Guidance

Czech Republic: bereavement information

Updated 6 December 2023

Disclaimer

This information is not meant to be definitive, nor is 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.

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 still 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 1500.

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 & 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 & 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.

Under Czech law, the next of kin is considered as a direct relative, i.e. spouse, registered partner, sibling, parent, in-laws and a long-term partner deceased person lived with. The next of kin is automatically notified in the Czech Republic.

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 these 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 i.e. post-mortem and police reports, is restricted.

The Czech authorities will not normally provide this information directly to the next of kin, or to third parties including our Consulate. Next of kin have right to know the cause of the death if the deceased has not stated prior to his death that he does not wish this information to be released to anyone. Requests for this information should be directed to the local authorities in written form.

Shall you require a legal representative concerning this matter; our consular staff can provide you with a list of English speaking lawyers throughout the Czech Republic. The release of any information can take long time, and the documents will be in Czech. Again, our Embassy can provide you with a list of translators.

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 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 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 the Czech Republic, you can find a list of funeral directors in the Czech Republic. Under Czech law, funeral of the deceased person must be ordered or registered within 96 hours (4 days).

However, in the case of foreign nationals the authorities normally allow as much time as necessary. The local funeral directors will carry out all the necessary arrangements on behalf of next of kin and will liaise with local Czech authorities directly to meet all requirements.

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. 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.

Under Czech law, the doctor on duty is obliged to notify the local authority of death by passing onto them an official form called the Document of Examination of Deceased. The local registry office will then issue a local death certificate within 30 days upon notification from local authorities. The local funeral director can usually register death on behalf of next of kin. To do so the next of kin must give power of attorney to the local funeral director to act on their behalf.

Local death certificates are issued in Czech language and will be accepted in the UK. However, it may need to be certified translation of the document.

Please be aware that cause of death is not stated on Czech death certificates.

The local government opening hours to public in the Czech Republic are Mondays and Wednesdays from 08:00 to 17:00.

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 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 and apply online.

Post mortem examinations (autopsies)

Autopsies are carried out by court appointed doctors with forensic qualifications if the death occurred outside a medical institution or if there is suspicion of violent death, including suicide. Autopsies can also be carried out in hospitals for medical reasons of establishing the cause of death.

During an autopsy, organs can be removed for testing at the discretion of the pathologist if consent was given by the deceased prior to his death or with consent of next of kin.

Post mortem reports are usually available to next of kin in the Czech Republic. It is written in Czech language only and will need to be translated into English. The local funeral directors can apply for the post mortem report and arrange for certified translation on behalf of next of kin. Please note there is cost for this service.

Mortuary facilities

The mortuary facilities are similar standard to the UK, located at hospitals and funeral directors. It is not always possible to identify the deceased in all cases. In this case cold storage facilities are readily available throughout the Czech Republic.

The Czech law states there is no cost for next of kin when the person who died is kept at the mortuary.

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.

If next of kin choose to proceed with a local burial or cremation, they will need to instruct a local funeral director. Our Embassy in Prague can provide a list of funeral directors on request and can help with practical arrangements. There are no special laws or practices that affect when a funeral or cremation will happen in the Czech Republic. Body embalmment is not usually mandatory and scattering ashes is permitted in the Czech Republic. However the consent of the landowner must be given prior to the scattering ceremony. In the case that someone cannot pay for a funeral the local government funds a “social funeral“.

If the deceased had travel insurance in place, the insurance company will normally appoint an International funeral director to arrange repatriation. If the deceased had no insurance, next of kin will need to appoint an International funeral director, themselves. You may find a list of companies at the end of this document. The International funeral director will liaise with local undertakers to ensure that all necessary requirements are met in the Czech Republic.

Before the repatriation, the body of deceased will be embalmed and will travel in a zinc-lined coffin. Local undertakers in the Czech Republic are equipped to carry out these procedures. A local civil registry death certificate, plus the doctor’s death certificate (indicating cause of death), a certificate of embalming, and a certificate giving permission to transfer the remains to the UK is required to ship the body. The international funeral director will arrange this.

Bury or cremate 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 funeral director will be able to explain the local process.

A medical certificate certifying the death is issued by the local doctor and serves as a burial permit. Czech death certificates do not show the cause of death.

If a local burial or cremation takes place, there will not be a coroner’s inquest carried out in the UK.

Return of personal belongings

Local funeral directors can help to return the personal belongings of the deceased person to the next of kin in accordance with their wishes or by cargo.

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 on gov.uk.

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 it 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

In the Czech Republic, child death follows the same procedure like for an adult. The remains of a child can be repatriated following the same procedures as for an adult. Parents or family will pay for repatriation or burial.

There is no social services in the Czech Republic who covers child funeral’s expenses; gets involved neither in the process of repatriation nor of the local burial of the child’s body. If child’s death is suspicious, the local authorities can withhold the body for investigation and release it once investigation ends. There is no specific information about surrogate mothers.

Death in road traffic accidents

When death occurs because of road traffic accidents, the Czech authorities may withhold the body for investigation purpose, while checking insurance from both sides. The body will be released after completing investigations. Sometimes this can take a long time in some cases.

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 what they can do online.

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.

In the Czech Republic, it is the police who decides if a death should be investigated.

Post-mortem examination is required in such cases overlooked by the Chief Detective of the state prosecutor present during the examination. After the police report is published the deceased is then released to the funeral director. The police and or the judicial inquiries are usually forthcoming with their updates and usually proactively reach out to inform the family. Sometimes it can take longer for the deceased to be buried, cremated or repatriated in such cases.

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 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 they seek to apportion blame to a named individual.

You can find more information on Coroners and the Procurator Fiscal in the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office guide on death abroad

Legal Aid

British nationals without the available means to appoint legal representation can apply for legal aid in most European countries. The Legal Services Commission in London. Tel: +44 0207 783 7000 is responsible for legal aid applications overseas. The Legal Services Commission currently forwards applications for legal aid to their counterparts in the Czech Republic, where cases will be considered for their eligibility (based on Czech criteria).

Compensation

There is a government compensation scheme in place in the Czech Republic. It is applicable to British nationals either residing in the country or in the UK, who have become victims of criminal act in the territory of the Czech Republic. You can find more information on compensation in the Czech Ministry of Justice website. Please note, the information is provided in Czech language only.

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

Translation and interpretation

The official language in the Czech Republic is Czech language. English is usually spoken in the country. The local authorities usually do not provide official information or documentation in English automatically, and therefore an official interpreter of certified translation of documents is required at the expense of foreign national.

You can find the list of translators and interpreters in the Czech Republic in the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office Czech Republic: translators.

Local support organisations

Člověk v tísni (Assistance for crime victims) is organisation in the Czech Republic that can provide information, support or advice to bereaved families. They can offer support in English also. You can find more information about what they do in the Local support organisations.

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