Guidance

Bereavement information for Azerbaijan

Updated 20 February 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 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.

3. 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 020 7008 5000.

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

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.

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 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 Azerbaijan 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 Azerbaijan, the seniority of next of kin is usually as follows:

  • spouse/partner/same-sex partner/civil partner

  • adult child (over 18 years old)

  • parent

  • adult sibling (over 18 years old)

  • an adult with sufficient relationship to the deceased

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

5. 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 Azerbaijan 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.

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 and Development Office cannot help with these costs.

7. 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 or cremation in Azerbaijan, you can see a list of funeral directors in Azerbaijan.

A relative or a formally appointed representative must instruct a local funeral director in Azerbaijan or an international funeral director in the UK for a body to be repatriated to the UK, or buried in Azerbaijan. 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. The only direct flights between the UK and Azerbaijan are with Azerbaijan Airlines (AZAL).

If the next of kin wish to repatriate the body, we can help put them in touch with local and/or international funeral directors. If language is a problem, we can help the family with the arrangements including acting as a liaison point between the local funeral directors and the family.

However if the deceased was insured you should immediately contact the insurance company to establish 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 Azerbaijan 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 licence or by fingerprints, dental records or DNA.

8. Registering the death and obtaining a death certificate

All deaths in Azerbaijan need to be registered. Once registered, a Death Certificate (in the Azerbaijani language) stating the cause of the death will be issued by the district Registration Department (ZAGS). Death certificates cannot be issued without submitting Form AZS-106 (medical death certificate) – this document is issued by the Medical Court Examination Department in the district where the death take took place. Burial or repatriation cannot take place without first obtaining the death certificate.

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 have to register the death of a British national that occurs overseas 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.

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 want to do this, you can find more information about a consular death registration and apply online.

9. 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
  • inform the district police of the death

The district police will arrange for the deceased to be transported to the mortuary in the district where the death took place. 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. Post-mortems are carried out by forensic doctors appointed by the hospital or by the court sometimes called pathologists.

Autopsies are always carried out for foreign nationals, usually within 24 hours. The autopsy will be undertaken by the district Medical Court Examination Department and a Medical Death Certificate Form (AZS-106) will be issued once the cause of death is established. Organs are retained with the deceased. The results of the autopsy are made available to the police but can sometimes take several days. If the next of kin require a copy of the autopsy report they will need to make a written application to the Central Medical Examination Court.

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.

The Azerbaijan authorities will not charge next of kin to conduct a post-mortem.

10. Mortuary facilities

In Azerbaijan mortuaries are usually attached to local hospitals. Cold storage facilities are available in Baku city. In the regions facilities may not be consistent with Baku standards.

11. 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.

In Azerbaijan the burial or repatriation cannot take place without first obtaining the death certificate. Local burial is possible but there are no local cremation facilities. Next of kin should be aware that an inquest will not take place in the UK if a local burial or local cremation takes place. For more information on inquests, see the information on UK coroners and inquests.

If you choose a local burial, you will need to instruct a local funeral director and they can make the necessary arrangements with either a private of government owned cemetery. A ceremony can be organised by the funeral director or a registered celebrant. You can make specific arrangements depending on your cultural and/or religious beliefs.

Organ donation from the dead body is not possible under the current laws of Azerbaijan.

12. 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.

13. 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 on gov.uk about what to do when someone dies.

14. 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 what to do with a passport when the passport holder has died are 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.

15. Child deaths

Police in Azerbaijan will hold a full investigation into any death and there are no separate procedures for deaths involving children. The Coroner may however, when they review the police report and offer findings, refer cases involving children to appropriate child agencies.

16. Deaths in road traffic accidents

Police in Azerbaijan will hold a full investigation into any death and there are no separate procedures for deaths involving road traffic accidents. The Coroner may, when they review the police report and offer findings, refer cases to appropriate road traffic agencies and the Ministry of Transport and Internal Affairs.

17. 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 organisations. You can find more about the support available in the case of murder or 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 Azerbaijan coroner to hold an inquest if there is further information required following a judicial process.

Similar to the role of a Coroner in England and Wales (further information below) an Azerbaijani coroner, usually a magistrate, 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. The average case will take between 12 to 18 months unless the offender pleads guilty which significantly reduces the time taken to sentencing.

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.

18. 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 happens 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 Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office guide on death abroad.

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

Government provides free of charge lawyers at the request of foreign nationals in specific cases including criminal law, civil cases escalated to the Supreme court and others.

20. Compensation

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

21. Translation and interpretation

The official language in Azerbaijan is Azerbaijani English is mainly spoken by the younger generation in the country.

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 local interpreters and translators is provided:

22. 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 on coping with death abroad.

We also have information for victims of crime abroad.

23. Annex