Guidance

Iraq: bereavement information pack

Updated 23 July 2021

The death of a relative or a friend can be a traumatic experience. When the death occurs overseas, family and friends in the UK can feel additional distress as they are unfamiliar with foreign procedures and perhaps are unable to communicate in the language of the country where the death occurred. Consular Directorate of the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office and our consular sections of the British Embassy Baghdad and British Consulate-General Erbil are ready to help as far as they can. You may be uncertain about what to do next or who to contact for advice. These notes are designed to help you through the practical arrangements you will need to make. You should be aware that procedures in Iraq differ significantly to those in the United Kingdom and that, while we understand your need for arrangements to be made quickly, this is not always possible.

The information contained in this document is not meant to be a definitive statement of the law, nor is it to be taken as a substitute for independent legal advice.

What we can and cannot do

Read general information on coping with death abroad.

The British Embassy Baghdad and British Consulate-General Erbil provide limited consular services but will help as much as possible to enable the family or next of kin make their arrangements.

We can:

• facilitate with the local authorities to help ensure the process runs as smoothly as possible

• provide advice on the process for arranging repatriation back to the UK

• provide advice on local burial if the family or next of kin decide on a local burial

• provide lists of services such as hospital contacts, police stations, lawyers and interpreters

We cannot:

• investigate deaths ourselves

• give legal advice

• pay burial or cremation expenses

• pay for the return of bodies to the UK

• pay any debts that may be outstanding or pay any other expenses

Autopsies (post mortems)

In the Kurdistan Region of Iraq autopsies are always carried out except when the cause of death is very clear. The retention of organs is always decided with the consent of next of kin. The autopsy report is available to the family upon request. In the rest of Iraq the Iraqi authorities usually insist on carrying out an autopsy.

Mortuary facilities

In the Kurdistan Region of Iraq mortuaries are available in the three main cities of Erbil, Sulaimania and Dohuk.

Region	Address	Contact number
Erbil	100 M St, besides the Emergency Hospital	0750 453 61 54
Dohuk	Beside Azadi Hospital	0750 344 4449
Sulaimania	City Centre, close to the Emergency Hospital	0770 1524940

In the rest of Iraq, the bodies of British nationals are first taken to the local mortuary and then usually transported to the mortuary in Baghdad where arrangements for repatriation can be made:

Baghdad funeral office
Address: Bab Almoazam
Beside the Institute of Forensic Medicine Institute
Baghdad

Repatriation and burial

In Iraqi Kurdistan local burial is free of charge in coordination with local mosques and churches.

An inquest will not take place in the UK if a local burial takes place.

Iraqi law gives the right to the deceased person’s family to repatriate the body outside of the Iraqi territories under the articles of the Iraqi Funerals transfer law No. 52 of 1967.

We can assist if you would like to arrange repatriation. The Iraqi authorities require us to write a letter of No Objection to request permission for repatriation to take place. The Iraqi authorities also require a Consular officer to witness the sealing of the casket and legalise the death certificate. If you have insurance, the insurance company will appoint an agent to liaise with the Mortuary on the repatriation arrangements. We can liaise with the Baghdad Mortuary and the insurance company to help ensure the process runs smoothly.

We can provide contact details of international funeral directors based in the UK.

Registration of the death

All deaths must be registered in the country where the death occurs. A death certificate will be issued in Arabic. Iraqi death certificates give details of the cause of death, as would be the case in the UK.

Return of personal effects

All personal effects are returned to the next of kin by a judge’s decision.

Police/judicial inquiries/deaths in suspicious circumstances

In the Kurdistan Region of Iraq the police are required to make a report to the Investigating Judge within 24 hours. The Investigating Judge then will decide if an arrest needs to be made. Or the case will be closed since the action will not be considered as a crime based on the case facts before the Investigating Judge. The judge always bases the decision upon the legal article in the Iraqi penal code.

Legal aid

Legal aid is not available in Kurdistan Region of Iraq.

Compensation

Compensation is not available in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq.