Register a death that happened in Manchester

A death should normally be registered within 5 days unless the Coroner is investigating the circumstances surrounding the death. (There is a different process to obtain a death certificate after an inquest)  If it is not possible to book an appointment to register within 5 days of the death you should book the earliest appointment you can. 

Who should register the death? 

All deaths that occurred in the City of Manchester must be registered in person at Manchester Register Office (recently the Coronavirus Act 2020 allowed for deaths to be registered over the telephone, but this is no longer possible.)

If there's no relative of the deceased to register the death, the person that is making the funeral arrangements can. Alternatively, someone who was present at the time of the death, or the occupier, matron or owner of a nursing home or the hospital administrator of the premises where the death occurred. 

Booking an appointment 

It is essential that you only book an appointment once the doctor or hospital have confirmed that they have emailed the Medical Certificate of Cause of Death to the register office, or the Coroners Office has confirmed that the coroners paperwork has been issued to us. Without this crucial documentation we will not be able to register the death. 

To arrange an appointment to register a death at Manchester Register Office, please book an appointment online.

If you need help to book the appointment online, ask your funeral director to do this on your behalf.

Information about arrangements if you need to organise a burial within 24 hours of death.

The Medical Certificate of Cause of Death 

The Medical Certificate of Cause of Death (MCCD) is issued by a doctor to the register office and is required for a death to be registered. The MCCD should be emailed directly from a doctor or surgery to the register office. We cannot accept an email scan of the MCCD from anybody other than the doctor or surgery that issued it. If, however, you are given a paper copy of the MCCD by the doctor you should bring it to your appointment.

What information will I need to register the death? 

To make sure that you have all the required information available when you attend the Register Office to register the death, and to help the registrar make sure that the details are recorded accurately, it would be helpful if you download and complete the Information form and bring it to your appointment. However, this is not essential and you will still be able to complete the registration without it. 

Registering a Stillbirth 

If you need to register a stillbirth please do not try to book an appointment online, but send an email to registeroffice@manchester.gov.uk including your name, contact telephone number and the date and place of stillbirth. A registrar will then contact you as soon as possible to arrange a suitable time for you to register.  

Tell Us Once

Tell Us Once is an optional free service that lets you report a death to most government organisations and council departments in one go.  Once you have completed the death registration the registrar will issue you with a Tell-Us-Once reference which will allow you to access this service. 

When you register a death with us, the registrar will ask you if you want to use this service.  Find out more about Tell Us Once.

Registering a Death by Declaration

If you live in Manchester and need to register the death of a person that died elsewhere in England or Wales you can arrange to register the death by declaration at Manchester Register Office. If you chose to register a death by declaration the details you provide will be sent on to the relevant register office, and you will need to contact them at a later stage to obtain the death certificate. If you register a death by declaration at Manchester Register Office no record of the death will be held here, and we will not be able to issue you with any paperwork required to organise the funeral or with any death certificates. In order to request an appointment to register a death by declaration please email registeroffice@manchester.gov.uk