Registering a death

Any death that takes place in the London Borough of Bromley must be registered at Bromley Register Office.  The person who comes to register a death needs to be either related to the deceased, present at the death or personally making the funeral arrangements.  We operate an appointment system so please telephone before calling in to make the registration. The registration will take 20 - 30 minutes and by law has to be completed within 5 days of the death.

If the person who has died lived in Bromley you can participate in a new notification service called Tell us Once which will make it easier to notify central and local government departments about the death. Find out more about Tell Us Once. 

What information will I need to give the registrar?

The registrar will usually need a medical certificate of cause of death signed by the person's GP or hospital doctor before the death can be registered.  If the death has been referred to the Coroner, the document that allows the registrar to register the death will be delivered to the register office by one of the Coroner's officers.

 Details required:

  • date and place of death;
  • full name and address of the deceased and maiden surname if appropriate;
  • date and place of birth;
  • occupation and address of the deceased; and
  • if the deceased was in a marriage or civil partnership, or was a widow or widower, the name and occupation of their partner.

Making an appointment

We operate an appointment system so please telephone the office before calling in to make the registration. Opening hours are Monday to Friday 9.30 am to 4.30 pm. We have a limited number of early morning and evening appointments available - please ask when you phone.

If you need to register a death outside these hours for the urgent burial of a relative for religious reasons then you need to telephone the Council's Emergency Duty Officer on 020 8464 4848.  The Emergency Duty Officer will know how to contact a registrar.

Certificates

A green certificate for the funeral director and the form for the benefit agency to return with any pension or benefit books are provided free of charge.  A death certificate costs £4

Can I register elsewhere?

If it is more convenient, information about the event can be given at another register office. These details will then be forwarded to us. We will register the death and post to you any death certificates you require together with the green certificate for the funeral director and the form for the benefits agency. This process is called registering a death by declaration.