Farra is a death administration assistant for UK families. Get step-by-step guidance for registering a death, applying for probate, notifying banks, and managing bereavement admin. From essential documents to practical checklists, Farra simplifies estate paperwork and funeral-related tasks so you can focus on what matters.
Contact the register office where the death was registered, fill in the GOV.UK application form to correct details on a death registration, and send it with documents showing what the correct information should have been. GOV.UK gives the fee as £83 or £99, and says there is no set time for applications — it can take up to 25 days to get a reply. The certificate itself is not changed: a note is added to the margin of the register entry, and new certificates show that note.
Errors on death certificates can cause significant problems when closing accounts, claiming benefits, or administering estates. Fortunately, there are established procedures to correct mistakes, though the process varies depending on the type of error.
Important: you cannot change a death certificate once it has been issued. GOV.UK's wording is that you "can apply to get a note added to the original entry in the death register", and then get an updated certificate showing that note. The original information always stays in the register.
How long it takes:
GOV.UK is direct about this: "There is not a set time for how long applications will take. It can take up to 25 days for you to get a reply." No published service standard breaks that down by type of error, so this page does not either.
Different types of errors require different correction procedures:
1. Clerical Errors (Most Common)
Mistakes made by the registrar during the registration process, such as:
- Misspelled names
- Wrong dates or ages
- Incorrect occupations
- Transposed numbers in addresses
- Typos in place names
Solution: Can be corrected relatively easily with supporting evidence.
2. Informant Errors
Incorrect information provided by the informant (person who registered), such as:
- Wrong birth date given
- Incorrect marital status
- Wrong parent names
- Mistaken place of birth
Solution: Requires statutory declaration and supporting evidence.
3. Errors in the cause of death
Mistakes in the medical cause of death or the medical details:
- Incorrect cause of death
- Wrong medical terminology
- Missing information about circumstances
Who fixes it: not the family and not the registrar. The registrar enters the cause of death from the certificate they are sent — since 9 September 2024, a confirmed attending practitioner's certificate or a medical examiner's certificate, or a certificate from the coroner. So a change to the cause of death has to come from the medical examiner's office, the certifying doctor, or the coroner. Raise it with the medical examiner's office that dealt with the death.
4. Serious errors
Errors that go to identity rather than detail:
- Wrong person identified as the deceased
- Wrong sex recorded
- Fundamental errors in identity
What GOV.UK says: for a serious mistake — it gives a person's name as the example — the General Register Office "may ask you to make a 'statutory declaration'", and will advise you if that is necessary. GOV.UK does not describe a court route for correcting a death registration, so this page does not assert one. If the register office tells you the correction is outside what it can do, ask them what the next step is.
Here's how to request a correction:
Step 1: Identify the Error Type
Determine whether it's a clerical error, informant error, or something more complex. This affects which process you'll need to follow.
Step 2: Gather Evidence
GOV.UK says the documents should be valid, or dated around the time of the death, and lists:
- a passport
- a photocard driving licence
- a bank, building society or credit card statement
- a letter from a hospital or doctor
- a letter from a government department
- a utility bill
Send only copies that have been certified as true copies of the original. GOV.UK warns that certified copies sent with the application will be destroyed unless you ask for them back — and that without proof, corrections cannot usually be made.
Step 3: Contact the Original Registrar
Contact the registrar office where the death was registered. Explain the error and ask about the correction procedure. They may be able to correct minor clerical errors immediately.
Step 4: Complete Required Forms
Depending on the error type, you may need to:
- Complete a formal application for correction
- Make a statutory declaration (sworn statement)
- Obtain a new medical certificate
- Provide witness statements
Step 5: Send it to the register office
GOV.UK says to fill in the application form to correct details on a death registration and send it to the register office where the death was registered. Anyone can apply, but the General Register Office will usually want a letter from the person who gave the information at registration before it considers a correction.
Step 6: Receive Corrected Certificate
Once approved, a marginal note is added to the register explaining the correction, and you can order new certified copies showing the corrected information.
GOV.UK says that if you are applying to correct a serious mistake — for example in a person's name — the General Register Office "may ask you to make a 'statutory declaration'", and will advise you if that is necessary. It is not automatic for every informant error.
What is a Statutory Declaration?
A formal statement made under oath that the information you're providing is true. It must be witnessed by a solicitor, commissioner for oaths, or certain other authorized persons.
What to Include
- Your name and relationship to the deceased
- Confirmation that you were the informant (or relationship to the informant)
- Details of the error and the correct information
- Explanation of how the error occurred
- Supporting evidence you're providing
Cost
GOV.UK says only that "you may have to pay a fee for a statutory declaration". No fee scale is published, and solicitors set their own charges, so this page does not quote a figure. Ask before you book.
Errors in the Medical Certificate of Cause of Death require special procedures:
Who to raise it with
Section 22 of the Births and Deaths Registration Act 1953 requires the registrar to enter the cause of death as stated in the certificate they receive. In England and Wales that certificate comes from the medical examiner — either a confirmed attending practitioner's certificate or a medical examiner's certificate. So the route for a cause-of-death error runs through the medical examiner's office for the hospital, hospice, GP surgery or care home that dealt with the death, rather than through the register office.
If the cause of death is disputed
Where what is in issue is not a slip but whether the cause of death is right at all, the question is one for the medical examiner or the coroner, not the registrar. A death can be reported to the coroner after registration, and section 1 of the Coroners and Justice Act 2009 requires an investigation where the coroner has reason to suspect a violent or unnatural death, an unknown cause of death, or a death in custody or state detention. Where an investigation happens after registration, section 23 of the 1953 Act provides for the coroner's certificate to be entered against the original entry, without altering it.
How long corrections take depends on the complexity:
What GOV.UK says: "There is not a set time for how long applications will take. It can take up to 25 days for you to get a reply."
What is not published: any breakdown by type of error. Earlier versions of this page gave separate ranges for clerical errors, informant errors, medical corrections and court orders. None of those came from a source, and they have been removed.
Who to ask: the register office where the death was registered, or the General Register Office on 0300 123 1837 (Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm) or grocasework@gro.gov.uk.
Official fees
- Application to correct a death registration: GOV.UK states "It costs £83 or £99". Which applies depends on how the application is dealt with — contact the register office where the death was registered to find out the cost and how to pay
- New certificate after correction: £12.50 per copy on the General Register Office standard service
- Priority service: £38.50 per certificate from the General Register Office
Additional Costs
- Statutory declaration: GOV.UK says you may have to pay a fee. No scale is published and solicitors set their own charges, so ask first
- Supporting documents: the cost of obtaining a birth or marriage certificate if you need one as evidence
- Legal advice: solicitors set their own rates; no published range exists, so ask for a quote
Some things cannot be changed through the correction process:
Important: If information was correctly recorded based on what was known at the time, it cannot be corrected simply because you later discovered different information.
When a correction is made, here's what happens:
Marginal Note Added
The register is not erased or rewritten. Instead, a marginal note is added explaining the correction. This maintains the integrity of the permanent record.
New Certificates Show Correction
Certificates issued after the correction will show the corrected information plus a note indicating that a correction was made.
Old Certificates Remain Valid
Previously issued certificates don't become invalid, but you may need to explain the discrepancy. Most people order new certificates after corrections.
Name Spelling Errors
Example: "John" registered as "Jon" or surname misspelled
Solution: Provide birth certificate, passport, or other ID showing correct spelling. Usually quick to correct.
Wrong Age or Date of Birth
Example: Informant gave approximate age that was incorrect
Solution: Provide birth certificate. May require statutory declaration explaining how error occurred.
Incorrect Marital Status
Example: Registered as "married" when divorced, or vice versa
Solution: Provide marriage/divorce certificates. Requires statutory declaration.
Wrong Address
Example: Old address used instead of current residence
Solution: Provide utility bills or council tax bills. Relatively straightforward to correct.
GOV.UK's guidance covers corrections applied for through the register office and the General Register Office. It does not describe a court route, and no official source we could find sets out one for death registrations, so this page does not claim that a court order is required or available in particular cases.
Serious identity errors
Where the error goes to who the person was, the General Register Office may ask for a statutory declaration and will say what else it needs. Contact the General Register Office directly on 0300 123 1837 or grocasework@gro.gov.uk and describe the problem.
Disputed corrections
If family members disagree, or the correction is refused, the register office should tell you why and what evidence would change the position. GOV.UK's own line is that without documentary proof that the information given at registration was wrong, "corrections cannot usually be made".
Getting further help
The General Register Office is the body that decides these applications and is the right first port of call. Some people take legal advice where a great deal turns on the entry — for example in a contested estate — but that is a decision for you, and no official source suggests it is a normal part of the process.
The best approach is to prevent errors in the first place:
If you've already submitted death certificates to banks, insurers, etc., and need to correct them:
Notify Them Early: Let organizations know a correction is in progress. They may pause processing until you provide the corrected certificate.
Provide Updated Certificates: Once corrected, send new certificates to all relevant organizations.
Explain the Discrepancy: Include a brief letter explaining that the previous certificate contained an error that has now been corrected.
Scotland
Scotland has its own registration law and its own correction procedure — the GOV.UK guidance, the form and the £83/£99 fee on this page are for England and Wales only. Contact National Records of Scotland or the registration office where the death was registered.
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland has a separate General Register Office and its own procedure; nothing on this page about the England and Wales form or fee applies there. Start from the registering-a-death guidance on nidirect.gov.uk, or the district registration office where the death was registered.