Coping with an emergency abroad Coping with a death abroad
Dealing with the death of a friend or a loved one is never easy, but when the death happens unexpectedly overseas, coping with the relevant bureaucracy can make it even more difficult.
Coping with a death abroad
- If you're on a package holiday, let the tour operator do as much as possible on your behalf.
- Never sign anything until you are crystal clear what it means, particularly if it's in a foreign language.
- Alert your travel insurance company - it will employ a foreign funeral director on your behalf.
- If the insurance of the deceased does not cover repatriation, try to use a reputable agency - it will reduce the stress involved considerably. The bureaucracy involved in arranging everything yourself is potentially overwhelming.
- Contact the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.
Will my tour operator help me deal with a death abroad?
Tour operators have a duty of care to help you if a death occurs abroad
Under the terms of the ABTA Code of Conduct, tour operators have a duty of care to help their customers if a death occurs abroad, even if it is as a result of an activity that isn't part of their holiday.
If you're on a package holiday and someone with you dies, the first thing you need to do is contact the tour operator's representative, who will liaise with the British consulate, police, hospital, insurance company and funeral director on your behalf. However, their role can be limited by the travel insurance company, which may insist on dealing directly with the next of kin, and on appointing their own local funeral directors or a specialist repatriation agency.
What can I do if I arranged my own trip?
The nearest British embassy or consulate will be able to provide help and advice.
How much will repatriation cost?
All relevant costs, which can run into thousands of pounds, must be met by the next of kin or by the deceased's travel insurance company. British embassies and consulates will not help financially and the European Health Insurance Card (formerly the E111 form) does not cover the repatriation of bodies. Most travel insurance policies do include repatriation of bodies or ashes under medical expenses.
What if there is no travel insurance?
If you find yourself coping with the death of a loved one who didn't have travel insurance, you will have to assume all costs yourself. In this case, a local cremation will usually be the cheapest option, assuming facilities are available. For example, in Italy and most Islamic countries crematoriums are almost unknown.
It may be worth employing a specialist agency for the peace of mind of knowing that everything is being taken care of efficiently and professionally. The following are recommended by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the National Association of Funeral Directors: Rowland Brothers International and Kenyon Christopher Henley Repatriation.
How is the death registered?
Deaths must always be registered in the country in which they occur. If you haven't appointed someone to act on your behalf, the British consulate will help with this, although the nearest consulate may be some distance away. You are not obliged to register the death with the British embassy, but by doing so you can obtain a UK death certificate.
Will a coroner need to be involved?
Deaths must be registered in the country in which they occur
If the death is due to natural causes, there should hopefully be minimal involvement from the local authorities. Depending on the circumstances (e.g. if the death has been caused by an accident or criminal activity), the authorities in the country where the death takes place may decide to investigate further.
The Ministry of Justice produces a comprehensive guide to coroners and inquests.
How are remains returned to the UK?
The overwhelming majority of UK residents who die abroad are returned to the UK for burial or cremation. Repatriation experts estimate that the body can be returned within seven to 10 days, providing the death is due to natural causes. The body should be embalmed before it is moved by public transport.
To transport a coffin by aircraft, it must be hermetically sealed and lined with zinc or lead, so, if you are making your own arrangements, it is important to employ a reputable funeral director. You'll also need a death certificate from the local town hall and a sealing certificate from the funeral director.
Cremation ashes can be taken on flights as hand luggage in a sealed x-rayable urn, but you must have a cremation certificate from the crematorium, as well as a death certificate and sealing certificate.
How can airlines help after a death abroad?
The amount of assistance you can expect from an airline differs enormously, but generally their role begins and ends at the airport. Airlines charge from £250 to £3,000 to fly a coffin back to the UK, depending on its weight and the distance involved.
Many airlines offer compassionate bereavement fares to those flying abroad to collect the body of a friend or relative, but these fares are discretionary and sometimes a copy of the death certificate is required to obtain them. If relatives wish to fly with the coffin, airlines will make every effort to ensure this is possible.
What happens back in the UK?
Depending on the circumstances of the death, a coroner may need to be involved.
It takes around five hours for the body to be unloaded from the aircraft, clear customs and be released to relatives or a funeral director.
The role of the insurance company or repatriation agency ends when the remains are delivered to the local funeral directors nominated by the next of kin, who will now assume responsibility for necessary administration.
Depending upon the circumstances, when the body of someone who has died abroad is returned to England and Wales, the local coroner in the area to where the body is brought may need to be involved. The coroner may need to order a post-mortem examination to determine the cause of death and he or she will be required to hold an inquest if the death was unnatural, or violent, or sudden and of unknown cause.
If you intend to cremate the body, the coroner will be able to issue the necessary certificate. In the case of burials, if the death was by natural causes, the coroner will refer you to the local registrar who will issue a 'certificate of no liability'. If there is a post-mortem examination or inquest was held, the coroner will issue a burial order to the funeral director.
Different procedures apply in Northern Ireland and Scotland which have their own systems of death investigation.
What if you are in the UK when someone dies?
In the event that someone dies abroad alone, the British consulate contacts the UK police, who will inform the next of kin. The consulate will do all they can to ensure the wishes of the next of kin are carried out locally. You do not have to visit the country in person to identify the body or make the necessary arrangements, although the process may run more smoothly if you choose to do so.
