Change or cancel a presumption of death certificate

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Make a claim

Download and fill in claim form N208.

You’re known as the ‘claimant’ if you’re making the claim. Read the notes for the claimant before you fill in the form.

Include all the information asked for in ‘claim for variation order’ in your application.

Send the claim to a court that can hear High Court cases.

You should include:

  • N208 form - one copy for each person named in the form plus a copy for the court
  • the claim fee of £480 - make your cheque payable to ‘HM Courts and Tribunals Service’

The court will stamp your form with an issue date and keep one copy of your N208 form. You’ll get the other copies back, along with ‘acknowledgement of service’ forms and a case number.

Send copies of your claim to other people

Send a copy of form N208 with an acknowledgment of service form within 7 days of the issue date the court has put on the form to:

  • the person who made the original claim
  • the missing person’s spouse or civil partner, parents, children and siblings - if none of these are alive, send it to the missing person’s nearest relative
  • any other person or organisation who might have an interest, eg an insurance company

You must advertise your claim in a newspaper within 7 days.