1. A death must be registered within five days.
2. If the death occurred in the registration district of Northumberland, please click here to book an appointment with us online, or call our customer services team on 0345 600 6400. This will allow you to make an appointment across all register offices in Northumberland.
3. When you visit us, it will take around 30 minutes to register a death. 

Morpeth death registrations are now held at County Hall NE61 2EF, not at Morpeth Town Hall

What information do I need when registering a death?

• Cause of death. 
• Full name and any other name the deceased may have been known by, for example maiden name. 
• Date of birth of the deceased. 
• The deceased’s occupation. 
• If they are married, you will also need the full name and occupation of their spouse. 
• Date of birth of surviving spouse, if applicable. 
• Address.
• NHS number, if their medical card is available. 

The documents you need to bring with you are: 

• Deceased’s birth certificate. 
• Birth certificate of the surviving spouse, if applicable. 
• Deceased’s marriage certificate, if applicable. 

How much will it cost to register a death?

• The registration is free. 
• Certified copies of death certificates are £11. 

You can purchase death certificates either when you book your appointment or during the appointment itself.

Once the death has been registered you will be asked by the registrar to check that the details you have given are correct. It is important that you do this before you sign the register page. If a mistake is found at a later date and you require a correction to be made, a fee of up to £90 is payable. 

The Medical Certificate of Cause of Death (MCCD) will be sent/scanned directly to the register office from the Hospital or Doctors Surgery ready for your appointment.   

What documents will I receive?

You will receive any certificates that you paid for at the time of booking. Additional copies may be purchased during the appointment.

The official form to allow a burial or cremation to take place will be sent over to the appropriate department for action.  

You will be given information regarding notifying the Department of Work and Pensions of the death in order to cancel any benefits the deceased received. 

All of this will be explained at the time of your appointment.  

How many death certificates will I need? 

You can order death certificates either at the time you book your appointment, or during the appointment itself.

How many you need will depend on who needs to be informed of the death, such as banks and insurance companies, as to how many certificates you will need to order at this time. Each certificate is £11.  

We will also explain the Tell Us One and Settld services, which are used to inform different agencies of the death. Using these services may mean you do not need to purchase as many death certificates.

What happens if I require additional certificates at a later date? 

If you require additional copies of the death certificate, they can be purchased online or by phoning 0345 600 6400.  

• Access the online order system here.  

What happens if I make a mistake on the certified copy? 

 If there is a mistake on the certified copy of the registration entry, contact the register office. 

How do I notify council and government organisations when someone has died? (Tell Us Once)

Tell Us Once is a service that lets your report a death to most government services in one go. Our registrar will explain it when you register the death, and give you a unique reference number so you can use it online or by phone. 

Northumberland Registration Service has partnered with the free service, Settld, to help you notify the organisations which Tell Us Once doesn’t cover. Settld will inform banks, utilities, insurers, pension providers and many others of the death, in one go, using one simple form.  You can access Settld immediately by clicking this link.

---