Death notices and obituaries in the UK: what they are and how to place one
This guide covers the difference between the two, how to place a death notice or funeral notice, what each costs, what to include, and how The Gazette notice differs.
What is a death notice?
A death notice is a short, paid announcement that a death has occurred, and most run to between 30 and 100 words. It works like a classified advertisement: the family writes it, pays for it, and chooses where it appears.
A death notice usually carries the deceased person's full name, the date of death, the age or date of birth, brief details of immediate family (who survived the person and who predeceased them), the date, time and location of the funeral or memorial service, and any instructions about flowers or charitable donations.
Death notices are brief by design. The purpose is to tell people the death has happened and give them what they need to attend the funeral. If the funeral date is not fixed yet, how long after death is a funeral explains what sets the timing.
What is an obituary?
An obituary is a longer piece of writing that celebrates the life of the person who died, and a family written obituary can run to several hundred words in a local newspaper. Where a death notice announces a death, an obituary marks it. Online, it can run much longer.
A family written obituary usually covers the facts of the death (name, date and age), a biographical account of where the person was born, grew up, worked and lived, their relationships, interests and achievements, surviving family members and those who died before them, the funeral details, and donation or flower preferences.
For prominent or public figures, national newspapers write obituaries themselves without the family's involvement. For everyone else, the family writes it or works with a funeral director who can help. Much of what you gather also serves the service itself, and how to write a eulogy covers that.
What is the difference between a death notice and an obituary?
A death notice is brief, paid for by the family and focused on the facts of the death and the funeral arrangements, while an obituary is longer, more personal and focused on the life of the person. The death notice is a notification. The obituary is a tribute.
The terms are used interchangeably, and newspapers sometimes blur them. Some families place both: a short death notice in several papers before the funeral, then a longer obituary in one local paper afterwards.
How do you place a death notice?
You place a death notice by contacting the newspaper's announcements desk, usually through its website, or by asking the funeral director to place it for you. Funeral directors normally offer to handle placement, which saves time when there is a great deal to organise.
The practical sequence:
Write the notice first: name, date of death, age, immediate family, funeral details, flowers or donations.
Choose where it goes: a local paper, a national paper, an online memorial page, or a combination.
Check how it is priced: publications charge by word count or by line, so the wording sets the cost.
Confirm the deadline: each publication sets its own copy deadline, so check the title's announcements page or ask the funeral director for the exact cut-off time.
Approve the proof: check every name, and the funeral date, time and venue.
Registering the death is a separate step from announcing it, and how to register a death sets out that process.
Where can you place a death notice or funeral notice?
Local newspapers are the most common choice in the UK, followed by national newspapers, online memorial sites and social media.
Local newspapers
Local newspapers reach the community the person lived in and are where most people still look. Most can be contacted directly through their websites.
National newspapers
National newspapers, including the Guardian, The Times and the Daily Telegraph, maintain dedicated death notice and obituary sections. They suit people who had a wide professional or public profile. Placement costs significantly more than a local paper and is charged by word count or by line.
Online memorial websites
Several UK based platforms let families create online tributes and publish death notices or obituaries that remain accessible indefinitely, including Legacy.com and FuneralGuide.co.uk. Online notices are easy to share, can include photographs and video, and let people leave messages.
Social media
Many families now announce a death on Facebook or another platform, either as the main announcement or alongside a formal notice. There is no standard format and no cost. The reach is limited to the family's network, but can be significant. A Facebook post cannot replace a statutory notice for probate purposes.
Where can you find the latest death notices in your area?
You find the latest death notices on the announcements pages of local and regional newspapers, on funeral directors' own websites, and on online memorial platforms. The quickest route is to search the title's name plus "death notices".
Northern Ireland has the heaviest demand in the UK, which is why death notices NI, death notices Belfast, Armagh death notices, Fermanagh death notices and death notices in County Down are searched so often. Belfast Telegraph death notices and Irish News death notices point to those papers' announcement sections. English readers search the same way for Huddersfield Examiner death notices, Hull Daily Mail death notices, Evening Chronicle death notices, Grimsby death notices and Derby Telegraph death notices, and Scottish readers for Glasgow Herald death notices and Courier Dundee death notices.
In Northern Ireland and the border counties, funeral notices are often published on the funeral director's own website as well as in the paper. That is why searches pair "death notices" and "funeral notices" with firm names such as Gormleys, WJ O'Donnell, McKiernan Funeral Directors, O'Neills Funeral Directors, Ivan Murdock and Hugh Wade. Northern Sound death notices and Midwest death notices lead to local radio pages, since both stations run their own online death notice sections (Northern Sound and Midwest Radio).
How much does a death notice cost?
A death notice in a UK local newspaper typically costs between £50 and £300, depending on the word count, whether a photograph is included and the edition it appears in. Costs vary widely by publication.
Local newspaper death notice: £50 to £300, depending on word count, photograph and edition
National newspaper death notice: several hundred pounds for a basic notice in a broadsheet, charged by word count or by line
Online memorial page: a one-off fee for a permanent page, or a free basic listing with paid upgrades
Social media announcement: £0, with no standard format and no publication fee
Funeral director placement: often included in the funeral director's service, or arranged at newspaper rates without a markup
Ask the funeral director which of those applies. The notice is one line in a much larger bill, and how much a funeral costs sets out the rest.
What should you include in a death notice?
There is no legal format for a death notice, but a clear one covers the essentials:
Full name, and maiden name if it applies
Date of death and age
Location of death (optional, and many families leave it out for privacy)
Immediate family: spouse or partner, children, grandchildren, siblings, as appropriate
Funeral or memorial details: date, time and location
Whether the funeral is public or private
Flower or donation preferences
A contact name for further information (optional)
Avoid including the full home address of the deceased person. Circulating it publicly can create a security risk.
How do you write an obituary?
Write the obituary in the order a reader needs it: who the person was, then their life, then the funeral details. The test is whether someone reading it gets a sense of who the person was.
Opening: name, age, date of death, and a sentence capturing who they were
Early life: where they were born, grew up and were educated
Career and achievements: what they did and what they contributed
Personal life: relationships, family, interests and character
Later years and death: their later years, and the circumstances of the death as far as the family wants to share
Surviving family: who they leave behind
Funeral details and donations: where and when, and what the family would like people to give
Some write it as a tribute, others as a record. If the send off will be less traditional, celebration of life ideas may shape what you write.
Is a death notice the same as a statutory notice in The Gazette?
No. The death notice placed in a newspaper to announce a funeral is different from the statutory advertisement placed in The Gazette during estate administration. The London Gazette and its regional equivalents, the Edinburgh Gazette and the Belfast Gazette, are the UK's official public record.
The statutory notice is a legal step in probate. It notifies potential creditors that the estate is being wound up, and it protects the executor from future liability. It is not a substitute for a personal announcement. A Deceased Estates Notice must give creditors at least two months to come forward before the executor can safely distribute the estate. Placing one currently costs £96.55 plus VAT online, or £131.70 plus VAT by other means (The Gazette).
For the wider process, see what is probate, and what an executor of a will does covers the duties around creditor notices.
Frequently asked questions
Most death notices run to between 30 and 100 words. That covers the name, date of death, age, immediate family and the funeral date, time and location. Newspapers charge by word count or by line, so every extra line adds to the price.
Funeral notices and death notices are both short paid announcements of a death that carry the funeral date, time and location, and families use the two names for the same thing. An obituary is different: a longer tribute focused on the life of the person who died.
Yes, on social media and on some online platforms. Announcing a death on Facebook costs £0, and some memorial websites offer a basic listing free with paid upgrades. Newspaper notices are always paid: £50 to £300 in a local title, and several hundred pounds for a basic notice in a national broadsheet.
Yes. Most funeral directors place death notices and obituaries as part of their service. They know the local papers, understand the formats required, and handle submission and billing. Many include basic placement in their fee, or arrange it at newspaper rates without a markup.
No. Announcing a death in a newspaper is a personal choice, not a legal step. The one notice with legal force is the statutory advertisement in The Gazette during estate administration, which protects the executor from later claims by creditors.
This article is for general information only and does not constitute legal advice. Individual circumstances vary. If you are dealing with an estate, consider taking advice from a solicitor who specialises in probate. For other guidance specific to your circumstances, speak to a funeral director, Citizens Advice, or a regulated financial adviser.