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Registering outside of Lambeth

Although the death must be registered in Lambeth, if you prefer you
can go to any register office in England and Wales to register by
declaration. This declaration will be forwarded by post to Lambeth on
your behalf. You will then receive the registered death certificate and
‘green form’ by post. This process may take up to ten working days
so please allow for this when making funeral arrangements.

If the death needs to be registered at the weekend please telephone
020 7926 1000 to access the on-call register service. Please be
advised this service is only available at the discretion of the registrar.

The coroner

Coroners are officers appointed by the council to investigate any
sudden or unexplained death. They are lawyers or doctors and are
independent of both local and central government. They are required
to act in accordance with rules and procedures passed by parliament.
Most coroners have a team of officers supporting them in their work.

The main reasons why the MCCD may not be issued immediately,
and a case is referred to the coroner, are:

• The cause of death is unknown
• The death is sudden and unexpected
• The death was caused as a result of unnatural circumstances
or an accident
• The death occurred following a surgical procedure
• The death happened in state detention
• The death is related to medical treatment
• The death has occurred within 24 hours of admission to
hospital.

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