Funeral Checklist Wales — What to Do and Documents You Need

When someone dies in Wales, the paperwork starts immediately and the deadlines are tight. You have five days to register the death. The crematorium or cemetery needs specific forms before they will proceed. Government agencies need to be notified before benefits overpayments start accruing against the estate.

This is the practical checklist — what needs to happen, in what order, and what documents you need at each step.

Day 1: Immediately After the Death

If the death occurs in a hospital or care home, the staff will begin the process. The attending doctor completes the Medical Certificate of Cause of Death (MCCD), which is then reviewed by an independent NHS Medical Examiner. The ME will contact you — usually by phone — to discuss the cause of death and ask whether you have any concerns about the care your relative received. This conversation is mandatory under the September 2024 reforms and cannot be skipped, but it is usually brief and compassionate.

If the death occurs at home, call the GP surgery. If the GP attended the deceased recently and can certify the cause of death, they will complete the MCCD. If the death was sudden or unexplained, the GP will refer the case to the coroner. Do not call 999 unless you need emergency services — for an expected death at home, the GP or the palliative care team is the right contact.

If the coroner is involved, the standard timeline pauses. You cannot register the death or arrange a funeral until the coroner either issues a Form 100 (allowing registration) or an interim death certificate. A coroner's post-mortem typically takes two to five working days. An inquest can take much longer, but the coroner will usually release the body for burial or cremation while the inquest continues.

Contact a funeral director if you want one. You are not legally required to use a funeral director in Wales — families can arrange everything themselves — but most people do. Ask for their Standardised Price List (required by the CMA) before agreeing to anything.

Days 1-5: Register the Death

The death must be registered within five days at the local Register Office in the area where the person died. You can book an appointment online or by phone.

Who can register: A relative of the deceased (whether or not they were present at the death), someone present at the death, the occupier of the building where the death occurred, or the person arranging the funeral.

Documents to bring:

• Your own photo ID (passport or driving licence)
• The deceased's birth certificate (if available)
• The deceased's marriage or civil partnership certificate (if applicable)
• The deceased's NHS medical card (if available)
• Payment for death certificates — £12.50 per certified copy

The MCCD is transmitted directly from the Medical Examiner to the registrar, so you do not need to carry it yourself. But confirm with the ME's office or the bereavement team that it has been sent before you attend the appointment.

How many death certificates to order: Buy at least five. Every bank, insurance company, pension provider, and solicitor will want an original certified copy. Ordering them later costs the same per copy but requires a separate application and takes longer.

Welsh language: You have the statutory right to register the death in Welsh and receive a bilingual (Welsh/English) death certificate. Tell the registrar at the time of booking if you want this.

At Registration: The Green Form and Tell Us Once

After registering the death, the registrar issues:

The Certificate of Authority for Burial (the "green form") — this is the document that authorises burial. Hand it to the funeral director or the cemetery. If you are arranging a home burial, you need this form before the interment, and you must return the bottom slip to the registrar within 96 hours of burial.

Or, for cremation, the registrar confirms that the MCCD is in order. The funeral director then completes the Cremation Application Form (Cremation Form 1), and the crematorium's medical referee authorises the cremation. Since the September 2024 reforms abolished the old Cremation Forms 4 and 5, families no longer pay for a second doctor's certificate — the ME review replaces it at no charge.

If the coroner was involved, the coroner issues either a Form 100 (to allow standard registration) or a Coroner's Form 6 (to authorise cremation directly, bypassing the registrar's cremation paperwork).

Tell Us Once: The registrar will offer to set up the Tell Us Once service. Say yes. This single notification tells the DWP, HMRC, DVLA, the Passport Office, and the local council that the person has died. It stops state pension and benefit payments, cancels the driving licence, and adjusts Council Tax. The registrar gives you a 12-digit reference number — you can complete the process online or by phone if you are too distressed to do it all at the appointment.

Using Tell Us Once is critical. Overpaid benefits will be clawed back from the estate by the DWP, and the longer notifications are delayed, the larger the overpayment.

Days 2-14: Arrange the Funeral

With the green form (or coroner's authorisation) in hand, the funeral can proceed. Key decisions:

• Burial or cremation? The executor named in the will has the legal authority to decide, not the wider family. If there is no will, the person entitled to administer the estate under intestacy rules has the authority.
• Which funeral director? Compare at least two using their Standardised Price Lists. Look at the basic attended service fee, the coffin options, and the disbursement estimates.
• Embalming? Not legally required in Wales. You can decline it.
• Direct cremation or direct burial? The cheapest options, with no ceremony at the crematorium or graveside. The family holds a memorial separately.

Documents Summary

What People Miss

The most common oversights in the first week:

Not ordering enough death certificates. Five is the minimum. Ten is safer if the estate involves multiple banks, a pension, life insurance, and property.

Not using Tell Us Once. Every day of delay means potential benefit overpayments the estate must repay.

Assuming the funeral director handles everything. The funeral director handles the funeral. They do not notify banks, cancel subscriptions, stop direct debits, or deal with the estate. That is the executor's job.

Not checking consumer rights. You have the right to an itemised price list, to decline embalming, to supply your own coffin, and to choose a direct cremation. The Wales Funeral Laws & Consumer Rights Guide covers all of these rights and the CMA protections that back them up.

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