What to do when someone dies in Fife

By Jakub Henderson · Last updated 9 May 2026 · Sources

When someone dies, there are a small number of things that have to happen, in roughly this order. This page lists them.

Scotland's process is different from England's. Don't rely on UK-wide guides — the certificates, the registration rules, and the probate equivalent (called "Confirmation" in Scotland) all differ. The phone numbers and offices below are the Fife ones.

1. Verify the death.

If the death was expected — for example, a long illness with a GP or hospital team already involved — call the GP surgery in hours or NHS 24 on 111 out of hours. There is no need to call 999 for an expected death. If the person was in a care home, the staff will phone for you.

If the death was sudden, unexpected, or you are not sure, call 999. Do not move the body. Do not tidy the room. Police and paramedics will attend, and the case will be referred to the Procurator Fiscal (step 4). This is normal. It is not a sign that anything is wrong; it is the legal default for any death that wasn't medically anticipated.

If the death was in hospital, ward staff handle the verification and paperwork. The hospital bereavement office will phone you — usually the next working day — with the next steps. The two main bereavement offices in Fife are at Victoria Hospital, Kirkcaldy (01592 648 072) and Queen Margaret Hospital, Dunfermline (01383 623 623, ask for bereavement).

What it costs: Free.

2. Get the Medical Certificate of Cause of Death.

The hospital or GP issues this. In Scotland it is called Form 11. Without it, nothing else can start — no registration, no funeral booking, no release of the body.

The certifying doctor emails Form 11 directly to the registrar. The family does not carry it. If the death was expected and at home, the GP issues it within a day. If at hospital, the bereavement office calls you when it's ready, usually within 24 hours.

Since May 2015 there has been no separate doctor's fee for cremation in Scotland — the old "Form B / Form C" cremation paperwork was abolished, and the registrar's Form 14 (issued at step 5) is enough to authorise cremation anywhere in the UK. See the Death Certification Review Service for the underlying statutory framework.

What it costs: Free.

3. Decide where the body goes.

Three options. Most families pick the first.

1. Funeral director's chapel of rest. The funeral director collects the body — usually within hours of being phoned. This is what almost everyone does in Fife.
2. Hospital mortuary. If the death was in hospital, the body stays there until you instruct a funeral director.
3. At home. Rare, legally permitted, requires planning with the funeral director.

If the death was at hospital, the bereavement office will hand you a sealed bag. Inside are the clothes the person was wearing, their watch, their wedding ring if it wasn't removed for medical reasons, and any small items that were in their pockets. The bag is usually opaque. You do not have to open it that day.

There is no legal requirement to use a funeral director in Scotland. In practice almost everyone does, and the registrar's process at step 5 assumes one. Phoning the funeral director starts the funeral cost clock — but no charge is made simply for collecting the body. Direct cremation in Fife typically costs £1,044 to £2,388; an attended funeral all-in lands between £3,500 and £4,800. The directory of every Fife firm sits at /funeral-directors/.

What it costs: No charge to collect the body. Signing with the firm typically commits to their funeral price.

4. If the death was sudden, wait for the Procurator Fiscal.

The Procurator Fiscal is Scotland's public prosecutor. The PF investigates any death the state has a duty to look into. The family does not report — the doctor, hospital, or police do. But it affects timeline, so you need to know.

A PF report is mandatory for sudden, unexpected, or unexplained deaths; suspicious deaths; deaths from accidents; work-related deaths or industrial diseases; deaths in legal custody or under compulsory mental health detention; deaths where the cause cannot be certified by a doctor; and deaths in hospital where there are clinical concerns or shortly after surgery. The full list is at copfs.gov.uk.

The PF takes legal responsibility for the body until the cause of death is established. A post-mortem may be ordered, usually within one to two days. Next-of-kin consent is not required, though religious or cultural objections are respected where legally possible. The death cannot be registered until the PF releases the case and Form 11 is issued. This can add days, sometimes weeks.

What it costs: Free.

5. Register the death within eight days.

This is the central administrative step. Everything else hinges on it.

The death must be registered within eight days of the date of death (including weekends and public holidays), per National Records of Scotland. Registration is free. You can register at any registration office in Scotland; in Fife the offices are Cupar, Dunfermline, Glenrothes, and Kirkcaldy.

To book the appointment, phone Fife Council central booking on 03451 55 00 77, or email fife.registrars@fife.gov.uk. Telephone appointments are available as well as in-person — full details at fife.gov.uk.

Whoever was present at the death, the nearest relative, the executor, the occupier of the premises where the death occurred (e.g. a care home manager), or any other person with the necessary information can register. If that's you, the doctor will already have sent Form 11. Bring:

• The person's birth certificate (helpful, not mandatory)
• Marriage or civil partnership certificate, if applicable
• NHS medical card, if available
• Pension or benefit paperwork
• Photo ID for the informant

The registrar produces:

• Form 14 — Certificate of Registration of Death. This authorises burial or cremation. Free.
• Abbreviated extract of death. A short certificate. Free at the time of registration.
• Full extract of death. The one banks, insurers, and pensions usually require. £10 each at registration or within one month; £15 each thereafter.
• Form 334/SI — for benefits and National Insurance. Free.

Order three to five full extracts at the appointment. Each institution will want its own. Buying later costs 50% more per copy. See registering a death in Fife for the full walkthrough.

What it costs: Registration is free. Each full extract is £10 at the appointment.

6. Use Tell Us Once at the registration appointment.

The registrar will offer the Tell Us Once service. One conversation notifies most government bodies in a single transaction: DWP, Social Security Scotland, HMRC, Passport Office, DVLA, the local council, Veterans UK, and some public-sector pension schemes.

Tell Us Once does not cover: banks, private pensions, life insurance, utilities, the employer, the GP, dentist, optician, mortgage lender, subscriptions, the landlord, or the mobile phone provider. Those have to be done one by one (step 8).

What it costs: Free.

7. Arrange the funeral.

The executor named in the will, or — if there is no will — the nearest relative, decides. Scottish funerals usually take place seven to fourteen days after death. Cremation requires Form 14 from the registrar.

The three CMA-standardised products:

• Burial. A plot in a cemetery. Fife Council operates 62 active cemeteries; fees are set by the council and vary by residency. Headstones are added 12 weeks or more after burial (step 10).
• Attended cremation. The most common form in Scotland — about three in four funerals. The crematorium needs Form 14. Ashes are returned within one to three days.
• Direct cremation. No service, no attendance. The lowest-priced option in Fife — £1,044 to £2,388. Family can hold a memorial later with no time pressure.

If the person who died had a pre-paid funeral plan, contact that provider before signing with a funeral director. The plan may already cover the service, the funeral director, or both. The full provider directory with prices sits at /funeral-directors/.

If money is the binding constraint, the Scottish Government's Funeral Support Payment covers burial or cremation fees in full plus a flat £1,327.75 toward other costs (2026/27), if the applicant is on Universal Credit, Pension Credit, Income Support, Housing Benefit, or income-related JSA or ESA. Apply within six months of the funeral on 0800 182 2222 — see /funeral-payment-help/ for the full eligibility detail.

What it costs: Direct cremation £1,044-£2,388. Attended funeral £3,500-£4,800 all-in.

8. Notify everything Tell Us Once does not cover.

Done by the executor or family, in any order, over the days and weeks following registration. Each will want a full extract of death.

• Banks and building societies
• Mortgage lender or landlord
• Employer (and request final payslip, P45, any death-in-service benefit)
• Private pension providers
• Life insurance company
• Utilities — gas, electric, water, broadband, phone
• TV licence
• Mobile phone provider
• GP, dentist, optician (so records can be closed)
• Subscriptions — Netflix, gym, magazines, charity direct debits
• Solicitor (if not already involved)
• Mail Preference Service and the Bereavement Register

What it costs: Free, except per-letter postage and the cost of additional certified copies if you run out of full extracts.

9. Apply for Confirmation if the estate requires it.

Scotland's equivalent of English "probate" is Confirmation, granted by the Sheriff Court. Confirmation is needed before banks, pension providers, and the land registry will release assets. Some institutions will release small sums (under about £5,000) on sight of the death certificate alone, but this is discretionary.

Small estate (£36,000 or under). Total value of money and property is £36,000 or less — debts and mortgage are not deducted from this figure. The executor applies. Contact the local Sheriff Clerk's office — clerk's staff help complete the inventory. Forms: C1 application. No statutory court fee for small estates. Bond of caution not required if the sheriff clerk prepares the inventory. Full guidance at scotcourts.gov.uk.

Large estate (over £36,000). The executor applies, almost always with a solicitor. Court fee plus solicitor's fees, typically £1,000-£5,000 depending on complexity. Inheritance Tax is UK-wide: nil-rate band £325,000, plus a residence nil-rate band of up to £175,000 if the home passes to direct descendants. Above that, IHT is charged at 40%. Form IHT400 must be filed for taxable estates.

What it costs: Nothing for small estates. £1,000-£5,000+ for larger ones.

10. After the funeral.

Ashes (cremation). Ready for collection from the crematorium one to three days after the service. Keep, scatter, bury, or inter in a memorial garden — the family decides.

Memorial or headstone (burial). Fife Council cemetery rules require the ground to settle for 12 weeks before a permanent stone is installed. A temporary marker is used in the interim. Stonemasons handle the design, inscription, and the council permission application. Maximum three inscriptions per headstone. Solar lights and lanterns are explicitly discouraged — theft-prone and unstable.

Estate finalisation. The executor distributes assets per the will (or per Scottish intestacy rules if no will), files final tax return if needed, and closes the estate.

Bereavement support. There is no "right time" to seek it. Some people need it within days; some after the first anniversary. Scotland's services are free regardless of timing.

• Cruse Bereavement Care Scotland. National helpline 0808 802 6161. Free counselling, online resources, group support.
• Marie Curie. 0800 090 2309. Specialises in support around terminal illness and bereavement.
• NHS Fife bereavement services. Hospital chaplaincy and bereavement teams — ask the hospital bereavement office for a referral.
• Samaritans. 116 123, free, 24/7. For acute distress at any hour.
• GP. First port of call for grief affecting sleep, appetite, work, or mental health. The GP can refer to NHS talking therapies.

Quick-reference timeline

That's the list. If you've read this far, you now know roughly what's in front of you. Most of it can wait until tomorrow morning. Two things can't: get the certificate, and decide whether the body stays at the hospital or moves to a funeral home tonight. Everything else has time.

Frequently asked

Who do you call first when someone dies at home in Scotland?

If the death was expected, call the GP surgery in hours or NHS 24 on 111 out of hours. If the death was sudden, unexpected, or unexplained, call 999. Do not move the body. There is no need to call 999 for an expected death.

How long do you have to register a death in Scotland?

Eight days from the date of death, including weekends and public holidays. Registration cannot happen until the doctor has issued Form 11, or, where the death was referred, until the Procurator Fiscal has released the case.

Do you need a solicitor when someone dies in Scotland?

Not for the registration or the funeral. A solicitor is usually needed for Confirmation if the estate is over £36,000 or the will is complex. Small estates can be handled by the Sheriff Clerk's office without a solicitor and without a court fee.

What is the Tell Us Once service?

A free service offered by the registrar at the time of registration. One conversation notifies most government bodies — DWP, HMRC, Passport Office, DVLA, local council, Veterans UK, some public sector pensions. It does not cover banks, private pensions, life insurance, utilities, or employers.

How many copies of the death certificate should I order?

Three to five full extracts at registration. Each costs £10 if ordered at the appointment or within one month, £15 each thereafter. Banks, insurers, and pension providers each want their own copy.