Information for Funeral Directors and Religious or Cultural Deaths

All contact by funeral directors should be made by email. Please check with your head office prior to contacting the office for updates, as documentation is often already with them.

Requests for expedited process due to cultural or religious reasons

The HM Coroner’s Service understands that some cultural or religious practices require a faster process for burial. Once we confirm that we’ve received your referral, please avoid contacting the office for updates, as this may cause delays.

Your assigned officer will respect your wishes and work to complete the process as quickly as possible.

Please note: A case does not need to be referred to the coroner simply because the family have requested the expedited release of the body for cultural and religious reasons outside of normal working hours.

The hospital or GP will be able to request referrals are reviewed outside of normal working hours and have the relevant contact details to allow them to do this.

Out of England requests

Requests to transport a deceased person out of England can only be processed during office hours, as no staff are available to handle the paperwork outside these times.

Funeral directors must send all required documents, including Form 104, directly to our office. These requests are prioritised and dispatched as soon as the office reopens.

Please note: Funeral directors or family members should not contact the Coroner regarding out of England requests, whether during office hours or outside them.

Out of Hours Referrals

For death referrals outside regular hours, please follow the usual process.

If you need to arrange a funeral quickly for religious or cultural reasons, a registrar is available on weekends and most bank holidays (excluding December 25, January 1, and Easter Sunday) between 10 am and 12 noon.

Please see the Registration Service website for details.

Please note it is not possible to deal with, Out of England,  requests out of hours due to the complexities of the legal process.

Into England requests

When a death occurs abroad and the deceased is being returned to England for a funeral within Nottingham or Nottinghamshire (excluding cases where only ashes are returned), the Funeral Director must report the death to the Coroner.

Please note:

• The Coroner’s Service should only be contacted once the deceased is within the Nottingham and Nottinghamshire area. There is no need to notify the service before this, as jurisdiction begins only at that point.

The Funeral Director should provide the Coroner’s Office with the following:

• Full details of the deceased
• Death certificate from the country where the person died
• Name and contact number of the next of kin
• Details of the funeral type and location
• UK GP details, if the deceased was a UK resident
• Translation of the cause of death (if possible), and indication if the death was natural or unnatural
• Confirmation of identification in Nottinghamshire or details of when it is scheduled. (Note: Paperwork will only be issued after identification is confirmed by email from the Funeral Director.)