What to do when someone dies abroad
What to do, including registering the death, post mortems, bringing the body to the UK and getting help from the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO).
This is general guidance on what to do when a British national dies abroad. You can also read specific bereavement information for most countries.
Contacting the insurance company
Contact the travel insurance company of the person who died as soon as possible.
Travel insurance may cover costs such as medical, repatriation, legal, interpretation and translation fees, and insurers may have a list of approved funeral directors.
If you’re not sure if the person who died had insurance, check with their bank, credit card company, tour operator or travel agent, or their employer if they were travelling for work.
If they did not have insurance, you will usually need to appoint and pay for your own funeral director for a cremation or burial abroad, or for an international funeral director in the UK to bring the person’s body to the UK.
Registering the death and getting a death certificate
You must register a death in the country where the person died. You will then get a death certificate from the local authorities. You do not have to register the death in the UK.
If you bring the person who died back to the UK to be buried or cremated, a record of the burial or cremation will be held at the General Register Office (GRO). If you do not bring the person who died back to the UK and would like a record made of the death in the UK you can apply for a Consular Death Registration.
The hospital, local police, tour operator or funeral director can usually explain how to do this. You can also read specific bereavement information for most countries.
You will usually need:
- documents about yourself showing your full name and date of birth, such as a passport, driving licence or birth certificate
- the passport of the person who died or other documents showing their full name, date of birth, passport number, and where and when the passport was issued
- details of the next of kin
It’s worth asking for extra copies of the death certificate, as you might need them to show to other people later.
If you do not agree with the contents of a death certificate, including the cause of death, you should seek independent legal advice.
Post mortems abroad
A post mortem is a medical examination of the person who died. The local authorities may carry out a post mortem to help find out what caused the death and to gather evidence if the death appears suspicious. Local authorities do not usually need permission to do this.
You can find out more about how post mortems work in the country where the person died.
If you do not agree with a post mortem report, you should seek independent legal advice.
Bringing the body to the UK
You will need to appoint an international funeral director if you want to bring the person who died to the UK – known as repatriation. The international funeral director will work with a local funeral director in the country where the person died. You will be expected to sign a form to give permission for both funeral directors to act on your behalf. In some countries a lack of mortuary facilities might mean repatriation is not possible – check country-specific bereavement guides for more information.
You will only be able to bring the person’s body back once all local procedures have been completed. This will include obtaining a death certificate and may include processes like a post mortem or police examination. These can take time to complete.
Read information about the country where the person died to find out what else you need to do. Read additional guidance if the person died through murder, manslaughter or other suspicious circumstances.
Post mortems in the UK
In England and Wales, a coroner, or in Scotland the Procurator Fiscal or Death Service Certification Service, may carry out another post mortem examination if the person’s body is returned to the UK.
If you are due to repatriate a body back to the UK, please speak to your International Funeral Director or your local authority for more information regarding the coronial inquest process in the UK. Bodies usually need to be embalmed before they are brought back to the UK. The embalming process means that a further post mortem in the UK may not be able to find out any more information on the cause of death.
Repatriation to Scotland
To repatriate a body to Scotland, the next of kin or international funeral director must apply to the Death Certification Review Service (DCRS). Find more death abroad information and application forms for Scotland. DCRS will review the paperwork and deal with the authorising of burial or cremation. Once authorised, normal Scottish burial or cremation application procedures apply, as set out in the Burial and Cremation (Scotland) Act 2016.
Repatriation to Northern Ireland
Read arranging a funeral in Northern Ireland for more information on repatriation. Coroners in Northern Ireland do not have the authority to hold an inquest into a death abroad.
Bringing ashes back to the UK
You do not need a permit to bring ashes to the UK. You can usually take them on a plane with you or put them in the hold as part of your luggage, but you should:
- tell the airline in advance that you’re planning to bring them on the plane
- take the cremation certificate with you
Read information about the country where the person died to find out what else you need to do.
Burial or cremation abroad
You usually need to appoint a local funeral director if you want to arrange a burial or cremation where the person died. Read country-specific guidance on death abroad to find out how local funerals are organised. Burial or cremation facilities may be limited in some countries or not available for local religious or cultural reasons.
There will not be a UK inquest or coroner’s investigation if there is a burial or cremation abroad.
Telling the UK authorities about the death
Although you do not have to register the death in the UK, when someone dies abroad you may still need to tell the UK authorities about it. This could be to cancel a driving licence or stop the person’s pension, for example.
For child deaths abroad the FCDO will inform the UK coroner, who will then conduct a Child Death Review.
If the person died in the Commonwealth, EU country, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway or Switzerland, you may be able to use the UK government’s Tell Us Once service. This lets you report a death to most government organisations in one go.
You can use Tell Us Once if the person who died:
- normally lived in England, Scotland or Wales
- was abroad temporarily (for example, on holiday or a business trip)
If you cannot use this, there is a list of government departments to inform.
Cancelling the passport
You will need the passport of the person who died if you want to repatriate them to the UK. Don’t cancel their passport until they have been repatriated.
Once their body has been returned to the UK, or if they were cremated or buried overseas, you should cancel the passport by completing a D1 form.
How the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) can help
The FCDO can provide personalised advice for you on:
- finding local funeral directors, lawyers abroad, translators or interpreters and charities
- local rules and procedures when someone dies
- contacting the local authorities
- how to request updates to any local investigation where relevant
- how to transfer money from friends and family in the UK
- dealing with media interest in the death
Read additional guidance if the person died through murder, manslaughter or other suspicious circumstances.
The FCDO cannot:
- offer legal or medical advice
- investigate a death abroad
- pay burial, cremation, repatriation or legal costs or any other debts or expenses
- recommend a specific service provider such as a lawyer or funeral director
Read guidance for the country the person died in first, and if you still need help:
- in the UK call the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) 24/7 on 020 7008 5000
- If you’re abroad contact the local British embassy or consulate
Getting the person’s belongings back
You may want to return the belongings of the person who died to the UK. Read information about the country where the person died to find out what you need to do.
Ask your funeral director if you need help getting the items back. Contact the FCDO if they cannot help. The FCDO will help you look for options but cannot return the items to the UK for you.
Financial help
The Money Advice Service has information on how to deal with money after a death, and if you need help paying for a funeral. You might be able to get a Funeral Expenses Payment to help pay funeral costs for people who have died abroad. The Children’s Funeral Fund (CFF) may also be able to help with some costs if someone under 18 has died.
You can also get advice from your local Citizen’s Advice Bureau in the UK.
The FCDO cannot pay burial, cremation or repatriation expenses or pay any debts or expenses.
The FCDO can advise you how to transfer money from friends and family in the UK, and has guidance on getting emergency financial assistance abroad.
Bereavement Support Payment
You may be able to apply online for Bereavement Support Payment if your husband, wife or civil partner died when living in a country that pays bereavement benefits.
Financial advice about repatriation
Your International Funeral Director are likely to offer advice and a no obligation quote about financial advice on repatriating the person’s body to the UK. Other organisations that can help with financial advice are:
- JackTheLad Foundation (UK) – UK-wide advice and financial assistance for repatriation of young people (aged 16 to 30) who have died as a result of an accident overseas
- Kevin Bell Repatriation Trust (Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland) – advice and financial assistance for repatriation to Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland of those who have died suddenly abroad
- Repatriation Services Trust (Wales) – advice, support and financial aid for bereaved families from Wales
Claiming compensation
You may be able to claim compensation for a death abroad if it was not from natural causes. The FCDO may be able to tell you if a compensation scheme exists in another country.
You may need a lawyer to help you make a claim and tell you how likely you are to be successful.
Finding a lawyer or translator
You may need a lawyer to help you get information from the authorities abroad or if the death was suspicious. The FCDO has lists of English-speaking lawyers in other countries.
The FCDO also has lists of English-speaking translators or interpreters. The British embassy or consulate cannot translate documents or verbal conversations for you.
If you need to travel or extend your stay abroad
If you need to travel to the country where the death occurred or extend your stay, check travel advice for visa requirements.
You can also apply to get a passport urgently.
Other support you could get
Read guidance if the person died through murder, manslaughter or other suspicious circumstances.
These UK-based organisations might also be able to help you:
- Road Peace and Brake are UK charities supporting those bereaved by road crashes, including crashes abroad
- Death Abroad – You’re Not Alone is a non-profit organisation in Scotland to support people who have lost family or friends abroad
- The Kirsty Maxwell Charity provides peer support to people who have lost family or friends abroad
- LBT Global provides support around repatriation, burial and cremation overseas, dealing with the media, travel if you need to go abroad because of a death and support during investigations or trials
Feedback
The FCDO welcomes your views on the support it provides, to help identify what it does well and what it could do better. Contact the FCDO using the feedback contact form.
Disclaimer
You can read the disclaimer relating to this guidance.
Last updated 20 May 2024 + show all updates
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This guidance has been reviewed and updated.
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First published.