# When someone dies abroad: what to do next

> When someone dies abroad, contact their travel insurer and the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (020 7008 5000, 24 hours). Register the death in the country where it happened. You can then bring the body home using an international funeral director, hold a funeral locally, or cremate locally and bring the ashes home. The FCDO cannot pay these costs.

Source: https://funeralfinder.org/uk/guides/when-someone-dies-abroad/ — updated 2026-09-25 — FuneralFinder

Losing someone while they're abroad is especially hard. You may be far away, dealing with unfamiliar rules and another language, while trying to take in the news. This guide explains the practical steps, who can help, and how the rules differ in England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

## Key points

- **Call the travel insurer first**, if there is one. It may cover repatriation and other costs.
- **The FCDO can advise 24 hours a day** on 020 7008 5000, but can't pay costs or investigate.
- **The death must be registered in the country where it happened.** UK registration is optional.
- **You have three main options**: bring the body home, hold the funeral abroad, or cremate abroad and bring the ashes home.
- **A UK inquest can only happen if the body comes back** and isn't cremated abroad.
- **Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own rules** for bringing someone home.

## First steps

1. **Contact the travel insurer**, if the person had one. Check with their bank, credit card company, tour operator or employer if you're unsure. Insurers may have approved funeral directors.
2. **Contact the FCDO** on **020 7008 5000** (24 hours), or the local British embassy, high commission or consulate if you're abroad.
3. **Read the FCDO's country-specific bereavement guide** on GOV.UK. Each one explains local rules.
4. **Keep the person's passport.** You'll need it to bring them home. Don't cancel it until afterwards.

### What the FCDO can and can't do

| The FCDO can | The FCDO can't |
|---|---|
| Advise on local rules and procedures | Pay funeral, repatriation or legal costs |
| Help you find local funeral directors, lawyers and translators | Recommend a specific provider |
| Contact local authorities and request updates on investigations | Investigate the death |
| Explain how to send money from the UK | Give legal or medical advice |
| Explain consular death registration | Translate documents for you |

## Registering the death abroad

You must register the death with the local authorities. The hospital, police, tour operator or funeral director can usually explain how. You'll normally need your own ID, the person's passport or details of it, and next-of-kin details.

- Ask for **several copies** of the death certificate.
- If it isn't in English, you'll need an **official translation**.
- If you disagree with the cause of death or a post-mortem report, get **independent legal advice**.

You **don't have to register the death in the UK**. If the person is brought home for burial or cremation, the General Register Office keeps a record. If not, you can apply for a **consular death registration** in many countries.

## Your options

| Option | What's involved | Things to know |
|---|---|---|
| **Bring the body home** | International funeral director in the UK works with a local one | Most complex and costly; allows a UK funeral and, where relevant, a coroner's investigation |
| **Funeral abroad** | Local funeral director arranges burial or cremation | Facilities vary; no UK inquest is possible afterwards |
| **Cremate abroad, bring ashes home** | Local cremation, then carry or send the ashes | Usually simpler and cheaper; no UK inquest possible |

## Bringing the body home

You'll need an **international funeral director** in the UK. They work with a local funeral director and you sign a form authorising both. The body can only leave once local procedures, such as a post-mortem or police enquiries, are complete. It is usually embalmed and placed in a sealed coffin.

Typical documents include:

- a **certified English translation** of the death certificate
- **permission to remove the body**, from the local coroner or equivalent
- an **embalming certificate**.

For more on the process and costs, see our [repatriation guide](/uk/guides/repatriation/).

## What happens when the person is home

| | England and Wales | Scotland | Northern Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| **Paperwork for the funeral** | Take the foreign death certificate to the register office where the funeral will be held; you get a **certificate of no liability to register** | The next of kin or funeral director applies to the **Death Certification Review Service (DCRS)**, which reviews the papers and authorises burial or cremation | Follow nidirect guidance; the funeral director will advise |
| **Coroner or equivalent** | A coroner may investigate if the death was **violent, unnatural or of unknown cause** | The **procurator fiscal** may investigate | Coroners **cannot investigate** deaths abroad |
| **Cremation** | Needs the coroner's certificate (**Cremation 6**) | Authorised through DCRS | The death must be reported to the coroner, who issues a certificate for cremation |

In England and Wales, if you arrange the funeral yourself, return the certificate of no liability to the registrar within 96 hours of the funeral.

Embalming can make a second post-mortem in the UK harder. If you have concerns about how the person died, tell the international funeral director and the coroner early. **Don't arrange a cremation abroad if you want a UK inquest.** For Scottish residents, the FCDO says a further investigation may still be possible even after a funeral abroad.

## Bringing ashes home

You **don't need a permit** to bring ashes into the UK. You'll normally need:

- the **death certificate** and **certificate of cremation**
- to **tell the airline in advance**, and check whether ashes can go in hand luggage or the hold
- a container that can be **X-rayed**, usually non-metallic.

Check the rules of the country you're leaving too, and fill in a customs form when you arrive. See [scattering ashes](/uk/guides/scattering-ashes/) for what you can do next.

## Costs, insurance and help

- **Travel insurance** may cover medical, repatriation, legal and translation costs.
- **Without insurance**, the family or estate usually pays, including any hospital bills abroad.
- **Charities** can help in some cases, such as the JackTheLad Foundation (young people aged 16 to 30 who die in an accident abroad), the Kevin Bell Repatriation Trust (repatriation to Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland) and the Repatriation Services Trust (families from Wales).
- **A Funeral Expenses Payment** can help with funeral costs in the UK if you get certain benefits. In England and Wales GOV.UK lists funerals in the UK, the EEA or Switzerland (funerals outside the UK only qualify in limited circumstances), but it only pays to move a body within the UK. Scotland has its own Funeral Support Payment. See [help paying for a funeral](/uk/guides/help-paying-for-a-funeral/).

## Telling UK organisations

- **Tell Us Once** can be used if the person normally lived in England, Scotland or Wales and was abroad temporarily. The registrar may need the foreign certificate to be verified by that country's embassy or high commission first. See [Tell Us Once](/uk/guides/tell-us-once/).
- **Cancel the passport** with form D1 once the person has been brought home, or after a funeral abroad.
- **Bereavement Support Payment** may be available if your husband, wife or civil partner died. See [bereavement leave and pay](/uk/guides/bereavement-leave-and-pay/).

## Where to get help

- FCDO: **020 7008 5000**, 24 hours.
- Support after a death abroad: Death Abroad – You're Not Alone (Scotland) and the Kirsty Maxwell Charity. Road Peace and Brake support people bereaved by road crashes, including abroad.
- General support: see [bereavement support](/uk/guides/bereavement-support/).
- Plan the funeral at home with [how to plan a funeral](/uk/guides/how-to-plan-a-funeral/) and find [funeral directors near you](/uk/funeral-directors-near-me/).

## Frequently asked questions

### Who pays to bring a body back to the UK?

Usually the person's travel insurance, if they had it, or otherwise the family or the estate. The FCDO cannot pay for repatriation, burial, cremation or legal costs. Some charities help in specific situations, and a Funeral Expenses Payment may help with a funeral held in the UK if you qualify.

### Do I need to register a death abroad in the UK?

No. You must register it in the country where the person died. UK registration is optional. If the body is brought back for burial or cremation, a record is held by the General Register Office. Otherwise you can apply for a consular death registration in many countries.

### Will there be an inquest if someone dies abroad?

In England and Wales, a coroner may investigate once the body is back, if the death was violent, unnatural or of unknown cause. In Scotland, the procurator fiscal may investigate. Coroners in Northern Ireland cannot investigate a death abroad. No coroner inquest can take place in the UK if the person is buried or cremated abroad.

### Can I bring ashes back from abroad?

Yes. You don't need a permit to bring ashes into the UK. Take the death certificate and certificate of cremation, check the airline's rules in advance, and ask whether the container needs to be non-metallic so it can be X-rayed.

### Can I use Tell Us Once if someone died abroad?

Yes, if the person normally lived in England, Scotland or Wales and was abroad temporarily. The register office may ask for the foreign death certificate to be verified first. Tell Us Once isn't available in Northern Ireland.

### How long does it take to bring someone home?

It varies a great deal. The body can only leave once local procedures are complete, which may include a post-mortem or police enquiries, and some countries have few mortuary facilities. Your international funeral director can give you a realistic timescale.

## Sources

- [GOV.UK (FCDO) – What to do when someone dies abroad](https://www.gov.uk/guidance/what-to-do-when-someone-dies-abroad)
- [GOV.UK – What to do after someone dies: if someone dies abroad](https://www.gov.uk/after-a-death)
- [mygov.scot – If someone dies outside Scotland](https://www.mygov.scot/deaths-outside-scotland)
- [nidirect – When someone dies abroad](https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/articles/when-someone-dies-abroad)
- [gov.scot – Burial, cremation, hydrolysis and death certification](https://www.gov.scot/policies/death-and-end-of-life/burial-cremation-and-death-certification/)
- [GOV.UK – Funeral Expenses Payment](https://www.gov.uk/funeral-payments)