What to do after a British person dies in Barbados
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 +1 246 430 7800, and select the option for consular support.
Contacting the 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. 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 (life and/or travel insurance), check with their bank, credit card company or employer.
If the person who died did not have insurance (including 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 Barbados.
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 the additional support there are some UK-based 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.
Registering the death and obtaining a death certificate
Registration of the death must be done within Barbados. In Barbados, deaths must be registered at the closest Registration Department or Magistrate’s Court. You can do this yourself or appoint a funeral director to do it for you.
Post-mortems are usually carried out on foreign nationals who die in Barbados. The death certificate will be issued in English, usually within 3 days of the post-mortem. Barbadian death certificates do not give details of the cause of death, as they do in the UK.
If the person who died lived in Barbados, a post-mortem may not be performed if the attending doctor decides one is not needed.
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.
You do not 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 for the person who died needs to carry out these legal procedures. Under Barbadian law 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 under Barbadian law .
If you are not the next of kin, you may need authorisation from that person to register the death and carry out other legal procedures.
Mortuary facilities
There are a limited number of cold storage facilities at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Bridgetown. All major funeral directors in Barbados also have cold storage areas.
Dealing with a local post-mortem
Post-mortems are usually performed when the cause of death is unknown, unnatural, sudden or violent. Post-mortems are carried out by forensic doctors appointed by the court. Cultural or religious sensitivities may not be taken into account. The FCDO cannot stop or interfere with the process.
In Barbados, post-mortems are usually carried out within 48 hours however, this is subject to the availability and capacity of the pathologists. A copy of the death certificate will be provided to the next of kin.
You will usually not receive a copy of the post-mortem report, but you can ask the British High Commission in Bridgetown to request one for you.
During a post-mortem, small tissue samples and organs may be removed and retained for testing without the consent of the family. You will not automatically be told if this happens.
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
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.
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.
If you choose local 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 Barbados with human ashes you will need to:
- show the death certificate
- show the certificate of cremation
- fill in a standard customs form when you arrive in the UK
The local funeral director will also provide you with an urn declaration and transit documents required (where applicable).
If the ashes are being shipped (either by air or sea) then the local funeral home in Barbados would make all the necessary arrangements with the UK funeral home.
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 or cremation, a relative or a formally appointed representative needs to appoint a local funeral director.
The FCDO provides a list of English-speaking funeral directors in Barbados.
The funeral director will be able to explain the local process and make the necessary arrangements with either a private or government owned cemetery.
There is one crematorium in Barbados which can host funeral services.
By law, cremated remains can only be scattered:
- at sea, at least one mile away from the shore
- in certain churchyards and burial grounds
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 can 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 Barbados.
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
- dealing with the estate of the person who died.
Last updated 25 April 2024 + show all updates
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The information has been reviewed and updated where necessary.
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First published.