Guidance

Hungary: bereavement information

Updated 18 April 2024

1. Disclaimer:

This information is not meant to be definitive, nor is it to be taken as a substitute for independent legal advice. Neither His Majesty’s Government nor its staff take any responsibility for the accuracy of the information, nor accept liability for any loss, costs, damage or expense that you might suffer as a result of relying on the information. Some of the information may not be relevant to your circumstances. The language used is intended to be general and factual and is not meant to cause offence.

2. Introduction

When a relative or friend dies abroad, the different procedures, laws or language can cause additional distress. You may be uncertain about what to do or who to contact.

This country specific information is designed to help you through some of the practical arrangements you may need to make. It supplements the general information on death abroad produced by the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, which applies to all countries.

Please note, as each country has its own laws and customs when a death occurs, it may not be possible to make the arrangements that you prefer, or at the time you would like.

3. How to contact the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office 

There is a lot of information below, but you may have questions. You can speak to someone by phone 24/7, any day of the year by contacting the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office in London on 0207 008 5000.

If you are not in the UK, you can find the contact details of the British Embassy Consular Section in Hungary:

Address:        1022 Budapest, Füge utca 5-7.
Phone:           +36 1 429 6200

E-mail:            consular.budapest@fcdo.gov.uk

Website:        www.gov.uk/government/world/hungary

The priority of the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office is to provide assistance to British nationals overseas who need the most help. The level and type of assistance they can offer is tailored to the individual circumstances of each case.

4. Next of kin

The next of kin of the person who died will usually need to make decisions and practical arrangements. The next of kin can sometimes appoint another person to act on their behalf.

If you are not the next of kin, they will need to be informed. If required, the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office can help you do this.

There is no legal definition of next of kin in the UK. Please note that if there is a disagreement over who is the next of kin, or the person who died did not choose a next of kin, this can cause additional complications.

5. Release of information to next of kin

Accesses to information concerning a death, other than post-mortem and police reports are restricted. The Hungarian authorities will not provide this information directly to next of kin, or to a third party including Consular offices. Requests for this information should be made through legal representatives. Consular staff can provide a list of local English speaking lawyers.

6. Insurance

It is very important to check if the person who died had insurance. If they had insurance, contact the insurance company as soon as possible. They may have a list of approved funeral directors to help you make arrangements, or be able to cover some of the costs.

If the person who died did not have insurance, the next of kin will usually have to appoint a funeral director and will usually be responsible for all costs. The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office or the British Embassy cannot help with these costs.

7. Appointing a funeral director

If you decide to repatriate the deceased, you may only need to appoint an international funeral director. The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office produces a list of international funeral directors based in the UK and in Hungary.

If you decide to hold a funeral or cremation in Hungary, you can find a list of funeral directors online.

8. Registering the death and obtaining a death certificate

You will need to register the death with the local authorities in the country where the person died or a funeral director can do this for you. You will usually need documents about you and the person who has died, which include information such as full name, date of birth and passport number.

The local authorities will need to be told if the person suffered from an infectious condition such as hepatitis or HIV so they can take precautions against infection.

You do not need to register the death with the UK authorities. The local death certificate can usually be used in the UK for most purposes, including probate. If it is not in English, you will need to obtain and pay for an official translation. 

9. Post mortem examinations (autopsies)

Whilst the procedure involved around a post-mortem can be harrowing for a family and friends, the British Embassy has no power to change the procedure or challenge local laws and is often not informed of the details surrounding each individual post-mortem. This leaflet has been drawn up to help you understand under what circumstances a post-mortem would be carried out.

Under Hungarian law, post-mortems are carried out in the following circumstances:

• when the death is sudden and the cause of death unknown
• when there is doubt or it is obvious that the cause of death was caused by a criminal act or in connection with a criminal act
• when the family of the deceased asks for a post-mortem to be carried out

If an individual does die in a medical institution, an agreement may be reached with the Next of Kin that a post-mortem will not be carried out. However, this is only after consultation between senior management and the Next of Kin in co-ordination with the pathologist (if there is one at the institution). If a post-mortem is carried out and organs are removed as part of the procedure they are not usually retained at the institution.

10. Burial, cremation, repatriation

The next of kin of the person who has died will usually need to decide between a local burial, cremation or bringing the person home, which is known as repatriation.  Your funeral director will usually be able to explain the options available, the costs, and help you make arrangements.

Please note if a local burial or cremation takes place, then an inquest in the UK will not be possible. For more information on inquests, see the information on UK coroners and inquests.

11. Return of personal belongings

If the person who died had insurance, check with the insurance company if this covers the return of their personal belongings. The British Embassy cannot arrange for the return of the personal belongings or hold them for the family. Please note, the British Embassy cannot take responsibility for the personal belongings of the person who died.

12. Steps to take in the UK

You can find more information on the steps to take in the UK online. This includes information on arranging the funeral, telling the government about the death, UK pensions and benefits, and dealing with the estate of the person who died. There is a step-by-step guide about what to do when someone dies.

13. Tell Us Once

The service called “Tell Us Once” lets the next of kin report a death to most UK government organisations in one go. You may find more information about the service and what government departments are to be contacted online.

14. British passport cancellation

In order to avoid identity fraud, the passport of the person who died should be cancelled with His Majesty’s Passport Office (HMPO). To do this, you will need to complete a “D1 form.” The form and instructions on where to send the passport is available online. 

If you want to repatriate the person who died, you may need their passport. Please make sure that the passport stays with the funeral home for repatriation. In this case you should cancel the passport after they have been repatriated.

15. Consular death registration

You do not have to register the death of a British national that occurs overseas with the UK authorities. You can sometimes apply for a consular death registration. This is not mandatory and cannot be used instead of a death certificate from the country where the person died. It is only available in some countries. If you wish to do this, you can find more information on registering a death and apply online.

16. Deaths investigated as murder or manslaughter 

If the local police have confirmed that they are investigating the death as a murder or manslaughter, a dedicated team within the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office will be available to provide support, including by referring you to a specialised organisation. You can find more information about how the FCDO can help with murder and manslaughter abroad online.  

You should note that if the deceased is repatriated to parts of the UK a coroner or procurator fiscal may decide to hold an inquest. See the section on UK Coroners and inquests below.

17. UK coroners and inquests

If you repatriate the person who died to England and Wales, there may be an inquest. The decision on when to hold an inquest is made by His Majesty’s Coroner. Please note, an inquest will usually only happen in certain situations, for example, when someone has died in suspicious, unnatural, and violent circumstances or whilst in detention. If the person who died is cremated and only their ashes are brought home, there will not be an inquest.

If you repatriate the person who died to Scotland, the Procurator Fiscal may decide to call for a Fatal Accidents or Injuries Inquiry.

If you repatriate the person who died to Northern Ireland, there will be no coronial inquest or further inquiry.

Please note, Procurators Fiscal and Coroners do not have jurisdiction in another country, nor do they seek to apportion blame to a named individual. 

You can find more information on Coroners and the Procurator Fiscal in the FCDO guide on death abroad.

18. Legal Aid

British nationals without the available means to appoint legal representation can apply for legal aid in most European countries. The Legal Aid Agency Services Commission in London is responsible for legal aid applications overseas.

19. Support organisations in the UK

In the UK, there are many organisations that can help bereaved families. Some of these are listed in the guide coping with death abroad.