Registering the death

Parents and family are often numb and shocked following the death of a child but the death needs to be registered before making any funeral arrangements.

Registration takes place at the Registry of Births and Deaths. It may be possible to arrange an appointment so that you do not have to wait with other people.   

No registration procedure exists for babies who die before or at birth at less than 24 weeks of pregnancy. Stillborn babies (born before or at birth after 24 weeks of pregnancy) must be registered in the Register of Stillbirths within 42 days (21 days in Scotland). A midwife or doctor can issue the Medical Certificate of Stillbirth you will need to give to the Registrar. Parents will be given a Certificate of Registration of Stillbirth by the registrar.

Babies who are born and then die must have their birth and death registered.

Once you have completed the registration, the registrar will give you:
•A green form (Certificate for Burial or Cremation) to give to the funeral director or, if you are arranging the funeral independently, to whoever is responsible for the funeral; and
•A white form BD8 (Certificate of Registration of Death) that you can send off, if relevant, to the Department for Work and Pensions if the person received any benefits (the information on the back of the form will tell you if this applies).

If the Coroner is involved

If a child's death has been referred to the coroner, the death cannot be registered until the registrar has received authority from the coroner to do so.

If the Coroner is able to complete his investigations within a few days and there is no inquest, you will then be able to register the death as stated above but the Coroner will supply the document permitting registration and this is often passed directly to the Registrar.

If you are arranging a cremation for your baby or child the Coroner will issue the form permitting this directly to funeral director or, if you are arranging the funeral independently, to whoever is repsonsible for the funeral.

If there is to be an inquest the Coroner will issue a form permitting the funeral to take place as soon as all the necessary investigations are complete. If you need one, you can also request an Interim Certificate of Death from the Coroner. At the close of the inquest the Coroner will forward the details for registration to the Registrar and you can apply for certificates at that time. If necessary, you can obtain a white form BD8 using the Coroner’s Interim Certificate.

The Registrar will then issue a certificate for Burial or Cremation (known as the green form) unless the Coroner has given you an order for Burial (form 101) or a Certificate for Cremation (form E). These give permission for the body to be buried or for an application for cremation to be made.