Coroners, post-mortems and inquests

If someone dies suddenly, or the cause of death isn't clear, the death may be reported to a coroner. This can feel worrying, but it's common and doesn't mean anyone has done anything wrong. The coroner's job is to find out how the person died.

This page explains the system in England and Wales. Scotland and Northern Ireland are covered at the end.

What a coroner does

A coroner is an independent judicial officer who investigates certain deaths. Their job is to establish who died, and when, where and how. They're supported by coroner's officers, who are usually the people you'll speak to.

When a death is reported to a coroner

A doctor must report a death to the coroner in certain circumstances, including when:

• the cause of death is unknown
• the death may have been violent or unnatural
• the person died in prison, police custody or another form of state detention
• the death may be linked to a medical treatment or procedure, such as an operation or anaesthetic
• the death may be linked to an injury or disease from the person's work
• no doctor who treated the person is available to sign the medical certificate

The police or a registrar may also report a death.

What happens next

The coroner's office will contact the family. The coroner may then:

Decide the cause of death is clear

They send a certificate to the registrar saying no inquest is needed, and you can register the death as normal.

Order a post-mortem

To find out the cause of death.

Open an inquest

If the cause is still unknown, or the death may have been violent, unnatural or in custody.

You can't register the death until the coroner has finished their enquiries and sent the registrar what they need. This is why registration and the funeral can take longer than usual.

Post-mortems

A post-mortem is a medical examination of the body to find the cause of death.

• You can't object to a post-mortem ordered by a coroner. But if you ask, the coroner must tell you, and the person's GP, when and where it will take place.
• If you have religious or other strong reasons for wanting things done a certain way, or quickly, tell the coroner's office as soon as you can.
• After the post-mortem, the coroner releases the body for the funeral once no more examinations are needed.

Inquests

An inquest is a formal investigation, held in public at a coroner's court. It isn't a trial and doesn't decide who is to blame. The coroner must hold an inquest if the cause of death is still unknown, or the person may have died a violent or unnatural death, or died in prison or police custody.

Inquests can take months. If you're waiting for one, ask the coroner for an interim death certificate. It can help you deal with the person's affairs in the meantime. The death is registered when the inquest ends.

What it means for the funeral

• You can usually hold the funeral before the inquest is over, once the coroner has released the body.
• If the funeral is a cremation, the coroner issues a certificate for it (form Cremation 6 in England and Wales).
• It's fine to contact a funeral director while the coroner is involved. They deal with coroners often and can help with timings.

Find local help

coroners · funeral directors near you · bereavement support

Scotland and Northern Ireland

Scotland

Has no coroners. Sudden, suspicious, accidental and unexplained deaths are investigated by the Procurator Fiscal, part of the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service. The death can be reported by a doctor, the police or the registrar. It may not be possible to register within the usual 8 days, and some deaths lead to a Fatal Accident Inquiry, which is Scotland's version of an inquest. See when someone dies in Scotland.

Northern Ireland

Has its own Coroners Service for Northern Ireland. A death should be reported to the coroner if a doctor hadn't seen and treated the person for the condition they died from within 28 days before the death, or in circumstances like those listed above.

Sources, checked 11 September 2026

• GOV.UK, When a death is reported to a coroner: gov.uk/after-a-death/when-a-death-is-reported-to-a-coroner
• The Notification of Deaths Regulations 2019 (when doctors must notify a coroner): legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2019/1112, with Ministry of Justice guidance
• GOV.UK, cremation forms (Certificate of coroner, form Cremation 6)
• Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service, Our role in investigating deaths: copfs.gov.uk; mygov.scot, If a death is reported to the procurator fiscal
• Department of Justice NI, Coroners Service for Northern Ireland: justice-ni.gov.uk/articles/coroners-service-northern-ireland

See also The medical examiner.