Death registration

If a death occurred in Scotland it must be registered within 8 days. Informants have the option to register the death at any Registration office in Scotland.

Please note, due to change in legislation, death registration can be done remotely via telephone call and face to face appointments are no longer required. 

Booking an appointment

Appointments for the registration of death are mainly provided via telephone call with a registrar.

Telephone appointments are available on weekdays between 8:45am to 5pm.

Face to face appointments for the registration of death are available by arrangement on request.

To book an appointment to register a death please call 01467 468 468 or email registrars@aberdeenshire.gov.uk.

Required documentation

The registrar must have received the Medical Certificate of the Cause of Death (MCCD) before a registration can commence. This document may be referred to as a 'Form 11'.

In most cases the certifying doctor will email this document directly to Aberdeenshire Registrars.

However, if you are in possession of the Medical Certificate of Cause of Death please arrange for this to be scanned and emailed to registrars@aberdeenshire.gov.uk.

To aid the registration, it is useful if the informant has the following documentation to hand during the appointment:

  • deceased's birth certificate
  • the deceased's NHS medical card
  • any marriage certificates, civil partnership certificates or death certificates of any previous spouses or civil partners

Tell Us Once

We offer a Tell Us Once service to make things easier for you, which allows the Registrar to contact several other agencies (including government departments and other local authority services) to advise them of the bereavement on your behalf.

View Tell Us Once Bereavement Leaflet (PDF 974KB) and Tell Us Once privacy notice (PDF 149KB).

Completion of the appointment

Upon completion of the registration of death, your Registrar will issue the following statutory documentation:

  • The abbreviated extract – a brief certificate which confirms name, date of death and place of death
  • Confirmation of Tell Us Once information captured

Full extracts contain more comprehensive information including cause of death and family information. These may be purchased at the time of registration at a cost of £10.00 per extract.

Support during the registration of death

Aberdeenshire Registrars work closely with all funeral directors and undertakers across the North East of Scotland. Your undertaker will be able to advise you on all aspects of the above process.

However, if you wish to consult with a registrar on issues relating to registration of death please contact us directly.

View registration of life event privacy notice.