When someone dies in Lebanon
Updated 9 July 2024
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The process when a British national dies in Lebanon, including registering the death, funerals and cremations, and bringing the person’s body to the UK.
1. Contacting the insurance company
If the person who died had insurance, contact their insurance company as soon as possible. Read the general guidance on what to do when someone dies abroad if you’re not sure if they had insurance.
The insurance company should appoint a funeral director in Lebanon and the UK. They may also cover the cost of bringing the person’s body to the UK (repatriation) and help with any medical, legal, interpretation and translation fees.
2. Registering the death
The death must be registered at the local Lebanese registry office (دائرة النفوس ). The funeral director can normally do this for you.
The funeral director will collect the death attestation from the hospital and take this to the nearest mayor (Mukhtar) who will issue the death certificate. The same doctor who signed the attestation must sign and stamp the death certificate. Again, the funeral director will arrange this for you.
A death should be registered in the place where the doctor certifies it took place.
Copies of death certificates can be obtained within one week of issue from the mayor (Mukhtar) by submitting an application and paying a nominal fee.
Registering a death cannot be done from outside Lebanon.
3. Getting a death certificate
After registering the death, you will get a death certificate ((وثيقة وفاة You can ask for an English version with an English translation. Lebanon death certificates give the cause, date and time of death. It’s worth asking for extra copies of the death certificate, as you might need them to show to people later.
4. Post mortems in Lebanon
A post mortem is a medical examination of the body. There might be one in Lebanon if the cause of death is unknown, unnatural, sudden or violent. The General Prosecutor’s Office approval is needed to carry out a post mortem. The family’s permission is obligatory.
Post mortem reports are not usually given to the next of kin. If you have a lawyer, they can apply for a copy.
5. Burying or cremating the body in Lebanon
You need a local funeral director to arrange a burial in Lebanon.
Local burial is possible for foreign nationals. In Lebanon, burials take place in religious burial grounds. You will be asked which religion the deceased belonged to. If the deceased has no religion, they could be buried in the Catholic or Latin burial grounds.
In general, Lebanese law prohibits cremation. Hence, the facilities are not currently available in Lebanon.
6. Bringing the body to the UK
Ask your funeral director about options for bringing the person’s body to the UK from Lebanon. 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.
When taking the person’s body to the UK from Lebanon you will need to:
- show the death certificate
- show the passport of the person who died
- get a No objection letter from the British Embassy in Beirut to remove the person’s body
- get permission from Ministry of health to repatriate the body.
7. Getting the person’s belongings back
Belongings the person had with them when they died are normally given to you or the Lebanese police.
If you bring the person’s body to the UK, you can ask your local funeral director to collect all the belongings and transport them together.
If they were a Lebanon resident you may not be able to take the belongings as they may be part of their estate. Get legal advice if this happens.
Belongings may be kept as evidence if there is an investigation into the death. This will only be returned when the court case is over.
8. Finding an English translator
You may need a translator to help you understand Lebanon rules or get documents translated. Check official translators in Lebanon. The embassy in Lebanon cannot provide translation services or pay for translation costs.
9. Finding a Lebanon lawyer
You may need a lawyer to help you understand the Lebanon legal system when someone has died. Check English-speaking lawyers in Lebanon. The embassy in Lebanon cannot give you legal advice or pay for legal costs.
10. Telling the UK authorities
Although you do not have to register the death in the UK, when someone dies abroad you still need to tell the UK authorities. Read general guidance on what to do when someone dies abroad to find out what to do.
11. Contacting the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO)
You can contact the FCDO if you still need advice:
- in the UK call +44 (0)20 7008 5000