When someone dies overseas

When someone dies while you are abroad with them

All deaths must be registered in the country where the death occurs. Your tour guide, the local police or the British Consul can help you. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office also give guidance and advice.  

It is useful to have as much documentation as possible about the deceased and yourself, including:

  • full names
  • date of births
  • passport numbers and issue details
  • details of the deceased's next of kin 
  • details of any pre-existing medical conditions - this is especially important if the deceased was suffering from an infectious disease so that the authorities can take precautions against infection

When someone dies abroad while you are in the UK

If the death has been reported to a British Embassy, they will contact the UK police who will immediately visit the next of kin and break the news. If you hear of the death from a tour operator, the media, or any other third party you should contact The Consular Assistance team in London who can be reached on: 020 7008 1500 (+44 20 7008 1500 from abroad). This number operates 24 hours a day.



Consular staff in London will keep in touch with the family and the Consulate abroad until burial or cremation overseas, or until the deceased has been brought back to the UK. Consular staff in London will pass on to the Consulate overseas the wishes of the next of kin about disposal of the body.

Registration

If the deceased was from England, Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland, you will need to register the death according to the local regulations in the country where they died, and get a local death certificate.

You can also choose to register the death with the General Register Office in the UK by applying for a Consular Death Registration.

In some circumstances or, if the information about the death abroad is incomplete, it must be reported to a coroner.

If the deceased was from Scotland, you can get a copy of the death certificate later from:

The General Register Office for Scotland

New Register House

3 West Register Street

Edinburgh EH1 3YT

(0131) 334 0380

registar@belfastcity.gov.uk

If the deceased was from Northern Ireland, you can get a copy of the death certificate later from:

The General Register Office

Oxford House

49 Chichester Street

Belfast BT1 4HL

(028) 9027 0274

registar@belfastcity.gov.uk

The funeral 

You can arrange a local burial or cremation. Alternatively, you may wish to repatriate the body to the UK for cremation or burial. Most funeral directors should be able to advise you on the practicalities of your particular case and the likely cost. 

You will need an authenticated translation of a foreign death certificate - which must show the cause of death - from the place where the person died, and an authorisation for the removal of the body from the country of death from the coroner or relevant authority. You must contact the registrar once the body is back in the UK.

The Consular Assistance team at the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office  in London can be reached on: 020 7008 1500 (+44 20 7008 1500 from abroad). This number operates 24 hours a day.