Guidance

Sweden: bereavement information

Updated 8 August 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.

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, and 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 0044 (0)207 008 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 of the person who died will normally need to make decisions and practical arrangements. The next of kin can also 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, nor in Sweden. Please note that if there is a disagreement over who is the next of kin, or if the person who died did not choose a next of kin, this may cause additional complications.

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 information may only be available to next of kin. Consular staff may be able to obtain information on your behalf, or they may put you in touch directly with the authorities overseas. Consular staff may also be able to provide you with details of others who can advocate on your behalf such as lawyers, charities, or other organisations.

Insurance

It is very important to check if the person who died had insurance. If they had insurance, you should contact their 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 costs. Some people might also be insured through for example their credit card, home insurance, their employer or rental car.

If the person who died did not have insurance, the next of kin will usually have to appoint a funeral director and will normally be responsible for any costs. The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office cannot help with these costs.

The person’s bank or credit card provider might be able to tell you whether they had insurance.

Appointing a funeral director

If you decide to bring the deceased to the UK for burial 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 Sweden, you can search for a funeral director in Sweden.

Funeral directors can arrange everything, from collection at the hospital, to making sure that the funeral is respectful and carried out according to your wishes. It is possible to arrange all practicalities yourself, but it can be time consuming and may not reduce costs.

Registering the death and obtaining a death certificate

When a person dies in Sweden, a doctor must send the equivalent of a death certificate (dödsbevis) to the Tax Authorities Skatteverket, where they will register the death and issue a dödsfallsintyg (for residents of Sweden). Skatteverket will then notify other authorities in Sweden, some companies, banks and insurance companies of the death automatically. A copy of the dödsfallsintyg can be ordered from Skatteverket at any time.

Deaths of non-residents are also registered, and next of kin can ask for an extract from the register by contacting Skatteverket. The extract confirms the deceased person’s name, date of birth and date of death. (registerutdrag)

You do not have to register the death with the UK authorities but organisations in the UK will have different rules on which documents they accept, and they may require both the dödsbevis and the underrättelse or dödsfallsintyg. These documents will normally have to be translated into English, and in addition, organisations such as mortgage companies, banks and pension funds may need someone to apply for probate.

Post mortem examinations (autopsies)

The doctor who certified the death will decide if a post mortem is required or not. If a post mortem is requested it is usually because the death was not due to natural causes, or because the circumstances surrounding the death are unclear, for example, accidents, murder, suicide, or malpractice.

There are 2 types of post mortems:

• clinical: by order of the healthcare authorities and carried out by a pathologist at a hospital
• forensic: by order of the police and performed at Rättsmedicinalverket in either Stockholm, Göteborg, Lund, Linköping, Uppsala or Umeå

The police can tell you at which unit the post mortem will be performed. You should also speak to the police if you wish to see your friend or relative before the post mortem.

After the post mortem, the funeral director can usually arrange for you to see your friend or relative.

During the post mortem, tests and tissue samples might be taken without prior consent from next of kin.

A copy of the final post mortem report (in Swedish) is normally available after approximately 3 months at no cost. Next of kin can sometimes request a preliminary post mortem report from the police.

Mortuary facilities

Swedish mortuary facilities are of a high standard and similar to those in the UK.

Burial, cremation, repatriation

A funeral should if possible take place within a month of death.

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 first step should be to appoint a funeral director. A funeral director will be able to explain the options available, the costs involved, and help you make arrangements.

The following documents (in English) are required for a repatriation:

• death certificate from the hospital (dödsbevis)
• copy of passport
• certificate of cremation (Kremeringsintyg)
• non-contagious certificate (Smittointyg) (issued by doctor)
• embalming certificate (Balsameringsintyg)
• freight certificate (Transportintyg)
• soldering certificate (Lödningsintyg)

If you wish to scatter your friend or relative’s ashes in Sweden, you must first apply for a permit from Länsstyrelsen

These are the documents required for repatriating an urn:

• extract from the cremation journal (Utdrag ur kremationsjournalen)
• freight certificate for urn (Transportintyg)
• burial/cremation permit (Gravsättning/kremationstillstånd)
• certificate of cremation (Intyg till tullen från krematoriet)
• death certificate (dödsbevis)

Contact your airline to find out whether you can carry the ashes as hand luggage or as checked-in luggage. They may ask you to put the ashes in a non-metallic container so that they can be x-rayed.

Please note if a local burial or cremation takes place, an inquest in the UK will not be possible. You should not have the person cremated if you want a coroner at home to conduct an inquest into their death. For more information on inquests, see the information on UK coroners and inquests.

Return of personal belongings

Please note that the British Embassy cannot take responsibility for the personal belongings of the person who died. Personal belongings of the person who died are usually returned to the family by the police, or the funeral director.

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 by His Majesty’s Passport Office (HMPO). To do this, you will need to complete a ‘D1 form’. View the D1 form and instructions on where to send it.

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

When the police in Sweden are called to a place where someone has died they will investigate if the person has died of natural causes or not. There are no separate procedures for deaths involving children.

Stillbirth in Sweden is defined as the birth of a baby who has died at any time from 22 weeks into the pregnancy through to the due date.

Deaths in road traffic accidents

In most deaths resulting from road traffic accidents the police will ask that a post mortem is performed to be able to establish the cause of death.

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 the FCDO can do.

If the deceased is repatriated to the UK a coroner or procurator fiscal may decide to hold an inquest. See the section on UK Coroners and inquests below.

If a death in Sweden is regarded as suspicious, the police will investigate in full. The investigation will be conducted/held in the area where the crime was committed. If there is a suspect, the Prosecutor (åklagare) will become involved, and they become the lead investigator (förundersökningsledare). If there is no suspect, the police will lead the investigation.

It is normally the police (but sometimes the prosecutor or the courts) who decide whether a post mortem should be performed. The next of kin cannot appeal if a decision has been made by the police to perform a post mortem.

If the next of kin are in Sweden, the police will (where possible) inform them of the death in person. If the next of kin are in the UK or in another country, the police will inform them via Interpol (International Criminal Police Organisation), who will inform the police in the country where the next of kin are resident.

It is common practice that the investigation is confidential, and that the police will not be able to share details with next of kin about what has happened. It is also possible that the next of kin will be questioned by the police about the incident, or about the person who has died.

The investigation may result in the identification of a perpetrator, and the case will then be taken to court. Court hearings are often open to the public, but in certain circumstances they may be closed to the public.

Investigations in death cases do not always end up with a trial. However, there is no statute of limitations on murder and manslaughter cases.

UK coroners and inquests

If you repatriate the person who died to England and Wales, there may be an inquest. The decision on whether to hold an inquest is made by His Majesty’s Coroner. Please note, an inquest will usually only happen in certain situations, for example, when someone has died in suspicious, unnatural, or 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.

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 & Development Office’s guide on death abroad.

Legal Aid

Legal Aid (rättshjälp) in Sweden is a kind of financial support for those who cannot afford legal advice and support. It means that lawyers charge a fixed rate, and the State pays all or some of the charges – normally for those who are very young or have a low income.

For further information on this, or how to find a lawyer if you need one, see Sveriges Domstolar and our list of lawyers.

Compensation

A person who has been a victim of crime may be entitled to compensation for injuries caused.

There are 3 different kinds of compensation: damages from the offender, insurance compensation, and criminal injuries compensation from the state.

In principle, a person who commits a crime is obligated to pay for any damage or injuries the crime has caused. This compensation is known as damages. The amount of damages to be paid is determined at the trial.

If the offender cannot pay damages and you have insurance, part of the damages may be covered by your insurance.

If you do not have insurance that fully covers any injuries, and you have not received compensation through damages, you may be entitled to compensation from the state, known as criminal injuries compensation.

You may also be entitled to compensation from your insurance company or criminal injuries compensation in cases where the identity of the offender is unknown.

More information is available on Crime Victim Compensation and Support Authority.

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

Translation and interpretation

The official language in Sweden is Swedish, but most people speak and write English well. Many websites have a shortened English version of the site available.

The embassy cannot translate formal documents. You should contact independent professionals.

Find a translator or interpreter in Sweden.

Additional support

Local support organisations

Contact your local health centre (vårdcentral) if you need support while you are in Sweden. They can help you get in touch with people or organisations that can help, for example:

• Brottsofferjouren: victim support
• SPES: Help after suicide
• Vårdguiden: information about health and where to get help

Support organisations in the UK

In the UK, there are many organisations that can help bereaved families. Some of these are listed in the guidance on coping with death abroad.