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.
Register within 5 days at any district registration office in Northern Ireland. The registrar usually telephones you once the doctor has sent the medical certificate to GRONI, and the registration can be done over the telephone. Registering is free; death certificates cost £8.00 each at the time of registration. The registrar issues the Certificate for Burial or Cremation to the funeral director. Tell Us Once does not cover Northern Ireland.
In Northern Ireland, you must register a death within 5 days, similar to England and Wales. The General Register Office for Northern Ireland (GRONI) manages all registrations. Understanding how death registration works across the UK can help you navigate the regional differences and requirements.
How registration starts:
The doctor or hospital sends the Medical Certificate of Cause of Death electronically to GRONI, which passes it to a registration office. The registrar then telephones you to arrange the registration — it can be completed over the telephone, or at the office if you prefer. Details are on the nidirect website.
⚠️ If a death has been referred to the Coroner, registration cannot proceed until the Coroner's investigation is complete.
Most deaths are registered by a relative. Where the deceased has no relatives, or none are available, nidirect lists these people as able to register:
💡 Tip: While you don't need all these documents, having them speeds up the process considerably.
A death may be registered at any district registration office in Northern Ireland. In practice the medical certificate goes to the office covering the deceased's home address; where the doctor hands it to you instead, contact the office covering the area where you live. Contact details for every office are on the nidirect website to find your local office.
The registrar will normally telephone you to arrange the registration and can take the details over the phone, or ask you to complete a death registration form and email it back.
You can attend the registration office instead if you would rather do it face to face. There is no way to complete the whole registration yourself online.
The registrar will ask for:
The official certified copy of the death registration. You'll need multiple copies for banks, insurance companies, and legal purposes.
Cost: £8.00 per copy — short form or full — from the registrar at the time of registration. Bought afterwards from GRONI: £15.00 for the first copy and £8.00 for each further copy bought at the same time. Registering the death itself is free.
The registrar issues this to the funeral director so the funeral can go ahead. Where the death has been referred to the coroner, the coroner can give consent for burial or cremation before the death is registered. If the body is to be cremated, the GP or hospital arranges for a second doctor to sign the cremation certificate.
GOV.UK states that you cannot use Tell Us Once if the person was living in Northern Ireland when they died. The nearest equivalent is the Bereavement Service, which reports the death to the Department for Communities so benefit and pension offices can be told. HMRC, DVLA, the Passport Office and your council must be contacted separately.
The death registration process in Northern Ireland has several notable differences from Great Britain:
Certificate cost: £8.00 per copy at registration in Northern Ireland, against £12.50 in England and Wales
GRONI system: Different database and processes from England/Wales/Scotland
No Tell Us Once: The service covers England, Scotland and Wales only; Northern Ireland uses the Bereavement Service for benefits and pensions
Coroner vs Procurator Fiscal: NI uses Coroner system (like England/Wales)
A death is registered where it happened. A death in Great Britain is registered there, and a death elsewhere under that country's law — GRONI does not re-register it. The certificate issued there can still be used in Northern Ireland.
Where a coroner is involved, the death cannot be registered until the registrar has the coroner's certificate. Meanwhile the coroner can issue an interim certificate — a "Coroner's Certificate of Evidence of Death" — to help with administering the estate, though not every financial organisation accepts one.
GRONI holds records of deaths registered from 1 January 1864 in what is now Northern Ireland. Historical certificates can be ordered online or by post.
Fees as published by nidirect. GRONI does not publish a priority or express service fee for death certificates.