Appointed Executor: Your Step-by-Step Probate Plan

Register the death

One thing first

The person has died, and you have just learned you are named as executor. Before anything else can happen, the death needs to be officially registered. This is the first practical thing you do, and everything that follows depends on it.

What you need to know

Registering a death means telling the local register office that the person has died, so that an official record exists. In England and Wales you normally do this within five days, at the register office for the area where the person died. You will usually need an appointment, and the registrar will give you documents you will use again and again in the coming weeks.

Documenten die je hierbij nodig hebt

  • The medical certificate of cause of death (given to you by the doctor or hospital)
  • The person's birth certificate, if you have it
  • Their NHS medical card or NHS number, if available
  • Details of their full name, date and place of birth, and last address

Bring these to the appointment. If something is missing, the registrar can often still proceed, so do not delay.

How to approach it

Watch how you can ask an assistant to prepare you for the call to the register office, so you know exactly what to say and what to book.

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Together

Now fill in the details for your own situation, so the assistant can tailor it to you.

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Your turn

Write your own request in your own words. Ask for whatever you still feel unsure about.

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Check · s1

Where do you go to register the death?

You've now sorted

You have booked the appointment, gathered the right documents, and officially registered the death, ready for the next step.

Checkpoints

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This step is done when you can tick all of these: