Since the COVID-19 pandemic registering a death in Scotland has changed. It it is now completed by phone, so there is no requirement to attend a registration office.
The doctor will issue their paperwork (Medical Certificate of the Cause of Death Form 11) directly to the registrars. This will include your contact details. The registrars office will contact you to arrange a time to complete the registration by phone.
You’ll need to tell the Registrar the following information:
- Their full name, occupation and postal address
- Their date and country of birth
- The full name and occupation of their father and the full name and maiden name of their mother
- Whether they received a pension or an allowance from public funds.
- The full name, occupation and date of birth of their surviving widow, widower or civil partner (if applicable)
- Their National Health Service medical number
The Registrar will then send to you by post free of charge:
- A Social Security registration or notification of death certificate for use in obtaining or adjusting Social Security benefits.
- An abbreviated extract (i.e. excluding cause of death and parentage details) of the death entry.
- You can obtain a full extract of the death entry for a fee (£10 each). You may need these to get information about the person’s assets, this could include pensions, insurance policies, savings and bank accounts
The Certificate of Registration of Death (Form 14), will be sent directly to us from the registrars, this is required by us so the funeral can go ahead.
Please be aware that the registration process may vary – for example, if a death has been referred to the Procurator Fiscal – we’ll guide you through things if this is the case.
You may find the information booklet below useful.
Download What to do after a death in Scotland
