Publishing a Death Notice in the UK: Newspapers, Online and The Gazette

These terms are sometimes used interchangeably, but they have slightly different meanings.

A death notice is a short announcement that someone has died. It typically includes the person's name, age, date of death, and a brief message from the family. Death notices are often placed by the family, funeral director, or both.

A funeral notice is a death notice that also includes information about the funeral: the date, time, venue, and sometimes a request about flowers or donations. The purpose is to inform people of the death and invite them to attend.

An obituary is a longer piece, usually written about someone who was prominent or notable in some way. Obituaries include a biography, achievements, and a longer narrative about the person's life. Most papers charge for obituaries (more than a simple death notice) and may have editorial standards about who qualifies. Obituaries are often longer than death notices.

For most people, the family will arrange a death or funeral notice, not an obituary. Obituaries are typically written by journalists for well-known figures, or are paid advertisements for notable individuals.

There are several reasons to publish:

• To inform a wide circle of people who knew the deceased but whom you might not have contact details for (former colleagues, old friends, distant relatives)
• To invite people to the funeral
• To request that flowers be sent to a charity instead, or that donations go to a specific charity
• To have a public record of the death
• As an executor, to fulfil a legal obligation to notify potential creditors (more on this below)

There are also reasons not to publish:

• You prefer privacy
• The cost (local papers are usually £50-£150, national papers £200+) - see our guide on funeral costs for full cost breakdowns
• You have already notified everyone who needs to know
• The person did not want a public announcement

Publishing is optional for most people. It is only mandatory (in a limited sense) if you are an executor and want statutory protection against creditors making claims after Probate is completed. For a full checklist, see our guide on what to do when someone dies.

The most common place to publish a death or funeral notice is in your local newspaper. This reaches people in the area where the person lived and worked.

To place a notice:

1. Contact the newspaper's classified advertising department. You can usually find a phone number on their website or by calling their main number.
2. Provide the details (name, age, date of death, funeral details, any messages).
3. Decide on the date you want it published (ideally before the funeral).
4. Pay the fee (typically £50-£150 depending on the paper and the length).

Some newspapers have online forms for placing notices. Others prefer a phone call. The newspaper will advise you.

Common local newspapers include:

• England: Your local daily or weekly paper (e.g., The Manchester Evening News, The Birmingham Mail, The Bristol Post, The Yorkshire Post)
• Scotland: Local papers such as The Scotsman, The Herald, The Press and Journal
• Wales: The Western Mail, South Wales Echo, The Wrexham Leader
• Northern Ireland: The Belfast Telegraph, The Irish News, The News Letter

Most towns and cities have at least one local paper, and larger areas have several. If the person moved around, you might publish in multiple papers (where they grew up, where they lived most of their life, or where they are being buried).

The notice typically appears in the classified section under "Deaths" or "Announcements" and online on the newspaper's website.

If the person was well-known nationally, or if you want a notice in a national paper, most of the major UK papers accept death notices:

• The Times
• The Telegraph
• The Guardian
• The Independent
• The Financial Times
• The Daily Telegraph

National papers charge significantly more than local papers, often £200-£500 or more depending on length. They also have stricter editorial standards and may ask for more detail about why the notice should appear in their paper.

Publishing in a national paper is uncommon unless the person was prominent, or the family specifically wants a broader reach.

Several websites specialise in publishing death notices and allow you to create a notice and control who has access to it.

Legacy.com

This is the largest online obituary service globally. You can create a free basic notice and upgrade to a paid memorial page with photos, stories, and a guestbook where people can leave condolences. Notices appear on Legacy's site and are often distributed to newspapers for free or for a fee. This is popular in the US and is increasingly used in the UK.

Visit www.legacy.com

Funeral-Notices.co.uk

A UK-specific service for funeral notices and memorials. Basic notices are free; you can upgrade to a memorial page. Notices appear on their site and are indexed by search engines, so they are found when people search the person's name. The site is straightforward and popular with UK funeral directors.

Visit www.funeral-notices.co.uk

Find a Grave

Primarily a cemetery records database, but allows you to create a memorial for someone. Free, and accessible worldwide. Less commonly used for initial announcements but good for long-term memorials.

Visit www.findagrave.com

Funeral Director Services

Your funeral director may publish the notice on their website and in local papers as part of the funeral arrangements. Some funeral directors include notice publication in their costs; others charge separately. Check with your funeral director whether they are already publishing a notice on your behalf.

If cost is a concern, start with a free online service (funeral-notices.co.uk or Legacy.com) and a local newspaper if the person had local connections. You do not need to place notices everywhere; one or two places is usually sufficient.

A short death notice typically includes:

• The person's full name
• Their age (or date of birth)
• Date of death
• A brief personal message (e.g., "beloved husband," "cherished friend")
• Funeral details (date, time, location, type of service) if it is a funeral notice
• Any request about flowers or donations
• Contact details for more information (optional, usually the funeral director's details)

That is sufficient. Most notices are between 50 and 150 words.

If you are unsure how to word the notice, here are templates you can adapt:

You can adjust these for length, detail, and tone. Some notices are formal and factual; others are warm and include humour. Both are appropriate depending on the person and the family's preference.

This is a different type of notice, and it is specifically for executors. If you are the executor managing probate, you may choose to place a notice in The Gazette (or the relevant Gazette for Scotland or Northern Ireland).

Why place a Gazette notice?

Section 27 of the Trustee Act 1925 allows an executor to place a statutory notice in The Gazette. This notice informs the public that you are the executor and that creditors have a set period (at least 2 months, as required by the Act) to make claims against the Estate. After the deadline, you have legal protection from creditors who did not come forward. This protects you from being liable if an unknown debt surfaces years later.

What the notice says

Where to place it

• England and Wales: The Gazette
• Scotland: The Edinburgh Gazette (via thegazette.co.uk, Scottish section)
• Northern Ireland: The Belfast Gazette (via thegazette.co.uk, Northern Ireland section)

All are accessed through the same website. You create an account, draft your notice, and pay the advertising fee (usually around £100-£150).

Is a Gazette notice necessary?

It is not legally required. However, it is good practice if:

• The estate is complex with multiple creditors
• There is significant wealth involved
• You want to protect yourself from unknown creditors
• There is any uncertainty about whether all debts have been identified

If the estate is simple and small, and you are confident all debts have been identified, a Gazette notice is optional. Many executors of modest estates do not use one.

Timing

You can place a Gazette notice at any point during probate, but it is typically done relatively early, once you have established that probate is necessary and you have a rough sense of the creditors. Place it after the death is registered but before you intend to distribute the estate.

For a funeral notice (which includes funeral details), the notice should be published before the funeral if possible. Ideally, place it a few days before the funeral to give people time to see it and decide whether to attend.

For a death notice (without specific funeral details), it can be published at any time. Some families publish within days of the death; others wait until after the funeral.

For a Gazette notice (executor's statutory notice), place it during probate, not immediately after death. You should place it once you have obtained the Grant of Probate (or know that probate is not needed) and you understand the estate's debts.

There is no deadline for publishing a death notice. If you decide months later that you want to publish a memorial notice, you can do so. The person's story does not expire.

The family usually writes the notice, or the funeral director can write it from information you provide. Some people ask a relative or friend who was close to the deceased to write it.

If you are uncertain about the wording, ask the funeral director for their experience. They have placed many notices and can advise on length, tone, and what works well. Most funeral directors will help you draft a notice at no extra cost.

You do not need to be eloquent or poetic. Clear, honest, and affectionate is sufficient.

One of the unexpected aspects of placing a death notice is how moving it can be to write. Reducing a person's life to 100 words, choosing what matters most, and deciding how to describe them to strangers is a subtle form of grief work. There is often disagreement in families about what should be included. Take time with this; it is not a quick task.

Another surprise: you might receive responses. If the notice includes contact details, the funeral director or the family may receive calls, letters, or flowers from people you did not expect to hear from. Old friends, former colleagues, people the deceased had lost touch with, or people who were important in the deceased's life but not to the current family. These connections can be comforting or they can be overwhelming, depending on your state of mind. It is okay to ask the funeral director to manage these responses on your behalf if you are not ready to field them.

The Gazette notice is legally clever but administratively dull. If you are an executor, placing it is part of your due diligence. However, in most estates, it is unlikely that an unknown creditor will materialise two years after the notice period. It is a protection, not a requirement, and many executors of moderate estates choose not to place one. You are not at fault if you skip it; it is your choice.

Finally, placing a notice does not mean the death is final, but it often feels that way. Once the notice is published, it is public record. The person is officially gone. This can be a useful moment of formality in an otherwise chaotic and emotional time, but it is also a point of no return. Recognise that publishing a notice marks a transition, and that transition takes emotional work.

Once the notice is placed, your next steps depend on your role:

• If you are the executor, proceed with the probate process as outlined in how to apply for probate and executor responsibilities.
• If you are the person who arranged the funeral, the next phase is managing the funeral itself; see arranging a funeral.
• If you are family or a friend, and the immediate practical arrangements are being handled by others, focus on supporting the bereaved people closest to the death and on your own wellbeing.

For support during this time:

• Samaritans: 116 123 (available 24 hours)
• Cruse Bereavement Care: 0808 808 1677 (Monday to Friday, 9:30am to 5pm)
• Mind: 0300 123 3393 (Monday to Friday, 9am to 6pm)

AfterLoss provides comprehensive guidance for every stage of dealing with a death and managing the estate. Explore our full library of guides for the support you need.