register the death over the phone by making an appointment.
How it works - registering a death over the phone
To make an appointment call 0191 427 7000.
Before you make an appointment, a medical certificate showing cause of death (MCCD) must be issued by a doctor and emailed to the register office. The registration cannot continue without this document.
At the time of your appointment, the Registrar will call you to complete the registration.
After the registration is complete, the Registrar will:
- issue the Certificate for Burial or Cremation (known as the Green Form) and email it directly to the Funeral Director
- Register you for the Tell Us Once service and give you a reference number, allowing you to inform multiple local and central government departments of the death in one go
The Registration Service will contact you by telephone within 5 working days of the registration appointment to take payment by card over the phone for the death certificate.
You will be issued one death certificate. The cost for the death certificate is £11 and it will be sent to you by first class post.
It is not possible for you to collect the certificate in person.
If the death has been referred to the coroner, they will inform you when you are able to make an appointment to register the death over the telephone.
What the Registrar needs to know during the telephone appointment
During the telephone appointment, the Registrar will ask you provide the following information.
Please make sure you have all of this information to hand before your appointment call begins:
- Date of death
- Place of death – This will be the name of the hospital or nursing home, the name or number of the house, the name of the street and village town, including the full postal address. If the death took place in an ambulance, car etc then you need to provide information about the locality of the vehicle when the death occurred and the intended destination
- Name and surname of the deceased – This should be the name they were known as at the time of their death. You should also establish if they are known by any other name currently or previously. You need to record those details together with some notes as to the circumstances to help the registrar determine how to record the information in the entry
- Sex: Male or Female
- Maiden surname of woman who has been married or civil partnership – This is the surname in which a woman contracted her (first) marriage or Civil Partnership
- Date of birth – Please provide approximate dates if exact date not known
- Place of birth – This is the town and county/London borough or country of birth and only country if born outside UK
- Occupation – Provide as much information about their job title relating to the most recent occupation. Please also tell us whether the deceased was retired at the time of his or her death.
- Marital status – This will be the marital status of the deceased at the time of his or her death. The status’ are:
- Single (never married or in a civil partnership)
- Divorced
- Husband or Wife
- Widow or Widower
- Civil Partner or Surviving Civil Partner
- Spouse/Civil Partners name and surname – This should be the name and surname of the deceased’s spouse or civil partner
- Spouse/Civil Partners occupation – Provide as much information as possible about their job title relating to the most recent occupation and if retired
- Usual address – This should include the name or number of the house, name of the street and village or town. Where the death occurred in a hospital the deceased’s usual address should be recorded
How much does it cost?
There is no charge for the death registration itself or the Tell Us Once registration.
The only charge is for the death certificate which costs £11.
