Arrange a burial at short notice
Out of hours Saturday and bank holiday service
This service is for arranging burials at short notice for deaths that occurred in the Birmingham City Council area only. If the death occurred elsewhere, you must contact the Register Office for that council area.
This service is only available on a Saturday or bank holiday. It is conducted over the telephone so you do not need to attend the Register Office.
The way that a Medical Certificate Cause of Death (MCCD) is processed changed on Monday 9 September 2024. All deaths are referred to the medical examiner.
The MCCD is completed by a medical practitioner and sent to the medical examiner before its release. The MCCD will not be issued if the medical examiner wishes to investigate the cause of death. This may include a referral to the coroner.
What you need to do
You must ensure the MCCD has been sent to us by the medical examiner’s office. We will be unable to help you if the MCCD has not been sent to us, the email is incorrectly addressed, it is not correctly completed, or we are unable to open the file.
The nominated relative can then phone the out of hours service to confirm that the MCCD has been received.
- Telephone: 07850 142609
- Service available: Saturday 10:00am to 3:00pm and bank holidays 10:00am to 12:30pm
What happens next
When we have received the MCCD, we will:
- check that the MCCD has been correctly completed and is legally valid
- contact you by telephone to confirm the details and issue the form for burial
- scan the 'green form' (permission for burial) directly to the funeral director of your choice
- book an appointment with you to attend the office to register the death at a later date
If a legally valid MCCD has not been received by the Register Office, the ‘green form’ cannot be issued to the funeral director.
Graves available for short notice burials
Sutton New Hall Cemetery operates a burial service every day except for Christmas Day. Burial times vary throughout the year. New earth and concrete liners are available.
A minimum of three hours’ notice is required.
Quinton Cemetery operates a burial service Monday to Friday. Burial times vary throughout the year. New Earth graves are available.
A minimum of 4 hours notice is required.
Due to the need for burials to take place at very short notice, it is not possible to reserve graves within the current Muslim burial areas at Quinton and Sutton New Hall Cemeteries.
After the burial has taken place
When you attend the office to register the death you can purchase certificates for financial and legal purposes. Certificates cost £12.50 each.
Page last updated: 10 September 2024