Stop post and marketing for someone who has died

Last checked: 19 Oct 2026

Marketing post addressed to someone who has died can keep arriving for months. Two free registers stop most of it. They're separate lists used by different companies, so it's worth registering with both.

The two free registers

The Bereavement Register: register online. It says you should see a significant reduction within six weeks and almost none within six months, however long ago the death was. It says your own details are kept confidential and used only to check the registration, and that some companies use the details of the person who died to help prevent fraud.
Deceased Preference Service: register online or by phone on 0800 068 4433. It asks for the person's name, address, dates of birth and death, and the death certificate number if you have it. It says most marketing should stop within a couple of months. Its privacy notice says the details are also shared with fraud-prevention companies and the main credit reference agencies.

Neither stops bank statements, tax letters, utility bills or Premium Bonds post: contact those organisations directly.

The Mailing Preference Service

MPS lets you register someone who has died, or a previous resident, at an address. It says registration lasts until you remove it and takes two to three months to work fully, and that it doesn't stop post addressed to "The Occupier". See junk mail for MPS and the Telephone Preference Service.

Government: Tell Us Once

Tell Us Once informs most government organisations in one go, including HMRC, DWP, the Passport Office, DVLA and the local council, which also updates the electoral register. It doesn't cover banks, utilities or other companies, and isn't available in Northern Ireland. GOV.UK says to use it within 28 days of getting your reference number.

Redirecting their post

Royal Mail points to the Bereavement Register for stopping mail addressed to the person, and offers a separate redirection service for their post. We couldn't confirm the details of redirecting a deceased person's post from Royal Mail's pages, so check with Royal Mail.

Why data protection rights don't apply

The ICO says information about someone who has died isn't personal data under UK data protection law. That's why these registers, rather than the right to object, are the way to stop it.

Sources

This page describes your options and how organisations say they handle requests. It isn't legal advice. See About & sourcing to report a correction.