Registering a death abroad

When someone dies abroad, the death is registered with the local authorities in that country, under its own rules and time limits. Families can also choose to register it with the UK government for an official UK record. If your loved one is brought home to England or Wales, the registrar issues a certificate of no liability to register so the funeral can go ahead; in Scotland the Death Certification Review Service must first authorise the burial or cremation.

In the country where they died

Registering locally is not optional, and it follows that country’s law and deadlines. The death certificate it produces is the document everything else rests on, so ask for several certified copies. Inside the EU, ask whether a multilingual version exists, because the UK accepts it without translation. Otherwise a certified translation into English is needed, and the family pays for it unless a travel policy does.

With the UK

This is optional, and possible for deaths on or after 1 January 1983. It is done through the Foreign Office’s Overseas Registration Unit and gives you a UK record of the death. It is not needed when your loved one is brought home for a burial or cremation, because the General Register Office records the funeral here. A consular copy of the record usually costs £50, plus the courier’s fee.

When your loved one comes home

In England and Wales the registrar’s certificate covers a burial; for a cremation, the coroner gives the authorisation on form Cremation 6. Scotland does not register deaths that happened abroad, which is why the application goes to the review service instead. If your loved one lived in England, Scotland or Wales and was abroad only for a while, Tell Us Once can still inform the government departments. It cannot be used for someone who lived in Northern Ireland or had moved abroad for good.