By law, a death must be registered within five days, unless a registrar agrees to extend this period, or if a coroner is involved.
A death must also be registered in the district in which the death occurred.
Please note that Yaxley and Whittlesey are not in the Peterborough district. For deaths that occurred in these towns, you need to contact Cambridgeshire Registration Service.
It is possible to come to Peterborough for a death that took place in another district. However, the information we take at the appointment will then need to be sent to that district for them to complete the registration. We cannot say how long they will take to do this. It may delay the issuing of certificates and the forms needed for the funeral to proceed.
You can see the Peterborough registration district by referring to this map:
How to register a death
You can use our online booking service to make an appointment to register a death with Peterborough Register Office.
You can also contact the Register Office on 01733 864646 to book an appointment.
Your appointment
Your appointment will take place in person at Peterborough Register Office.
We are located at 33 Thorpe Road, Peterborough, PE3 6AB. Parking is available.
Please arrive at the Register Office five minutes before your appointment time. If you are late it may not be possible to proceed with your appointment.
Toilets and baby changing facilities are available.
Please see below for important information about the medical certificate that will be needed for the registration, and about the information you will need to give to us.
The medical certificate
This is the main document needed by us to register the death.
It will be written by a doctor, and then reviewed by a Medical Examiner. The Medical Examiner will then send it to us by email.
Please do not book a registration appointment until the Medical Examiner’s office has told you that they have sent the medical certificate to us.
If we do not have the medical certificate at the time of your appointment, we will not be able to register, and will need to reschedule.
Who can register a death
Only certain people are able to register a death. The main categories are:
- A relative of the deceased.
- A person married to or in a civil partnership with the deceased.
- A person present at the death.
- The person responsible for arranging and paying for the funeral.
For medical certificates issued on or after 9 September 2024, there are two additional categories. Please note that these cannot be used for medical certificates issued before 9 September 2024. The additional categories are:
- A person living as partners with the deceased, in an enduring relationship, at the time of the death.
- The personal representative of the deceased.
If you are not sure whether you are able to register the death, please contact us before making an appointment.
Information we need to register a death
These are the main details we need to know for the death registration:
- Where and when the death occurred
- The full name of the deceased, and any changes to their name (including maiden name)
- The date and place of birth of the deceased
- The last occupation of the deceased, and their most recent address
- If applicable, the full name, date of birth and occupation of the spouse or civil partner of the deceased
- To help answer these questions, you may find it useful to refer to documents such as the deceased's birth, marriage or civil partnership certificates, or their passport. However, we do not need to see these documents ourselves
- If the deceased was in receipt of a pension from a Government department - such as teaching, NHS or Armed Forces - please let the Registrar know at your appointment
You will be given the opportunity to check that the information is correct and then the register will be signed. It is an offence to give false information.
Any mistakes noticed after the registration has been completed are likely to require a lengthy correction process and a fee. There may be some delay before corrected certificates can be issued. See the paragraph below for guidance on how to correct a registration and the fees charged.
Certificates
You can purchase certified copies of the death certificate at £12.50 per certificate. These are needed for the following:
- Probate or letters of administration
- Bank and building society accounts
- Life insurance policies covering the deceased
- Dealing with stocks and shares owned by the deceased
- Applying for a tax rebate
After the registration, should you find that you need more certificates you will be able to order them at the same fee of £12.50 each. You can find out more information on our certificates page.
Peterborough Coroner
You can find out more about when a death is reported to a coroner from GOV.UK. If you need to contact the coroner's office for Cambridgeshire & Peterborough you can use the following details:
Senior Coroner's Office (Cambridgeshire & Peterborough)
Lawrence Court
Princes Street
Huntingdon
PE29 3PA
Tel: 0345 045 1364
Email: coroners@cambridgeshire.gov.uk
Tell Us Once service
When someone has died there are lots of things that need to be done at a time when you least feel like doing them. At your appointment to register the death, the registrar will set you up on the Tell Us Once service, which you can then use to notify government departments and local council services of the death. This is a free service, and you can contact them by telephone or online - instructions will be given to you at your appointment.
The organisations that can be contacted by you include the Department of Work and Pensions, HM Revenue & Customs, Identity & Passport Service and the DVLA and Local Authority services such as Council Tax, Adult Social Care and Housing Benefit.
The Department for Work and Pensions have produced a video explaining how to report a death using the Tell Us Once service.
There is also a British Sign Language (BSL) video that provides information about the Tell Us Once service.
Corrections
After the death has been registered, if you need to make any corrections please contact us. The process for correction is lengthy and may need to be authorised by the Registrar General which will add to the delay in the corrected certificate being issued. You may also be required to make a statutory declaration.
There are fees payable for the consideration of the correction and for any corrected certificates requested. The following national fees apply:
- Corrections which we are able to authorise locally: £83.00
- Corrections which we need to refer to the Registrar General: £99.00
In addition, you will also need to pay again for any certificates you require with the corrected information and, if it is required by the Registrar General, you may also need to pay for a statutory declaration.
For more information, please visit the GOV.UK website.