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.
This guide has not been checked against its sources
We re-checked our most-read guides against GOV.UK and the other official sources in September 2026. This one was not among them, so nobody has confirmed its figures, deadlines or process steps since it was written. Treat it as a starting point and confirm anything that matters on GOV.UK before you act on it.
Not on bank holidays or when registrar offices are closed, but you can register on the next working day once they reopen. Registrar offices close Christmas Day, Boxing Day, and New Year's Day. In England and Wales your five days run from the day the registrar is notified of the cause of death by the medical examiner, so over Christmas the clock usually starts late rather than running out (Scotland: 8 days from the date of death). Registration must be in person. Book as soon as you are told the registrar has been notified—January slots fill fast. Emergency appointments available for religious burials.
When someone dies during the Christmas and New Year period, death registration becomes more complicated due to registrar office closures. Understanding when the 5-day deadline actually starts, and knowing the emergency procedures, can reduce stress during an already difficult time.
Key Facts:
- Registrar offices close on Christmas Day, Boxing Day, and New Year's Day
- Many offices also close December 24, 27, and January 2 (Scotland)
- Bank holidays DON'T count toward the 5-day registration deadline
- Emergency registration available for religious requirements
- You need the burial/cremation certificate before a funeral can proceed
Important:
The funeral cannot take place until the death is registered and you receive the burial or cremation certificate. Christmas closures will delay both registration and funeral arrangements.
All registrar offices in England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland close for these bank holidays:
Confirmed Closure Dates (All Regions)
- Christmas Day: December 25th (Friday in 2026)
- Boxing Day: December 26th (Saturday in 2026)
- New Year's Day: January 1st (Friday in 2027)
Common Extended Closures (Varies by Area)
- December 24th (Christmas Eve): Many offices close early or for full day
- December 27th (Friday): Some offices close to create long weekend
- December 29-31: Reduced hours or appointments only
- January 2nd (Scotland): Bank holiday in Scotland only
- January 2nd (Other regions): Some offices still closed despite not being bank holiday
Check Your Local Office:
Christmas schedules vary significantly between registration districts. Some urban areas maintain skeleton staff, while rural offices may close for the entire week between Christmas and New Year.
How to check:
- Visit your local council's website
- Call the registrar office - answerphone will state hours
- Use GOV.UK "Find a Registrar" service
In England and Wales, a death must be registered within 5 days of the "relevant date" — the day the registrar is notified of the cause of death by the medical examiner, or the day a coroner discontinues an investigation (Births and Deaths Registration Act 1953, ss.16(4) and 17(4)). Since 9 September 2024 it has not run from the date of death. Scotland allows 8 days from the date of death and has no medical examiners; Northern Ireland allows 5.
This matters more at Christmas than at any other time of year, because the step that slips is the medical one. GPs are on leave, hospital bereavement offices run skeleton staff and medical examiner offices are quiet. Your deadline waits for them. What you cannot do is register early to get ahead — the registrar has nothing to register until that notification arrives.
Worked example: death on Monday, 22 December
- 22 Dec: death. The 5-day clock has not started.
- 23-24 Dec: the attending doctor completes the MCCD and sends it to the medical examiner.
- 25 Dec - 1 Jan: reduced staffing. Scrutiny may not finish until the offices are back to normal.
- 2 Jan: the medical examiner notifies the registrar. This is the relevant date, and the 5 days begin.
- 7 Jan: the 5 days are up.
You are not late on 30 December. Your clock had not started.
The practical constraint over Christmas is appointment availability, not the statutory deadline. Book the moment you are told the registrar has been notified.
The Critical Issue:
The deadline is rarely the problem — appointments are. Register offices are shut on the bank holidays and heavily booked either side, so the first available slot may be days after the registrar was notified. If the wait is pushing you past your 5 days, tell the office; they can see when they were notified and will not penalise you for their own diary.
Wait for the Medical Certificate of Cause of Death (MCCD) to reach the registrar:
This is not a document you collect. The attending doctor completes it and sends it to the medical examiner, who scrutinises the death and notifies the registrar. Your job is to stay in touch with the bereavement office and find out when that has happened:
Chase this promptly - it's the first bottleneck, and nothing else can start until it clears.
Check Your Local Registrar's Christmas Schedule:
Before planning anything else, find out:
Find this information on your local council website or call the registrar office (answerphone will have details).
Book a Registration Appointment ASAP:
As soon as the bereavement office confirms the registrar has been notified, book the earliest available appointment:
Gather Required Documents:
You'll need these for the registration appointment:
Don't worry if you can't find everything - registrar will still proceed, but it helps.
Attend the Registration Appointment:
What happens during registration:
Use Tell Us Once Service (Optional but Recommended):
After registration, you can use Tell Us Once to notify government departments:
Note: Tell Us Once is unavailable on bank holidays, so if you register December 24th or 30th, you may need to wait until January to use it.
If you need urgent registration due to religious requirements (e.g., Muslim or Jewish burial within 24-48 hours), most registrar districts have emergency procedures.
Who Qualifies for Emergency Registration
- Religious requirements: Faiths requiring burial within 24-48 hours (Muslim, Jewish)
- Repatriation abroad: Body needs to be transported internationally urgently
- Public health concerns: Specific medical or infectious disease issues
- Exceptional circumstances: Rare compassionate cases at registrar's discretion
Note: "Wanting to have funeral before New Year" is not considered an emergency. Only genuine urgent cases qualify.
How to Request Emergency Registration
- Call the registrar's emergency line: Found on council website or registrar answerphone message
- Explain the religious/urgent requirement: Be clear and specific about why it's needed
- Have all documents ready: your ID and the deceased's documents
- Contact your funeral director: They can help facilitate emergency registration
- Contact your religious leader: They may have direct contact with registrar emergency services
Emergency Contact Numbers
Each council has different emergency procedures:
- Local council out-of-hours: Usually on council website homepage
- Registrar emergency line: On answerphone message when you call office
- Bereavement services (hospitals): They often know emergency registrar contacts
- Your funeral director: They have emergency registrar contacts for their area
Registration is a legal requirement before many other processes can begin:
The funeral director needs the burial or cremation certificate (green form, usually issued at registration) before the funeral can take place. This is a legal requirement - crematoriums and cemeteries will not accept the body without it. Where a burial cannot wait, s.24 of the Births and Deaths Registration Act 1953 allows the registrar to issue the green form before the death is registered, on written notice from the informant.
Banks require a death certificate before they'll close accounts or release funds. You can notify them of the death, but full closure requires the certificate.
Bereavement Support Payment and other death-related benefits require a death certificate as proof.
The probate application requires a death certificate. You can start gathering information, but can't formally apply until after registration.
What You CAN Do Before Registration:
- Contact funeral director and begin planning funeral
- Notify close family and friends
- Inform employer (yours or deceased's)
- Notify banks and utilities (they'll note account, pending certificate)
- Cancel appointments and subscriptions
- Secure the deceased's property
- Start gathering documents for registration
Challenge: Registrar Office Closed for Week
Solution: Register at a different registration district that's open. In England & Wales, you can register at ANY registrar office, not just the one where death occurred. Check neighbouring districts' schedules.
Challenge: Can't Get Appointment Until January
Solution: Try other registrar offices in your area - they may have earlier availability. Also ask about cancellations or standby slots. Funeral directors sometimes have contacts who can help expedite.
Challenge: Doctor Won't Complete the MCCD Before Seeing the Body
Solution: This is normal procedure. Ensure funeral director has collected deceased and taken them to mortuary. Doctor will visit there or hospital will facilitate. Contact hospital bereavement team if delays.
Challenge: Medical Examiner Review Taking Days
Solution: This is unfortunately unavoidable over Christmas. ME offices also have reduced staffing. Chase respectfully by phone, but expect 3-5 days instead of usual 1-2 days.
Challenge: Can't Find Deceased's Birth Certificate
Solution: Not essential - registrar can proceed without it. If you know approximate birth date and place, that's sufficient. You can order a copy later from General Register Office if needed for other purposes.
- Confirm death has been verified by doctor (GP, hospital doctor, or out-of-hours doctor)
- Attending doctor completes the Medical Certificate of Cause of Death (MCCD) and sends it to the medical examiner
- Wait for medical examiner scrutiny to finish and the registrar to be notified — your 5 days start here
- Check your local registrar's Christmas opening hours online or by phone
- Book earliest available registration appointment (don't delay)
- Gather required documents: birth certificate, marriage certificate, ID
- Attend registration appointment (takes 30-45 minutes)
- Purchase death certificate copies (£12.50 each - get at least 3-4)
- Receive burial/cremation certificate (green form, free) - give to funeral director
- Use Tell Us Once service to notify government departments (optional)
- Keep death certificate copies safe for banks, probate, etc.
Can I register online or by post during Christmas?
No. Death registration must be done in person at a registrar office (very rarely by video appointment in some districts). There's no online or postal option, even during bank holidays.
What if I miss the 5-day deadline due to Christmas closures?
In England and Wales it is very unlikely you will. The 5 days run from the day the registrar is notified of the cause of death by the medical examiner, and over Christmas that notification is itself delayed — so the clock usually starts after the closures, not before them. Register as soon as offices reopen and a slot is available. Deliberately delaying beyond that could result in a fine, though this is rarely enforced for reasonable delays.
Do I have to register where the death occurred?
In England and Wales, you can register at ANY registrar office. This is helpful over Christmas - if your local office is closed, try a neighbouring district. In Scotland and Northern Ireland, you must register in the district where death occurred.
How much do death certificates cost?
Death certificate copies cost £12.50 each (standard fee, no Christmas premium). The burial/cremation certificate (green form) is free. Order at least 3-4 copies at registration - they're more expensive to order later (£35+ from General Register Office).
Who is allowed to register a death?
In order of priority: spouse/civil partner, other relative who was present at death, other relative, someone present at death, hospital administrator, person arranging funeral. Over Christmas, this flexibility helps - any eligible person can register even if the primary informant is unavailable.