Death certificate UK: how many copies you need and where to use them

How much does a death certificate cost?

A certified copy of a death certificate costs £12.50 in England and Wales, whether you order it at registration or later through the General Register Office (GOV.UK). Scotland and Northern Ireland set their own fees, and both charge less at the registration appointment than for copies ordered later.

• England and Wales: £12.50 per copy at registration, and £12.50 per copy through the GRO when ordered later.

• Scotland: £10 per copy at the local register office, within one month of registration. Copies ordered later cost £15 at the local office, or £12 for the first copy and £10 for additional copies of the same entry through Scotland's People (National Records of Scotland).

• Northern Ireland: £8 per copy at registration, and £15 per copy through GRONI (nidirect) when ordered later.

Copies ordered at the registration appointment are generally issued the same day or within a few days. Copies ordered later through the GRO in England and Wales take around 4 working days with a GRO index reference number, or 15 working days without one. A priority service costs £38.50 and is dispatched the next working day.

The cheapest and quickest route is always the same: order every copy you might need at the registration appointment.

What is a certificate of death in the UK?

A certificate of death in the UK, usually called a death certificate, is an official document issued by a register office confirming the fact of a death. It records the deceased's name, date of birth, date and place of death, and the cause of death as certified by a doctor.

In England and Wales, death certificates are issued by the General Register Office (GRO) and local register offices. Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own registration systems.

The death certificate is not the same as the medical certificate of cause of death (MCCD). The MCCD is the document a doctor issues to confirm the cause of death, and it is what you take to the register office to register the death. The death certificate is what the register office gives you in return.

How to obtain a death certificate in the UK

To obtain a death certificate in the UK, you register the death at the local register office, and the registrar issues certified copies at that appointment. In England and Wales, the death must usually be registered within 5 days (GOV.UK). The deadline is 8 days in Scotland and 5 days in Northern Ireland.

The person registering the death (known as the informant) is typically a relative of the deceased, someone present at the death, or the occupier of the premises where the death occurred. You will need to bring:

• The medical certificate of cause of death, issued by the attending doctor or, if there was a coroner's inquest, the coroner

• The deceased's NHS medical card if available

• Any other identification documents you have for the deceased

The registrar will record the death and issue you with a certified copy of the entry (the death certificate). The registrar also issues a certificate for burial or cremation, sometimes called the green form, which the funeral director will need. Because the green form is needed before the service, registration timing feeds directly into how long after death is a funeral.

At this appointment, you can order as many additional certified copies as you need. For the full registration process, see how to register a death in the UK.

How many death certificates do you need?

For a typical estate with a few financial accounts, a pension, and property, 10 certified copies of the death certificate is a reasonable starting point. For more complex estates with multiple accounts, foreign assets, or business interests, 15 or more is not unusual. There is no standard number; it depends on the complexity of the estate.

Most families order too few and later wish they had ordered more. Running out part way through notifying organisations adds delay at a moment when there is already too much to deal with.

The practical rule: order more than you think you need at registration. Additional copies ordered later cost the same per copy in England and Wales, but require a separate application and take time to arrive, which delays the administration.

Where is each death certificate used?

Each organisation that holds an account, policy or record for the deceased needs its own certified copy, and most retain the copy you send. Count one copy for each of the following:

• Banks and building societies: One per account provider.

• Investment or stockbroker accounts: One per account.

• Pension providers: One per pension, including DWP for the state pension.

• Insurers (life, health, home, car): One per policy with a death benefit.

• Mortgage lender: One, if the deceased had a mortgage in their sole name or as tenants in common.

• HMRC: One, for notifying the death and any inheritance tax return.

• Probate Registry: One, retained with the application for a grant of probate or letters of administration. Our guide on how to apply for probate sets out what the Probate Registry asks for.

• Employer: One, if the deceased was still working or had a company pension.

• Tell Us Once: One copy covers HMRC, DWP, DVLA and other central government departments.

The government's Tell Us Once service notifies multiple central government departments from a single notification (GOV.UK). Tell Us Once covers only government bodies. Every private sector organisation, from banks to insurers, still needs to be notified separately. For the process each bank follows, see how to notify a bank after someone dies.

If the deceased held property or financial accounts in another country, you will typically need an apostille (an internationally recognised certification) attached to the death certificate for use abroad. This is handled through the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (GOV.UK legalisation service). Contact the relevant overseas authority or a solicitor to confirm requirements for the specific country.

Certified copies vs photocopies

Organisations require a certified copy of the death certificate, meaning an official copy issued by a register office, not a photocopy. Every bank, building society, investment platform, and credit card provider will require a certified copy before taking any action on an account; what happens to a bank account when someone dies explains what the bank does once it has the certificate. The same applies to insurers before paying out on any policy with a death benefit, and to the Probate Registry, which retains the certified copy sent with the probate application.

Because most organisations retain the copy you send, you cannot reuse the same certificate across multiple organisations. This is why the number of certified copies you order matters more than any single fee.

How to order more copies of a death certificate

If you need additional copies after the registration appointment, the route depends on where the death was registered:

• The General Register Office (GRO), for deaths registered in England and Wales. You can apply online, by post, or by phone. Online applications are the fastest.

• The local register office where the death was registered can often provide copies more quickly than the GRO for recent deaths.

• Scotland: copies are ordered from the National Records of Scotland.

• Northern Ireland: copies are ordered from the General Register Office for Northern Ireland.

You will need to provide the deceased's full name, date of death, and the district where the death was registered.

While you are handling the paperwork, it is also worth registering with the Bereavement Register to stop direct marketing mail addressed to the person who died, which reduces both distress and the risk of identity fraud.