Guidance

Belarus: bereavement information

Updated 30 November 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.

Belarus: 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 & 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 & 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 nearest British embassy, high commission or consulate.

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.

Next of kin

The next of kin (spouses are recognised as NOK) 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.

Release of information to next of kin

The Foreign, Commonwealth & 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, other than post-mortem and police reports, is restricted. The Belarusian authorities will not provide this information directly to next of kin. Requests for this information should be made through a legal representative: a list of English speaking lawyers can be found here. The release can take at least 10 days, and the documents will be in Russian and Belarusian.

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 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 & Development Office produces a list of international funeral directors based in the UK.

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

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. Sometimes 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.

A local death certificate, citing the likely cause of death, will be issued in Russian and Belarusian, and is usually available within a day or two of death. You should be aware that the cause of death on the death certificate is often given in very basic terms. Translation services are widely available in Belarus, although likely to be less so in rural areas. You also need to receive an Apostille (official certification) of the death certificate. You can receive an Apostille for the original death certificate at the Consular Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

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.

Post mortem examinations (autopsies)

Autopsies are always carried out on deaths and families are not charged for the post mortem examination. Autopsies are sometimes conducted for deaths in Belarus without consent of next of kin (it depends on the circumstances of a death).

During the autopsy samples of organs can be taken for testing, including toxicological studies, at the discretion of the doctor without consent of next of kin. Once the local authorities are content that no further examinations need be made, the deceased’s body can be buried/cremated in Belarus or returned to the UK. It is always recommended that the body is embalmed locally before being repatriated to the UK.

In Belarus it takes at least 2 weeks for the full autopsy report to be published. It is available for the next of kin. You will need to organise and pay for the translation of the report into English. You should be aware that an autopsy report is a factual, clinical document and as such you may find the contents distressing.

Organs are retained only in if the next of kin gives consent beforehand.

Mortuary facilities

There are mortuaries facilities in Belarus and they are of a reasonable standard (but different from those in the UK). We will do everything we properly can do to ensure the deceased is placed in appropriate storage. It is possible (not mandatory) to visit to identify the deceased. Cold storage facilities readily available throughout the country. At least for several weeks the person who died is kept at the mortuary for free.

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.

Following the death of a British national in Belarus, the next of kin (NoK), or their formally appointed representative, must decide whether to:

  • repatriate the deceased to the UK
  • have a local cremation and the ashes repatriated to the UK or
  • have a local burial or cremation without repatriation to the UK

If the deceased was covered by travel insurance, it is important that NoK contact the insurance company without delay. If the insurance company grants cover, you should confirm with them what funeral arrangements they will cover. If there is no insurance cover, the cost of repatriation, local burial or cremation will need to be met by the family.

The services of an international undertaker are normally necessary to help with these arrangements as neither the Foreign and Commonwealth Office nor our Embassy in Belarus have budgets to meet these costs. The NoK should also be aware that all hospital bills must be paid before the body can be released.

Consular staff in London will pass on to our Embassy in Belarus the wishes of the next of kin about the funeral of the deceased, and details of who is taking responsibility for the costs involved. We will do our best to ensure these wishes are carried out.

We appreciate that the NoK may not always live in the UK. International Funeral Directors can organise repatriations to most countries in the world.

If a local burial or cremation takes place, there will be no Coroner’s inquest carried out in the UK.

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.

Personal effects are normally returned to the next of kin, or their authorised representative, without any formalities. If personal effects need to be returned to the UK and NoK are not present in Belarus, the Embassy can assist with making arrangements by commercial means. We are obliged to pass on any costs incurred to you.

Please note, the British Embassy, High Commission or Consulate 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 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.

Deaths in road traffic accidents

There are no any specific local procedures for deaths in road traffic accidents. These deaths are investigated by police and standard procedures of autopsy, burial, repatriation applies.

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 about how the FCDO can help with murder and manslaughter abroad.

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

Under certain circumstances, such as a suspicious death, you may wish to engage the services of a local lawyer to represent your interests should a trial be necessary.

Compensation

There are no formal government compensation schemes available, although damages can be claimed from the accused, and a decision will be made by the judge when the case is heard

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

Translation and interpretation

There are two official languages: Belarusian and Russian. You can communicate in English in the country howeve it is not widely spoken?

The local authorities provide translation or interpretation in English. But you can use interpreters service in Belarus.

Additional support

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