Registering a death

When we receive the medical certificate of cause of death (MCCD), it should have the name and contact details of the next of kin with it.

We will contact that person by phone to make an appointment to register the death at one of our offices. 

If it is more than 4 days since the death happened and you are concerned that you have not yet had a call to make an appointment, we recommend you speak with your Funeral Director or you can contact us.

Westmorland and Furness Registration Service

Email: registration.service@westmorlandandfurness.gov.uk

Telephone: 0300 373 3300

Where to register the death

If someone has died in Westmorland and Furness (this was previously Eden, South Lakeland and Barrow) you can register the death with Westmorland and Furness Registration Service.  

If someone has died in Cumberland (this was previously Copeland, Allerdale or Carlisle areas) you can register the death with Cumberland Registration Service.

If you’re unsure which new Council area you need to contact please use our handy tool to find out.

Alternatively you can do a declaration of a death at any other office in England and Wales but you won’t be given any documents.  The details will be passed to us and we will do the registration and issue your certificates at a later date.  This can slow down the process. We always recommend for a death registration that you try to attend an office in the district where the event took place.

If someone has died outside Westmorland and Furness (including Cumberland) you can register in the local office in England and Wales or you can do a declaration in Westmorland and Furness. We will then send the information to the relevant office and they will register. You will then need to contact the relevant office for Certificates.

If the death occurred outside England or Wales there is no facility to register. Please speak to your Funeral Director for advice or contact our team.

After the registration is complete

Once the registration is complete, we will email the certificates for burial or cremation to the Funeral Director.  Please make sure you know who this will be before you attend your appointment.

We will carry out the Tell Us Once service that lets you report a death to most government organisations in one go.

Ordering copies of the death certificate

You can order certificates at the end of the registration appointment.

The cost is £12.50 per certificate, please have a payment card with you to make payment.

If you don't have a payment card let the registrar know so they can discuss how you can get your certificates following registration.

Correcting a mistake on a death certificate

If you notice something is wrong, you can apply to correct mistake on a death certificate.