Death Certificate Copies: Cost and How Many You Need

A death certificate copy costs £11 in England and Wales and £12 in Scotland, and one source puts the cost at £12.50¹. The registrar gives you one free death certificate when you register the death, and you pay for every extra copy you ask for³. Most people need several, because banks, insurers, pension providers and lenders each want to see one before they will act on an account.

The practical question is how many to order and when. Buying extra copies at the register office is cheaper than ordering them later, and one bereavement charity suggests requesting as many as 10 original copies at that point, even if it costs a bit extra⁴. A building society says extra copies are probably worth it because lots of organisations will need to see an original⁵.

What catches people out is that an ordinary photocopy will not do. Photocopies are not accepted by some organisations, including banks and life insurance companies⁶. What most of them want is an original certificate or a copy that has been certified as a true copy by a professional.

What a death certificate copy costs

The fee is set by the registration service in each part of the UK, which is why the figures do not match. Independent Age states that registering a death is free but you are charged £11 for each copy of the death certificate, or £12 in Scotland¹. Scope puts the cost at £12.50², and PensionBee also states £12.50⁷. 50 as the range and check the current fee with the register office before you go.

Scotland's Funeral Support Payment guidance lists additional death certificates at £11 for England and Wales⁸, which is the figure to use if you registered the death in England or Wales.

The first certificate is free. Phoenix Life states that the registrar at the Register Office will give you one free death certificate³. Everything after that is a purchase, and the price depends on where and when you buy it.

There is a separate cost if something is wrong on the certificate. Scope states that it costs up to £99 to correct a mistake later², so it is worth checking the spelling of names, dates and places before you leave the register office.

Photocopies are not accepted

This is the single most common reason people have to go back and order more copies. Ordinary photocopies are not accepted by some organisations, such as banks or life insurance companies⁶. A bereavement charity puts it plainly: photocopies are not accepted⁴.

What organisations will take instead varies. Charter Savings Bank states that it can accept a copy of the death certificate, which it recommends, provided it has been certified on each page by a professional person or service¹⁰. Nottingham Building Society needs to see a certified copy or original death certificate to register the death of a member¹¹. Handelsbanken asks for an original, certified or official copy¹².

Certification is not complicated. Interactive investor states that copies of the death certificate can be certified by an FCA regulated body, for example a bank or solicitor¹³. Aviva states that for a lifetime mortgage it needs to see the original death certificate or a copy certified by a solicitor¹⁴.

Some lenders are more flexible than the rule suggests. Nationwide Building Society states that it must see the death certificate, but that it is not an issue if you do not have it when you first report the death, because its bereavement services team will try to verify the death through the government database¹⁵. Newcastle Building Society lists the death certificate as acceptable in original or photocopy form¹⁶.

How many copies to order, and when

The cheapest moment to buy extra copies is while you are still at the register office. Scope advises trying to buy extra copies while you are there, because they cost a lot more if you buy them later². Transact states that you can request several original death certificates when registering a death, which may save you time waiting for them afterwards¹⁷.

How many is enough depends on how many organisations the person dealt with. Widowed and Young suggests it is worth requesting as many as 10 original copies when you register the death, even if it costs a bit extra⁴. Monmouthshire Building Society says asking for extra copies is probably worth it because lots of organisations, including itself, will need to see an original copy⁵. Aldermore notes that it might be helpful to get copies of the death certificate, as you might need several for different organisations¹⁸.

The registrar issues more than the certificate. Cambridge Building Society sets out that the registrar will give you the death certificate, plus any extras you request, and a green form which you need to give to the funeral directors¹⁹. Age UK confirms the documents issued are a certificate for burial or cremation, known as the green form, a unique code for Tell Us Once, and a death certificate which you need to pay for⁶. The green form is free².

If you are registering the death in Scotland, the process and the certificate differ, and you can read more in Registering a Death in Scotland. For England, Wales and Northern Ireland, see Registering a Death in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Who asks to see a death certificate

Banks and building societies are usually the first. Marie Curie states that most large banks and building societies will release funds from the person's account to pay the funeral bill if you show or send them a certified copy of the death certificate²⁰. Quaker Social Action gives the same practical route: to release money from a bank account you can take a copy of the death certificate and a copy of the funeral bill to the bank, and many banks will release the money directly to the funeral director without waiting for probate²¹.

Lenders and mortgage providers ask too. Accord Mortgages states it needs to see the death certificate so it can help manage the accounts and finances of the deceased²³. The Mortgage Lender and Shawbrook both run bereavement processes that begin with the certificate²⁴. Precise Mortgages notes that more than one copy may be requested and there may be an additional charge for extra copies²⁶.

Investment and pension firms ask as well. Fundsmith, for example, handles certificates as part of its bereavement process²⁷. If the person held a lifetime mortgage, the Equity Release Council notes that in some cases you may be asked to provide an Extract Copy of the Death Certificate in Scotland²⁸.

Creditors are a separate category. National Debtline states that for a creditor to consider writing off a debt because the deceased left no money or property, you will usually need to give them a copy of the death certificate²⁹. StepChange, by contrast, states that you will not need to provide a copy of the death certificate if the person who died was in the process of setting up a debt solution with it³⁰.

The Death Notification Service exists to reduce the number of copies you hand out. It states that you only need to provide one death certificate to it, and it will confirm it for the participating organisations³¹. There is more on that in The Death Notification Service for Banks.

Ordering copies later

If you run short, you can order copies after the death has been registered, but you pay more for the convenience. Scope's advice is explicit that copies bought later cost a lot more than copies bought at the register office². Phoenix Life states that you can order a copy of a death certificate for £11, sent four days after application³.

The same principle applies to other official documents you may need while sorting out an estate. An extra official copy of the grant of probate costs £2 each, and you need a copy for each asset holder⁹. If you are dealing with an estate in Scotland, the equivalent process is confirmation, covered in Confirmation: Dealing With an Estate in Scotland.

Will you get the certificate back?

Sometimes. The rules differ by organisation, and there is no general right to have a document returned.

One government department is clear about its own practice: it states that original birth and death certificates are sent back to the claimant³¹. Fundsmith states that original certificates are returned promptly by Royal Mail Special Delivery²⁷.

Others do not commit to returning what you send. Because a certified copy is usually acceptable, sending a certified copy rather than the original removes the risk. If you do post an original, it is worth asking the organisation in advance whether it returns documents and by what method.

Where to get help

Registering a death, ordering certificates and notifying organisations can be done alongside free support. What to Do When Someone Dies: A Money Checklist sets out the order of tasks, and Free Bereavement Support and Helplines lists organisations that help at no cost. If the certificate is needed to release money for a funeral, Paying for a Funeral From the Deceased's Bank Account explains how banks handle that request, and Paying for a Funeral: Costs and Help covers the wider costs.