When someone dies in Antigua and Barbuda
Find out about local procedures, burials and cremations, and returning the body to the UK
If you are dealing with the death of a child, multiple deaths, a suspicious death or a case of murder or manslaughter, call the British High Commission in Barbados +1 246 430 7800.
Contacting the travel insurance company
If the person who died had insurance (this could include life or travel insurance), contact their insurance company as soon as possible. Insurance providers may help to cover the cost of repatriation or local arrangements.
Repatriation is the process of bringing the body home. Insurance providers may also help with medical, legal, interpretation and translation fees.
If the person who died had insurance, the insurance company will appoint a funeral director both locally and in the UK (where applicable).
What to do if the person who died didn’t have insurance
If you are not sure whether the person who died had insurance, check with their bank, credit card company or employer.
If the person who died did not have insurance (life and/or travel insurance), a relative or a formally appointed representative will usually have to appoint a funeral director and be responsible for all costs. The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) provides a list of UK-based international funeral directors and of English-speaking funeral directors in Antigua and Barbuda.
The FCDO cannot help with any costs. In some cases, funeral directors and lawyers may provide services on a pro bono basis. Pro bono work is done for free or for a reduced cost, depending on your circumstances. This is decided on a case-by-case basis.
Charities and organisations that offer support
If you require additional support there are some UK-based charities and organisations may be able to provide help and information to people affected by a death abroad. The FCDO provides a list of UK-based charities and organisations.
There are no FCDO known local charities who may be able to provide help and information to people affected by death locally.
Registering the death and obtaining a death certificate
Registration of the death must be done within Antigua and Barbuda. In Antigua and Barbuda, the next of kin usually registers the death at the Civil Registry. This can also be carried out by a local firm of funeral directors.
If you appoint a local funeral director to register the death on your behalf, you will also need to give them a ‘letter of authorisation’ stating that you authorise them to act on your behalf. The funeral director will tell you what the letter needs to include.
The death certificate will be issued in English within a few days of the death. Antiguan death certificates include details of the cause of death.
Ask for extra copies of the death certificate where possible. You might need to officially inform other organisations of the death.
If you are repatriating the body or ashes of the deceased you do no need to register the death in the UK. The local death certificate can usually be used in the UK for most purposes, including probate.
If you wish, you can register the death with the Overseas Registration Unit (ORU). You can buy a UK-style death certificate, known as a Consular Death Registration certificate. The ORU will send a record to the General Register Office within 12 months.
If the person who died suffered from an infectious condition, such as hepatitis or HIV, you must tell the local authorities, so they can take precautions against infection.
Next of kin
The next of kin of the person who died needs to carry out certain legal procedures. In Antigua and Barbuda the next of kin is defined as their married partner or closest living blood relative.
Same-sex partners, whether married or not are not recognised as next of kin in Antigua and Barbuda.
If you are not the next of kin, you may need authorisation from that person to register the death or carry out other legal procedures.
Mortuary facilities
There are no cold storage facilities designated for the preservation of deceased individuals at the Sir Lester Bird Medical Centre Hospital in St. Johns. All major funeral directors in Antigua and Barbuda have cold storage areas.
Dealing with a local post-mortem
Post-mortems are usually carried out for all deaths in Antigua and Barbuda. The procedure is carried out by forensic doctors appointed by the hospital or by the court. Cultural or religious sensitivities may not be taken into account. The FCDO cannot stop or interfere with the process.
In Antigua and Barbuda, post-mortems may be carried out, should it be deemed warranted by a medical professional, on any foreign national who dies within 24 hours of arriving on the island.
The scheduling of a post-mortem examination is contingent upon the process of the police investigation. Once the examination is completed the cause of death certificate is usually issued on the same day. During a post-mortem, small tissue samples and organs may be removed for testing without the consent of the family. You will not automatically be told if this happens. Organs are usually replaced after testing.
Post-mortem reports are automatically given to the Police. You can request a copy of the report by writing to the Commissioner of Police.
In Antigua and Barbuda, a coroner will investigate all deaths for which the cause is unknown, unnatural, sudden or violent.
Access to information concerning a death is usually restricted until the coroner has reviewed the post-mortem and police reports. The Antiguan authorities will usually not release this information until after the preliminary investigation has finished. The release of any information will usually take several months and in some more complicated instances, can take years.
The coroner may decide to hold an inquest to gather more information about the cause and circumstances of a death
If you bring the body back to the UK, you can ask for a copy of the report by contacting one of the following:
- a local UK coroner if you bring the body back to the UK.
- the British High Commission in Bridgetown who can make the request to the local authority on your behalf
- the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office in the UK who will ask the British High Commission to make the request to the local authority on your behalf
Bringing the body home
If the person who died had insurance, find out if their insurance provider can help cover the cost of repatriation. Repatriation is the process of bringing the body home. If so, they will make all the necessary arrangements.
If the person who died is not covered by insurance, you will need to appoint an international funeral director yourself.
Finding an international funeral director
Finding an international funeral director
A relative or a formally appointed representative must appoint a UK-based international funeral director for the person who died to be repatriated to the UK. The FCDO provides a list of UK-based international funeral directors.
Local funeral directors will work with UK-based international funeral directors to meet all the necessary requirements both locally and in the UK. This includes providing documents such as a local civil registry death certificate, a certificate of embalming and a certificate giving permission to transfer the remains to the UK. Advice and financial assistance for repatriation
There are UK organisations and charities that may be able to offer assistance with repatriation.
Advice and financial assistance for repatriation
There are UK organisations and charities that may be able to offer assistance with repatriation.
Requesting a post-mortem in the UK
If you want to have a post-mortem in the UK after the body has been repatriated, you can request one from a UK coroner. The coroner will then decide if a post-mortem is needed. If you want the person who died to be cremated, you need to apply for a certificate from the coroner (form ‘Cremation 6’).
Bringing the ashes home
You should not have the person cremated abroad if you want a UK coroner to conduct an inquest into their death.
There are no cremation facilities in Antigua or Barbuda. You can appoint a local funeral director to contact a crematorium in Puerto Rico, Barbados or Grenada for you.
If you choose cremation and wish to take the ashes back to the UK yourself, you can usually do so. Check with your airline about specific restrictions or requirements, for example whether you can carry the ashes as hand luggage.
To leave Antigua or Barbuda with human ashes you will need to show:
- the death certificate
- the certificate of cremation
- the travel letter
You will also need to fill in a standard customs form when you arrive in the UK.
If it is not possible for you to transport the ashes yourself, a funeral director will be able to make the necessary arrangements. The FCDO provides a list of UK-based international funeral directors.
Burying or cremating the body locally
To have a local burial, a relative or a formally appointed representative needs to appoint a local funeral director.
There are no cremation facilities in Antigua and Barbuda. You can appoint a local funeral director to contact a crematorium in Puerto Rico, Barbados, Grenada or a destination of your choosing, for you.
The FCDO provides a list of English-speaking funeral directors in Antigua and Barbuda.
The funeral director will be able to explain the local process.
If a local burial or cremation takes place, there will not be a coroner’s inquest carried out in the UK.
Retrieving belongings
Personal belongings found on the person who died at the time of death are given to the police if the family is not present.
If you choose to repatriate the body, instruct the local funeral director to collect all personal belongings from the police or court and ship them together with the body.
If you choose to have the body buried or cremated locally, you will be required to collect all personal belongings from the hospital or police or court. Please note the place of collection would be based on the location or circumstances of the death.
If there is an investigation into the death, clothing may be retained as evidence and will not be returned until the court case is finished.
The FCDO cannot help with the cost of returning personal belongings to the family.
Finding a lawyer
You can apply to appoint a lawyer in certain circumstances, such as a suspicious death. The FCDO provides a list of English-speaking lawyers in Antigua and Barbuda.
Cancelling a passport
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 need to complete a D1 form.
Checking you have done everything you need to do in the UK
Check this step-by-step guide for when someone dies to make sure you have done everything you need to do in the UK after someone has died. You can find information on how to tell the government about the death, UK pensions and benefits and dealing with the estate of the person who died.
Last updated 25 April 2024 + show all updates
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This guidance has been reviewed and updated where necessary.
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First published.