Death Registration
How to Register a Death
All deaths occurring in Scotland must be registered within 8 days.
You can register a death at any Scottish registration office.
A death must be registered before a burial or cremation can take place. All deaths that have occurred in Scotland must be registered with a Scottish Registrar even if the person is not normally a resident of Scotland.
The hospital or doctor’s practice will email the Medical Certificate of Cause of Death (MCCD/Form 11) directly to the Registrar’s office.
In 2022, the law changed, allowing deaths to be registered remotely (over the telephone); however you can still arrange a face-to-face appointment with the registration office.
Information that you will need to provide
You will be asked to provide the Registrar with the following information about the deceased in order to register the death:
- Full name
- Date and place of birth
- Marital status
- Occupation
- Address
- The full name of all spouses and civil partners and their occupations
- Father’s full name and occupation
- Mother’s full name, maiden surname (including any other subsequent surnames used) and occupation
- If parents are still alive and whether retired
- Name and address of deceased’s doctor
Once the Medical Certificate of Cause of Death (MCCD/Form 11) has been received, the Registrar will contact the person who is to register the death, as notified by the Funeral Director.
After registration
After registration is complete you will receive an abbreviated death certificate, free of charge, which shows the person’s name, date of death and place of death.
A full death certificate can be purchased for the statutory fee – this can be used for pensions, insurance policies, solicitor etc.
The Registrar will email the appropriate documentation (known as a “Form 14”) to your chosen Funeral Director to enable you to proceed with the arrangements for burial/cremation.
You will receive information on how to contact the Department for Works and Pensions through Tell Us Once (a link is available from the Related Sites section of this page) to cancel the state pension, National Insurance Number and other benefits. You can also inform other organisations through this service.
