Death Abroad: What to Do When Someone Dies Overseas

When someone dies abroad, contact the embassy or consulate in the country where the death happened and the person's insurer straight away. The embassy helps with local authorities, paperwork and notifying family, but no government pays for the funeral or for bringing a body home. The legal representative or next of kin is responsible for those costs.

This guide puts the steps in order, using what the US, UK and Canadian governments publish. Rules differ a great deal from country to country, so treat it as a map and rely on the embassy, the insurer and a local funeral director for the details of where the death occurred.

What do you do first when someone dies abroad?

Work through these in roughly this order, and write down every name, time and reference number as you go.

1. Call the embassy or consulate in the country of death. USAGov says US embassies can help you communicate with local authorities, explain how to send funds, help with returning remains or local burial, and complete the required legal documents. UK nationals can call the FCDO 24 hours a day on +44 (0)20 7008 5000, and Canada's Emergency Watch and Response Centre in Ottawa is open 24/7.
2. Call the insurer. The UK government's first step is to contact the travel insurance immediately. Policies can cover repatriation, legal and translation costs. If the person had no travel policy, ask their bank, employer or travel agent, since cover sometimes comes with a card or a job.
3. Find out how the death is registered. In most cases you must register it in the country where it happened. The hospital, police, tour operator or a funeral director can explain how.
4. Choose one person to coordinate who has access to the person's documents and can deal with the authorities, in the country or at home. Under US rules the legal representative carries the responsibility for the remains, so agree early who that is.
5. Hold off on big commitments until you have an itemized written quote and know what the insurer will pay.

If the person was a US military member, a federal employee or a Peace Corps volunteer (or a dependent of one), the notification goes through their agency rather than directly through the consulate (22 CFR 72.3).

What will the embassy do, and not do?

In general, an embassy or consulate will:

• notify next of kin and help contact local police, hospitals and coroners
• give you a list of local funeral directors and lawyers, without recommending one
• explain how to send money from home
• help with documents, including the Consular Report of Death Abroad for US citizens

It will not pay for the funeral, investigate the death, or give legal or medical advice. Our guide to embassy assistance after a death abroad covers the US, UK and Canadian services in more detail.

Who pays for a death abroad?

Families do, unless an insurer or employer steps in.

• United States: Under 22 CFR 72.7, consular officers cannot create Department or personal financial obligations for the disposition of remains. Responsibility rests with the legal representative, or with next of kin or friends if there isn't one.
• United Kingdom: The FCDO cannot pay burial, cremation, repatriation or legal costs.
• Canada: All expenses fall on the next of kin or the estate, and funeral homes often ask for payment up front.

Places to look for money include travel insurance, an employer (if the person was travelling for work, ask whether the company has cover), and charities. The UK guidance lists repatriation charities with narrow criteria, including the JackTheLad Foundation (young people who died in accidents), the Kevin Bell Repatriation Trust (Northern Ireland and Ireland) and the Repatriation Services Trust (Wales). UK residents may also qualify for a Funeral Expenses Payment. Ordinary health insurance rarely helps: the NAIC says most US health insurers will not pay for repatriation or transport from overseas, and most standard plans and Medicare likely will not cover care abroad. See travel insurance death coverage and repatriation costs for what to check and how to compare quotes.

Bury or cremate abroad, or bring the body home?

This is the decision that most affects cost and timing, and local law, faith and the family's wishes all come into it.

Local rules can limit your choices. US regulations say arrangements must follow the host country's law, which may include mandatory autopsies, cremation bans, burial deadlines or rules about who can authorize disposition. See cremation vs burial abroad and our guide to a funeral while abroad.

If you cannot raise the money, say so early. Under 22 CFR 72.7, if funds are not available within the time local law allows for burial or preservation, the local authorities dispose of the remains under local law.

How do you bring a body or ashes home?

A body. You will need an international funeral director, who coordinates with local providers. Canada's government says not all airlines carry remains, and some use cargo only. Set the date of a funeral at home only after the remains clear customs.

For entry to the US, the CDC says you need a death certificate stating the cause of death (with an official translation, attested by a licensed legal professional, if it is not in English). Non-cremated remains must travel in a leak-proof container. Remains that are cremated or embalmed before import do not need a CDC permit. A permit may be needed if the person died of an infectious disease and the body is not embalmed. The embassy can provide a Consular Mortuary Certificate, an Affidavit of Foreign Funeral Director and a Transit Permit if the documents are missing.

Ashes. TSA allows cremated remains in carry-on and checked bags, but recommends a lightweight container, such as wood or plastic. A container that shows up opaque on X-ray will not be allowed through, and officers will not open it. Airlines differ, so check first. The UK government says ashes need no permit to come into the UK, but tell the airline in advance and carry the cremation certificate. See flying with ashes and shipping cremated remains.

Which documents will you need?

• The local death certificate. Get several certified copies. Canada says a certificate may need translating and authentication by the local foreign ministry.
• For US citizens, the Consular Report of Death Abroad. The consular officer prepares it when a local death certificate exists, and it records the cause of death given on the local certificate (22 CFR 72.5). The fee schedule lists no fee for assistance to next of kin, including up to 20 original reports. Certified copies of embassy-issued death documents are listed at $50 each, so check the State Department's current fees.
• Cremation or embalming certificates, if the remains are travelling.
• Apostilles or translations. An apostille is a single certificate that replaces the longer legalization process for public documents between the 130 Contracting Parties to the Hague Apostille Convention. What a bank or court at home accepts varies, so ask.

What happens with an autopsy, an investigation or belongings?

Local authorities are in charge. The UK government says local authorities do not usually need permission for a post-mortem, and a coroner may carry out another examination if the body comes to the UK. Embalming can make it harder to establish the cause of death in that second examination. Embassies do not investigate, but the FCDO can help you ask the local authorities for updates.

Belongings are handled differently by each country. US consular officers can release personal property to the legal representative or next of kin but don't act as administrator of the estate, while Canada says it will not help with personal effects. Ask the police, hospital, hotel and airline what they hold.

For sudden or traumatic deaths, support exists. The UK guidance names the charities Road Peace, Death Abroad: You're Not Alone, and The Kirsty Maxwell Charity.

What to do next at home

1. Order extra death certificates and keep the originals safe. Our guide to getting a death certificate explains the usual process at home.
2. Tell government agencies: see notifying government agencies after a death. UK families can use the Tell Us Once service if the person lived in England, Scotland or Wales. The UK guidance says not to cancel a UK passport until the person has been repatriated, then to use form D1.
3. Work through the rest of the admin, with the help of a solicitor or estate attorney if there is property or a will in more than one country.