When someone dies in Austria
The process when a British national dies in Austria, including registering the death, funerals and cremations, and bringing the person’s body to the UK.
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 Austria 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.
If they did not have insurance, you will usually need to appoint and pay for your own funeral director for a cremation abroad or an international funeral director in the UK to bring the person’s body to the UK.
If you choose to appoint a local funeral director in Austria, ask whether they can offer international services such as repatriations.
Next of kin
The next of kin of the person who died will usually need to make decisions and practical arrangements. If you are not the next of kin, they will need to be informed.
In Austria, the legal definition of next of kin is a registered spouse or partner. It then follows the hereditary line, for example to children and grandchildren. A dispute over the next of kin is decided by a civil suit in court.
In Austria, the police will notify the next of kin of the death as long as the details are known or can be established.
Registering the death
The death must be registered at the local Austrian registry office. Your funeral director can normally do this for you.
You will need information and documents about the person who has died, including their:
- birth certificate, showing their place of birth and parents’ names
- religion
- official identity document (for example their British passport)
- spouse’s details (if applicable)
- marriage certificate (if applicable)
- divorce papers (if applicable)
- death notification form (Todesbescheinigung) or notice of death (Anzeige des Todes)
Getting a death certificate
After registering the death, you will get a death certificate (‘Sterbeurkunde’). You can ask for an international version (‘Internationale Sterbeurkunde’) with a multilingual translation.
Austrian death certificates do not give the cause of death. You can find this on the death report (Totenschaubefund) issued by the hospital or pathologist. It’s worth asking for extra copies of the death certificate, as you might need them to show to people later.
You do not need to register the death in the UK. The local international 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. You can order a UK-style death certificate, known as a Consular Death Registration certificate. A record will be sent to the General Register Office within 12 months.
Post mortems in Austria
A post mortem is a medical examination of the body. There might be one in Austria if the cause of death is unknown, unnatural, sudden or violent.
In most Austrian provinces, the doctor carrying out the death inspection will decide whether a post mortem is necessary. If a death takes place in a hospital, the medical history will also form part of the decision making.
The public prosecutor may order a post mortem if the death happens in a public area, if a third-party was involved, or if third-party involvement cannot be ruled out. At this stage, the public prosecutor may appoint a local funeral director temporarily to transport the body to the hospital or medical faculty where the post mortem will be carried out. The funeral director will then store the body until arrangements are made by the family.
Forensic doctors appointed by the court carry out the post mortem. Cultural or religious sensitivities may not be taken into account. Small tissue samples and organs may be removed for testing without the family’s permission. You will not automatically be told if this happens.
If organs are removed they will normally be returned before the person’s body is released for burial. In exceptional circumstances body parts may be kept without permission. This might happen if further investigation is needed. The next of kin will be told if this happens.
A person can register their objection to organ removal in an “opting-out register” (Widerspruchregister) compiled free of charge by the Austrian Federal Institute for Health (ÖBIG).
Post mortem reports are not usually given to the next of kin. If you have a lawyer they can apply for a copy from the public prosecutor who ordered the post mortem.
Mortuary facilities in Austria
Mortuaries in Austria are located at:
- cemeteries, where bodies are kept in certified cold storage facilities until the funeral, burial, or repatriation of the remains
- hospitals, mainly for post-mortem examinations to establish the exact cause of death
- university medical faculties
The police and public prosecutor regulate whether the next of kin is permitted or required to visit or identify the deceased.
Mortuaries are situated all over Austria, but not necessarily in every municipality. If the deceased needs to be kept in a mortuary, the costs must be covered by the next of kin. These costs are regulated differently in each municipality/city both in terms of daily rates and lump sums.
If no mortuary facilities are available in the vicinity, the local public health authority decides where the body of the deceased is taken (for example, to the provincial capital or country capital city).
Burying or cremating the body in Austria
You need a local funeral director to arrange a burial or cremation in Austria. The exact rules on burials and cremations are different depending on where you are in Austria. Your funeral director can give you advice.
A local burial is usually only possible if the deceased had their main place of residence in Austria. Foreign nationals can have a local cremation in Austria. Most crematoria in Austria require a signed consent and data protection declaration form completed by the deceased person before their death, or by the next of kin after the death.
You are not allowed to scatter ashes locally in Austria. Only authorised parties such as funeral directors can accept, hold or transport ashes. A local authority can grant permission for ashes to be stored (in a sealed urn) in a specific house or apartment. Regulations vary by province (Bundesland). A funeral director is commissioned to transfer the ashes.
You should not have the person cremated abroad if you want a coroner in England and Wales to conduct an inquest into their death. In Scotland, a further investigation may still be possible.
If the next of kin does not have the financial means to pay for a funeral or cremation, the state will instruct a so-called “pauper’s funeral”. It may be possible to seek financial support from local charities or institutions but it is up to the next of kin to take this forward.
If the next of kin does not appoint a funeral director by the deadline, the state will instruct a local cremation.
In Austria, a body can be donated to medical science provided this has been stated in the Last Will and Testament of the deceased. If no such statement has been made, the body will not be accepted.
Bringing the body to the UK
Ask your funeral director about options for bringing the person’s body to the UK from Austria. Repatriation is the process of bringing the body home.
When bringing the person’s body to the UK from Austria your funeral director will need to:
- show the international death certificate (Sterbeurkunde)
- show the medical death certificate (Totenschaubefund). This shows the results of the medical examination and the date, time, place and cause of death. The medical death certificate is required in order for an international death certificate (Sterbeurkunde) to be issued
- show the international corpse pass (Leichenpass). This is necessary for flight repatriations.
- show the passport of the person who died
Embalming is not standard practice in Austria and is only usually carried out in the case of a repatriation abroad where the country of destination insists on it.
Bringing the ashes to the UK
Arranging for the ashes to be taken to the UK
Ask your funeral director about the rules for bringing ashes to the UK.
Austrian cremation authorities will only release ashes (in sealed urns) to UK funeral directors. The Austrian Cremation administration requires a written confirmation from the management of a local UK cemetery that they have provided for a burial plot (urn acceptance note). Then a sealed urn, together with relevant paperwork, can be sent to a UK funeral director.
Documents required for the repatriation of an urn include:
- international death certificate (Sterbeurkunde)
- medical death certificate (Totenschaubefund). This shows the results of the medical examination and the date, time, place and cause of death. The medical death certificate is required in order for an international death certificate (Sterbeurkunde) to be issued
- urn acceptance note (Urnenannahmebestätigung)
- cremation certificate (Einäscherungsurkunde)
You should not have the person cremated abroad if you want a UK coroner to conduct an inquest into their death.
Getting the person’s belongings back
Belongings the person had with them when they died are normally given to you or the Austrian 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. Arrangements should be put in place at the time of the repatriation. It can be difficult to arrange the return of personal belongings after the repatriation has taken place.
If they were an Austrian resident you may not be able to take the belongings as they may be part of their estate. Get legal advice if this happens. A court-appointed district notary public will handle estate proceedings and inheritance matters. For any enquiries on estate proceedings, the next of kin should contact the appointed notary public. A local lawyer will be able to help you.
Belongings may be kept as evidence if there is an investigation into the death. They will only be returned when the court case is over. The police may also retain clothing as evidence. The appointed notary public will be notified when the personal belongings are no longer needed by the police.
The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office cannot take responsibility for the personal belongings of the person who died or help with the cost of returning personal belongings to the family.
Finding a German translator
You may need a translator to help you understand Austrian rules or get documents translated. Check official translators in Austria. The embassy or consulate in Austria cannot provide translation services or pay for translation costs.
Finding an Austrian lawyer
You may need a lawyer to help you understand the Austrian legal system when someone has died. Check English-speaking lawyers in Austria. The embassy or consulate in Austria cannot give you legal advice or pay for legal costs.
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.
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
- see how to get help from the UK government abroad