Can you have a funeral without a death certificate?

You don't need a death certificate to hold a funeral. Instead, you need a burial or cremation certificate known as a "green form".

You get this form free of charge when you register a person's death. This certificate must be given to the funeral director, crematorium or burial authority before a funeral can be arranged.

A death certificate serves a different purpose. It's needed for probate (proving a will is valid and managing the estate of the person who died).

If you're in England, Wales or Northern Ireland, you have to pay to get a copy of the death certificate. In Scotland, you get a short version of the death certificate for free when you register the death.

What do you get when you register a death?

When a person dies, someone needs to register the death. You can start this process on the government website.

Before you do this, however, you need to be contacted by a senior doctor called a medical examiner. You don't need to speak to them, but you do need to be contacted before you can register the death. 

Once the death is registered, you're given a certificate for burial or cremation. This document is commonly called a "green form". It isn't the same as a death certificate.

To learn more, read our guide on how to register a death in the UK.

What is the green form and what do you do with it? 

The green form is a certificate for burial or cremation given to you once you've registered a death. It gives permission for a funeral director, crematorium or burial authority to organise or carry out the burial or cremation.

The green form is an important document. Without it, a funeral can't take place.

People are sometimes confused about the difference between the green form and the death certificate. The important thing to note is that you don't need a death certificate to have a funeral.

What do you need a death certificate for?

You need a death certificate to apply for probate. Probate is the legal process that covers proving the validity of a will and managing the estate of the person who died. An estate is the sum of a person's money, property and possessions.

If the person who died left a will, they will have named an executor. This is the person responsible for dealing with the estate.

This involves tasks like:

• Shutting down accounts
• Sorting out assets
• Paying off debts
• Cancelling payments
  
  

To get a death certificate, you must contact the General Register Office (GRO). You can request a death certificate online, over the phone or by post.

In England and Wales, a death certificate costs £12.50 (with an extra £3.50 if you don't have a GRO index reference number). It will be sent to you four days after your application has been received. A green form, by contrast, is free of charge and is sent to you automatically.

AFD is a team of independent funeral directors based in London. We provide gentle, step-by-step guidance to help you plan the funeral you want. Do you need our support? Please call whenever you're ready on 020 8355 7876. Our lines are open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.