When someone dies in Lesotho
Find out about local procedures, burials and cremations, and returning the body to the UK.
If you are dealing with the death of a child, multiple deaths, a suspicious death or a case of murder or manslaughter, call +27 12 421 7500.
Contacting the travel insurance company
If the person who died had insurance, contact their insurance company as soon as possible. Insurance providers may help to cover the cost of repatriation. Repatriation is the process of bringing the body home. Insurance providers may also help with medical, legal, interpretation and translation fees.
If the person who died had insurance, the insurance company will appoint a funeral director both locally and in the UK.
What to do if the person who died didn’t have insurance
If you are not sure whether the person who died had insurance, check with their bank, credit card company or employer.
If the person who died did not have insurance, a relative or a formally appointed representative will usually have to appoint a funeral director and be responsible for all costs. The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) provides a list of UK-based international funeral directors.
The FCDO cannot help with any costs. In some cases, funeral directors and lawyers may provide services on a pro bono basis. Pro bono work is done for free or for a reduced cost, depending on your circumstances. This is decided on a case by case basis.
Charities and organisations that offer support
Some UK-based charities and organisations may be able to provide help and information to people affected by a death abroad. The FCDO provides a list of UK-based charities and organisations.
Mortuary facilities
Mortuaries in Lesotho can vary in the facilities that are available. Most major towns and cities have mortuaries with temperature-controlled storage facilities, but these may not be available in rural areas. This may mean the body cannot be preserved in a good condition.
Registering the death and getting a death certificate
You must register a death in the country where the person died. In Lesotho, deaths are registered at the National Identity and Civil Registry (NICR) office in the district where the death occurred. You must register the death within one year of the person dying, or you will be charged a penalty.
When registering a death you need:
- the death certificate or post-mortem report
- your photo identification document
- photo identification of the person who died
If you appoint a local funeral director to register the death on your behalf, you will also need to give them a ‘letter of authorisation’ stating that you authorise them to act on your behalf. The funeral director will tell you what the letter needs to include.
You, or the funeral director, will also need to complete ‘Form D’ and have an appointment with the registration officer. If the death was unnatural, a post-mortem will be needed before the cause of death can be recorded. The death certificate and a burial permit (if applicable) will be issued in English.
You do not need to register the death in the UK. The local death certificate can usually be used in the UK for most purposes, including probate.
If you wish, you can register the death with the Overseas Registration Unit (ORU). You can buy a UK-style death certificate, known as a Consular Death Registration certificate. The ORU will send a record to the General Register Office within 12 months.
If the person who died suffered from an infectious condition, such as hepatitis or HIV, you must tell the local authorities, so they can take precautions against infection.
Dealing with a local post-mortem
In Lesotho, post-mortems are performed when the cause of death is unknown, unnatural, sudden or violent. Post-mortems are carried out by state pathologists appointed by the Ministry of Health. Cultural or religious sensitivities may not be taken into account. The FCDO cannot stop or interfere with the process.
During a post-mortem, small tissue samples and organs may be removed and retained for testing without the consent of the family. You will not automatically be told if this happens.
If a post-mortem was carried out in the country where the person died, you can ask for a copy of the report by contacting one of the following:
- your local UK coroner if you bring the body back to the UK
- the British High Commission in Lesotho
- the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office in the UK
If you bring the body back to the UK, the UK coroner will automatically assume responsibility and open an inquest. The coroner can investigate the cause of death, and help with translation and interpretation of any medical findings.
Bringing the body home
If the person who died had insurance, find out if their insurance provider can help cover the cost of repatriation. Repatriation is the process of bringing the body home. If so, they will make all the necessary arrangements.
If the person who died is not covered by insurance, you may need to appoint an international funeral director yourself.
There are no airlines currently operating repatriation services from Lesotho. The body must be taken by hearse to the Oliver Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg, South Africa. A commercial airline will then fly the body to the UK.
The funeral director will make the necessary arrangements and will request a supporting letter from the next of kin providing consent for cross-border transport to South Africa.
To be transported back to the UK, the body must be embalmed within 3 days of death. The body will then be placed in a hermetically sealed zinc coffin and placed in a packing crate.
The FCDO provides a list of English-speaking funeral directors in Lesotho.
Finding an international funeral director
A relative or a formally appointed representative must appoint a UK-based international funeral director for the person who died to be repatriated to the UK. The FCDO provides a list of UK-based international funeral directors.
Local funeral directors will work with UK-based international funeral directors to meet all the necessary requirements both locally and in the UK. This includes providing documents such as a local civil registry death certificate, a certificate of embalming and a certificate giving permission to transfer the remains to the UK.
Advice and financial assistance for repatriation
There are UK organisations and charities that may be able to offer assistance with repatriation.
Requesting a post-mortem in the UK
If you want to have a post-mortem in the UK after the body has been repatriated, you can request one from a UK coroner. The coroner will then decide if a post-mortem is needed. If you want the person who died to be cremated, you need to apply for a certificate from the coroner (form ‘Cremation 6’).
Bringing the ashes home
You should not have the person cremated abroad if you want a UK coroner to conduct an inquest into their death.
You can ask a local funeral director to arrange a cremation. Lesotho does not have any cremation facilities and the nearest facilities are in South Africa. You should confirm all the costs of the cremation, including transportation, with the funeral director beforehand.
If you wish to take the ashes back to the UK yourself, you can usually do so. Check with your airline about specific restrictions or requirements, for example whether you can carry the ashes as hand luggage. To leave Lesotho with human ashes you will need to:
- show the death certificate
- show the certificate of cremation
- fill in a standard customs form when you arrive in the UK
If it is not possible for you to transport the ashes yourself, a funeral director will be able to make the necessary arrangements. The FCDO provides a list of UK-based international funeral directors.
Burying and cremating the body locally
There are no cremation facilities in Lesotho.
To have a local burial, a relative or a formally appointed representative needs to appoint a local funeral director.
The FCDO provides a list of English-speaking funeral directors in Lesotho.
The funeral director will be able to explain the local process.
If a local burial takes place, there will not be a coroner’s inquest carried out in the UK.
Retrieving belongings
Personal belongings found on the person who died at the time of death are given to the police if the family is not present.
If you choose to repatriate the body, instruct the local funeral director to collect all personal belongings from the police or court and ship them together with the body.
If there is an investigation into the death, clothing may be retained as evidence and will not be returned until the court case is finished.
The FCDO cannot help with the cost of returning personal belongings to the family.
Finding a lawyer
You can apply to appoint a lawyer in certain circumstances, such as a suspicious death. The FCDO provides a list of English-speaking lawyers in Lesotho.
Cancelling a passport
To avoid identity fraud, the passport of the person who died should be cancelled with His Majesty’s Passport Office (HMPO). To do this, you need to complete a D1 form.
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.
Checking you have done everything you need to do in the UK
Check this step-by-step guide for when someone dies to make sure you have done everything you need to do in the UK. You can find information on:
- how to tell the government about the death
- UK pensions and benefits
- dealing with the estate of the person who died