Guidance

Armenia: bereavement information

Updated 20 December 2023

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.

Armenia: bereavement information

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 and 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.

How to contact the Foreign, Commonwealth and 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 and Development Office in London on 0207 008 1500.

If you are not in the UK, you can find the contact details of the nearest British embassy, high commission or consulate.

The priority of the Foreign, Commonwealth and 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.

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 and 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.

If the death of a British national in Armenia is reported to us and their next of kin is not present, we will ask the UK police to notify the next of kin as soon as possible. If the next of kin is not in the UK, we will ask our consular staff in the country where they are to do this.

The British Embassy will do whatever they can to trace the next of kin as soon as possible and would ask the UK police to pass on the sad news. However you might also be notified about the death directly by someone else, for example a doctor, a social worker or a police officer.

We will do everything we can to make sure the next of kin does not hear about the death first from the media, although we cannot always influence this. In exceptional circumstances, this may mean having to notify next of kin about the death over the phone.

In Armenia, the seniority of next of kin is usually as follows:

• spouse/partner/same-sex partner/civil partner
• adult child (i.e. over 18 years old)
• parent
• adult sibling (i.e. over 18 years old)
• an adult with sufficient relationship to the deceased

An ex-partner is not regarded as next of kin.

Release of information to next of kin

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office will try to obtain as much information as possible after your relative or friend has died abroad. Some of this may be only available to next of kin. Consular officers may be able to obtain this themselves, or they may put you in touch directly with the authorities overseas. They may be able to provide you with details of others who can advocate on your behalf such as lawyers, charities, or other organisations.

Access to information concerning a death is restricted until a Coroner has reviewed the evidence such as post-mortem and police reports. The Armenian authorities will usually not provide this information directly to next of kin, or to third parties, including our Embassies, until after the conclusion of the preliminary investigation. The release of any information will usually take several months and in some more complicated instances, years.

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 and Development Office cannot help with these costs.

Appointing a funeral director

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

If you decide to hold a funeral in Armenia, you can find a list of funeral directors in Armenia.

A relative or a formally appointed representative must instruct a local funeral director in Armenia or an international funeral director in the UK for a body to be repatriated to the UK, or buried in Armenia. There are no local cremation facilities in Armenia. Next of kin should consider the appointment of an international or local funeral director to assist with burial and/or repatriation arrangements. They will also need to make contact with the international carriers (airlines) to arrange international repatriation. No direct flights between the UK and Armenia are available.

If the next of kin wishes to repatriate the body, we can help put them in touch with local and/or international funeral directors. If language is a problem, you can refer to List of Interpreters provided by the British Embassy.

However, if the deceased was insured you should immediately contact the insurance company to find out if they are able to cover for the repatriation expenses and make the necessary arrangements. You may need the insurance policy number and the associated 24 hour medical emergency contact number to do this.

If the travel insurance company confirm that there is a current policy, you should not appoint your own funeral director or be pressurised by local funeral agencies to do so. It will be the insurance company that will appoint the funeral director both locally and in the UK.

In Armenia it is not normally necessary for the deceased to be identified by the next of kin. Identification can be carried out by means of documentation such as a passport or driving license or by fingerprints, dental records or DNA.

Registering the death and obtaining a death certificate

To register the death in Armenia you should obtain:

• The document of the prescribed form certifying the death provided by the medical organisation or a doctor
• The judgement of the court entered into legal force on the confirmation of the fact of the death of the person or of recognising the person as dead

The state registration of death is performed on the day of submitting the application to the Registration of Civil Status Acts (RCSA) body. Death Registration is done at the Civic Status Registration Department at Special Service of Population Community Non-Profit Organisation (NPO) (address: Erebunu St., 6/1 Building, tel.: +374(0) 10 439216; +374(0) 10 430062). No state fee is charged for the state registration of death.

For the state registration of death the following documents should be submitted:

1. Application
2. The document of the prescribed form certifying the death provided by the medical organisation or a doctor
3. The judgement of the court entered into legal force if the fact of the death of the person has been confirmed or if the person has been recognised as dead through a court procedure. The fact of not providing the identification document of the deceased is not an impediment to the registration of death.

A death certificate is a document containing the details of a death that took place in Armenia. You can order a copy, or multiple copies, if the death is registered in Armenia. You can use this certificate to cancel a health card or driver license and for insurance purposes.

If the applicant is not the spouse, parent, child or sibling of the decedent, a lawful right or claim must be documented. An example of a lawful right or claim would be a death record needed by the applicant to claim a benefit. Documentation would consist of an official letter from the agency verifying that the claim.

There are no restrictions on who can apply for a short form death certificate.

The deceased’s next of kin or their authorised representative may apply for a long form certified copy of a statement of death. Authorised representatives will be required to provide proof of authorisation.

You may need an official death certificate or certified copy for:

• settling an estate
• insurance purposes
• access to/termination of government services, e.g., health card, pension, voters’ list
• genealogy searches

Post mortem examinations (autopsies)

Upon notification of a death outside a hospital/polyclinic, the emergency services (ambulance) will attend the scene of the death. They will verify the death and inform the district Police of the death.

The district police will arrange for the deceased to be transported to the mortuary. At the mortuary an autopsy will be carried out.

A post-mortem, which is also known as an autopsy, is normally performed in all cases and certainly when the death is not by natural causes. Organs are retained with the deceased. The results of the autopsy are made available to the police. A kin can request a copy of the autopsy report.

The deceased will remain in the mortuary until after the autopsy takes place. Once this has taken place the deceased will be released for either burial or repatriation.

Mortuary facilities

Mortuary facilities are available in Yerevan and in the large cities of Armenia (Gyumri, Vanadzor, Armavir etc.). In the regions these facilities may not be consistent with Yerevan standards.

Burial, cremation, repatriation

Burial and repatriation can take place after obtaining the Death Certificate.

Local burial is possible and can be organised with the help of Funeral directors. There are no local cremation facilities in Armenia. Next of kin should consider the appointment of an international or local funeral director to organise burial arrangements and requirements. They will also need to contact airlines to arrange international repatriation.

The main airlines with cargo services are:

• Qatar Airways - Official Representative is “Flydubai” Airline, +374(0) 11 331111, +374(0) 10 561085, +374(0) 94 310310, +374(0) 98 310310
• Airfrance: +374(0) 60 612277, +374(0) 60 612288
• Aeroflot: +374(0) 10 532131
• Austrian Air: +374(0) 60 612201, +374(0) 60 612202, cargo transportation: +374(0) 60 612232

Return of personal belongings

Personal belongings found on the deceased at the time of death are either handed over to the family, if they are present, or taken by the police. If the next of kin chooses repatriation, it is advisable to instruct the local undertaker to collect the belongings from the police and to ship personal belongings together with the body. If there is an investigation into the death, the deceased’s clothing can be retained as evidence and is not returned until the court case is finished.

Please note, the British Embassy cannot take responsibility for the personal belongings of the person who died.

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.

British passport cancellation

In order to avoid identity fraud, the passport of the person who died should be cancelled with HM 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 plan to repatriate the person who died to the UK, you may require their passport to do this. In these circumstances, you should cancel the passport after they have been repatriated.

Child deaths

Police of Armenia will hold a full investigation into any death and there are no separate procedures for deaths involving children.

Deaths in road traffic accidents

Police of Armenia will hold a full investigation into any death and there are no separate procedures for deaths involving road traffic accidents.

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 and Development Office will be available to provide support, including by referring you to a specialised organisation. You can find more about how the FCDO can help with murder and manslaughter abroad.

If a death is regarded as suspicious the police will investigate in full. If an offender is identified and charged, they will be prosecuted by the relevant Department of Public Prosecutions. There may also be a need for an Armenia coroner to hold an inquest if there is further information required following a judicial process. An Armenian coroner will investigate deaths that are ‘unnatural’ such as accidents, suicides or homicides, deaths that have occurred in prison or in care, or have unknown causes. A coroner will investigate the circumstances surrounding the death to find out the identity of the deceased person, when and where they died, how they died and the medical cause of death.

During the prosecution, the time from arrest to trial can be lengthy and, in some complicated cases can take years. 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.

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 HM 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.

Legal Aid

You will need to pay for the legal aid and the available List of Lawyers produced by the British Embassy.

Compensation

You can find information on UK compensation for victims of terrorism overseas

Translation and Interpretation

The official language of Armenia is Armenian. Most of the local authorities do not provide services in English. If you wish to hire a translator or an interpreter you can check the British Embassy’s website where a List of translators/interpreters is available.

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.

Annex: List of local funeral directors in Armenia