When someone dies we will:
We can help you to register a death and find out what information to provide.
A death must be registered within five days. If the death happened in Oxfordshire you must contact one of the local register offices in the county.
A death can only be registered:
We can advise you of the information you will need to take with you.
When registering a death you will be provided with certificates.
This includes:
When someone dies you may have to contact a lot of organisations to tell them of the death. You may have to send them a death certificate. We have a list of the people you might need to contact.
This is a legal document which allows the persons named in it to collect and share the:
We can provide you with more information and advice about when probate should be decided.
A still-born child is legally described as a child born after the 24th week of pregnancy who did not at any time after being born breathe or show any other signs of life.
When a child is still-born the doctor or midwife who was there at the birth will provide a medical certificate of still-birth. The person who registers the still-birth must take this certificate to the Registrar.
We can advise you of where and who can register a still-birth and the information you will need to take with you.
A civil funeral is a ceremony that is not religious. There are many reasons why families prefer this kind of ceremony.
A civil funeral is a ceremony that remembers and celebrates the life of a person who has died. It can be held in many buildings and locations but it may not be held in a church or other religious building.
We can advise you of who to contact about arranging a civil funeral and costs for the ceremony.
If a person who has died asked for their body to be donated to medical science we can tell you who to talk to.
The body is normally kept for up to three years and then burial or cremation arrangements are discussed with the person’s family. The death will need to be registered in the same way.
We know how difficult it can be when someone close to you dies. We have created a bereavement booklet to offer you support and guidance.
A coroner’s job is to investigate deaths which:
An inquest is an enquiry to find out:
We can tell you of inquests that are happening in Oxfordshire.
Sometimes friends and relatives of someone who has died may need to identify the body or give statements to the police.
A coroner sometimes needs to examine the body. This is called a post mortem.
The mortuary service looks after:
You can contact the Bereavement Office at the John Radcliffe Hospital if you have any questions.