When someone dies, there are various organisations you will need to inform and you must register the death within five days.

It can seem an overwhelming task in the difficult days after losing a loved one, but there is plenty of advice and support available.

The registrar will offer you a free Tell Us Once service, which passes information about the death to all government and council departments on your behalf.

You will need to inform non-government organisations separately though, including the family doctor, banks and building societies and the executor of the deceased's estate.

Appointments

The death must be registered in the district where it occured. Oxfordshire is a single district with seven registration offices:

Abingdon School House, Bridge Street

Banbury Bodicote House, Bodicot

Bicester The Garth, Launton Road

Didcot 197 Broadway

Henley Regatta Court, Northfield End

Oxford 1 Tidmarsh Lane

Witney Council Offices, Woodgreen

Registering a death will take about half an hour and there is an appointment system in Oxfordshire. You can call the Registration Service helpline on 0845 129 5900 to make an appointment.

You can onnly register a death once you have the Medical Cause of Death Certificate, or, where a death is reported to the coroner, confirmation form the coroner's office that relevant paperwork has been issued.

Who may register a death

Most deaths are registered by a relative. If there are no relatives available, it can be registered by someone who was present at the death, an official from the nursing home or hospital where the death took place or the person making funeral arrangements.

Same sex couples who have registered their civil partnership qualify as relatives. Others may be acceptable in certain circumstances.

Information required for registration

  • You will need to provide the following information about the deceased to the registrar:
  • Date and place of death
  • Full name at the time of death and any previous or maiden names
  • Date and place of birth
  • Most recent occupation
  • Usual address
  • Date of birth of surviving spouse
  • Details of any public sector pension
  • If the person who has died was a married woman or widow, the full names and occupation of her husband

For more information, visit www.oxfordshire.gov.uk