Guidance

Rwanda: bereavement information

Updated 1 June 2021

1. 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.

2. Introduction

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. You may be uncertain about what to do next or who to contact for advice. Consular Directorate of the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office and The British High Commission in Kigali are ready to help as far as they can.

These notes are designed to help you through the practical arrangements you will need to make. You should be aware that Rwanda procedures 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.

3. Standard procedures

Following the death of a British national in Rwanda, the deceased’s family, or a formally appointed representative, must decide whether to:

• repatriate the deceased to the UK
• have a local burial
• have a local cremation and the ashes repatriated
• have a local cremation and the ashes scattered in Rwanda

If the deceased was covered by travel insurance, it is important for the deceased’s family to contact the insurance company without delay. If there is no insurance cover, the cost of repatriation or cremation will need to be met by family or friends. The services of an international undertaker are normally necessary to help with these arrangements.

The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office or our High Commission in Rwanda does not have a budget to meet these costs. The deceased’s family should also be aware that all hospital bills must be paid before the body of the deceased can be released.

Consular staff in London will pass on to the High Commission in Rwanda the wishes of the deceased’s family about disposal of the deceased person’s body, and details of who is taking responsibility for the costs involved. We will do our best to ensure these wishes are carried out.

It is important to remember that if the deceased was travelling with a tour operator, they can be a valuable source of assistance and advice.

We appreciate that the next of kin may not always live in the UK. Repatriations can be organised to most countries in the world.

There are funeral companies in Rwanda who have worked with British nationals and have English speaking staff. Our consular staff can provide a list of funeral directors.

If the death is under suspicious circumstances like in an incident of Murder or Manslaughter, the Rwanda Police will be involved and they will usually, but not always the case, inform the British High Commission of their investigations. The process could take long and the consular staff at the British High Commission would do all that they can to acquire a police report.

Please note that if the death may have occurred naturally and if so, information about a police investigation is not applicable.

4. Post mortem examinations

The Legal Government pathologists may carry out post mortems in Rwanda when the death is of suspicious circumstances. During the examination, organs can be removed for testing, including toxicological studies, at the discretion of the Doctor and without consent of deceased’s family. Occasionally, these organs are not returned. The post mortem report is usually available one month after the examination is carried out, however delays can occur.

If the death is of natural causes a post mortem will only be performed if the family requests it. The hospital will charge a fee to conduct a post mortem.

5. Mortuary / cold storage facilities

The deceased will normally be taken to a local hospital mortuary. You should be aware that storage facilities vary depending on the part of the country. Most of the major hospitals in the city of Kigali and towns in Rwanda have mortuary/ cold storage facilities and charge daily fees

We cannot guarantee that the mortuary facilities will be comparable to the UK. We recommend that funeral arrangements for your loved one are made as quickly as possible.

6. Repatriation and burial

If the deceased had travel insurance, the insurance company will normally have a standing agreement with an international funeral director in the UK to arrange repatriations. If the deceased is not covered by insurance, their family will need to appoint and pay an international undertaker to make repatriation arrangements for them.

A funeral director in Rwanda or an International funeral director themselves will normally ensure that all necessary requirements are met in Rwanda or to the country of repatriation. A list of funeral directors in Rwanda is available on our website. They are normally equipped with special caskets to carry out repatriation procedures for the international carriage of a deceased person.

Documentation such as a local death certificate, a certificate of embalming, and a certificate giving permission to transfer the deceased to the UK will always be required. Your funeral director will help arrange this documentation. Local formalities for repatriation normally take three or four days to complete if death was due to natural causes. Investigations in to sudden or unexpected deaths could delay the repatriation process.

In certain circumstances repatriation may not always be possible. Our consular staff will inform the deceased’s family as soon as possible if this is the case.

7. Local cremation

Cremation can be carried out at the Hindu Mandal Crematorium in Bugesera (which is the only crematorium in the country – located 40km from Kigali City). Permission from the Bugesera District authorities is a requirement prior to the cremation.

The Hindu Mandal Crematorium will need a death certificate, a letter from the deceased’s family giving permission, a copy of the deceased UK passport.

If the deceased’s family choose to have a local cremation and wish to take the ashes back to the UK themselves, our High Commission and your local undertaker will work together to arrange the necessary paperwork for the return of the ashes to the UK.

8. Local burial

A burial in Rwanda is also possible. Your funeral directors can help to acquire burial permit. There will be a fee to pay for the burial ground in the cemetery.

If the death was accidental, or happened under suspicious circumstances a legal post mortem report, burial permit and acknowledgement from the deceased’s family will be required before burial. Your Funeral Director can arrange this for you.

Do note that an inquest will not take place in the UK if a local burial or local cremation takes place in Rwanda.

9. Registration of the death in Rwanda

The Rwandan authorities issue death certificates in English or French depending on where the death occurred. It can take up to one day to get a death certificate issued. In Rwanda death certificates do not often provide extensive details of the cause of death.

10. Consular death registration

There is no obligation for the death of a British national overseas to be registered with the British High Commission. However, you may wish to register the death in the United Kingdom so that their death is recorded with the General Register Office in the UK. More information about this procedure and the application process can be found at www.gov.uk/register-a-death.

You should be aware that regardless of whether you apply for a UK death registration, it is still your responsibility to ensure authorities such as the Department of Work and Pensions, local councils, and Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) are informed about your loved one’s death.

11. Clothing and personal belongings

The deceased’s personal belongings found at the time of death will be with the hospital morgue personnel and latter handed over to the family if they are present in country and the death is of natural causes.

If the death is of any suspicious circumstances, the police could use this as evidence and hand the belongings over to the courts after investigations and not to the family for court proceedings.

If the deceased’s family deceased’s family is not in country, the police will hand over the belongings to the appointed family representative in country or to the family appointed lawyer.

If the deceased’s family is not in country, an assigned funeral director could help to repatriate the deceased’s belongings to the deceased’s family or a family lawyer.

12. Police/ judicial inquiries/ deaths in suspicious circumstances

The police investigate all accidental or suspicious deaths. As well as examining the scene of the death, they will take statements from witnesses, and also interview family and/ or friends of the deceased who are present in the country. If the police apprehend a suspect in a case of suspicious death, he/ she will probably be remanded in custody whilst the police conduct an investigation. It usually takes several months (sometimes years) before a case comes to court for a full hearing.

If the circumstances of the death are not considered unusual by the police, registration of the death is permitted and the deceased will be released for repatriation or cremation within a few days.

If the police are not satisfied after the preliminary examination of the facts, a post-mortem examination may be required. Further investigations and interviews with witnesses may also be called for. The post-mortem report is usually available within a month after the death has occurred but this is not always the case. There may be possibilities of delays in the process.

The deceased’s family can request a copy of the police report from the Rwandan Police, however these are usually not shared if the Rwandan Police are still carrying out investigations in to the death.

13. Legal Aid

Legal Aid is unfortunately not available in Rwanda. You may wish to engage the services of a local lawyer to represent your interests should a trial be necessary. A list of English-speaking lawyers is available at the British High Commission in Kigali or online.

14. Compensation

There is no government compensation scheme in place for murder/ manslaughter/ terrorism cases in Rwanda for foreign nationals or for local nationals.

15. Bereavement Counselling

Bereavement counselling is unfortunately not available Rwanda. In the UK there are a number of organisations that can support and help bereaved families and friends to understand their grief and come to terms with their loss. Useful contacts include Cruse Bereavement Care and Samaritans.

16. British passport cancellation

In order to avoid identity fraud a deceased person’s passport should be sent to the British High Commission in Kigali for cancellation. Deceased’s family can request the passport to be returned to them as soon as the cancellation is done. Likewise if the deceased’s UK passport has been lost or mislaid, relatives should contact us for instructions on reporting the loss of the passport.

17. International undertaker contact details

A list of International Funeral Directors can be found on the following www.gov.uk page.

18. British High Commission Kigali Contact Details

British High Commission Kigali

KG 7 AveKacyiru-Sud
Kigali
Kigali
PO Box 576
Rwanda

Telephone +250 252 556 000/+44 20 7008 5000

Fax +250 252 582 044

Consular assistance (24 hour) +250 252 556 000/+44 20 7008 5000

Use our contact form for consular enquiries:
www.gov.uk/contact-consulate-kigali

For other enquiries, email: BHC.Kigali@fcdo.gov.uk.