The death of a loved one is a difficult time for everyone. Not only are they grieving but for many they may have never had to register a death or deal with the winding up of a loved one’s estate.  It can all become quite overwhelming.

The Covid-19 outbreak and lockdown of the nation has brought a whole new level of uncertainty. A short series of blogs will follow providing guidance from registering a death, dealing with the funeral arrangements and winding up an estate.

Here we look at the first step, registration of death:

How do you register a death when the nation is in lockdown?

Pre-lockdown, there was a requirement for deaths to be registered in person in the presence of a Registrar. The Coronavirus Act 2020 introduced a “remote” system of registration and makes provision for registration of a death by telephone or other means, including electronic registration.

How does it work?

A cause of death medical certificate will be issued electronically by a doctor to the Registrar for the relevant geographic area.

The person who will “sign” the death certificate will also receive a copy. They should then contact the Registrar to provide additional information, i.e. their own details and relationship to the deceased, confirmation of the deceased’s date of birth and date of marriage etc.

The Registrar will complete the registration process and either email or read back (if registering via telephone) the relevant information, which will be included on the death certificate. Once approved, the Registrar will mark the certificate with the name of the person who has registered the death and mark as “transcribed” (simply meaning set out). The Registrar will then provide an emailed version to the person registering the death and/or the funeral director. Hard copies can also be sent direct to the address of the person registering the death.

Should you have any further questions or require further guidance in any aspect of managing the estate of a loved one, our Private Client Team have extensive experience in assisting clients in the estate administration process. During lockdown we are continuing to work remotely and securely from home. Our preferred method of communication at this time is email. Should you prefer to speak to a member of the team, please call 0141 221 5562 or 0131 220 7660.