Important information →
The Registrars team will contact a next of kin to arrange an appointment for them to attend the register office to register the death. There is no requirement for you to contact us.
After a death, a doctor will issue a Medical Certificate Cause of Death (MCCD) or the coroner will hold a post - mortem and issue the relevant documentation
The GP surgery, hospital or hospice will send the Registrars team an electronic copy of the Medical Certificate of Cause of Death (MCCD), along with the next of kin contact details. If the coroner has been involved, they will produce the relevant documentation and send directly to the Registrars team along with the next of kin details. The Registrars team will only contact the next of kin to book an appointment for the death registration, once all the required documentation relating to the death has been received.
Who can register a death?
The death can be registered by:
- A relative
- Someone present at the death
- Someone arranging the funeral.
Where can I register a death?
To complete a death registration, you can attend
- Wigan Life Centre, North Site, The Wiend, Wigan, WN1 1NH
- Leigh Turnpike Centre, Civic Square, Market Street, Leigh, WN7 1EB.
Deaths must be registered in the registration district of where the death occurred within 5 days.
Information for the appointment
You will need to know the following information regarding the deceased when you attend your appointment:
- Their forenames and surname
- Their date and place of birth
- Their usual address
- Their occupation
- Their maiden surname (if married)
- The name, date of birth and occupation of their surviving widow or widower (if married).
It is important that all details are registered correctly to produce the legal record. There will be a fee incurred if any changes need to be made at a later date.
Certificates
Death Certificates can be purchased at the appointment. Certificates are £11 each and payment is by card only.
Tell Us Once
As part of your appointment you will be offered the Tell Us Once service. This service will notify many different government organisations of the death, making it easier and simpler to sort out the deceased persons affairs.
If you do not wish to use this service, please advise the registrar.
Coroners service
The coroners service which covers Wigan and Leigh are based in Bolton. They deal with inquests and post-mortems.
If you need to contact coroners service, please call 01204 338799.
Inquests
If the death has been reported to the coroner and an inquest is needed, the next of kin will be issued with an interim death certificate from the coroner. This will allow funeral arrangements to be made.
Once you have received the interim death certificate from the coroner you can complete the Tell Us Once service which will notify many different government organisations of the death, making it easier to sort out the deceased persons affairs.
To complete the Tell us Once, please email a copy of the interim death certificate to Registrars@wigan.gov.uk along with a contact name and number, a Registrar will then provide you with your unique reference number for the Tell us Once service.
Once the inquest has been carried out, the coroner will send the Registrars team an electronic copy of the inquest investigation along with the next of kin details. The death will then be registered by the registrar, without the next of kin having to attend the register office. Once the death following an inquest has been registered the registrar will contact the next of kin to advise they can order the final death certificate