When someone dies abroad
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When someone dies abroad , the steps taken to investigate their death vary from country to country . Sometimes there can be delays in repatriating a deceased person back to the United Kingdom .
When remains are repatriated , their death will always be notified to the Senior Coroner for the area where the deceased will be buried or cremated . The Coroner has to be satisfied who the deceased is , the cause of their death and if their death could be subject to a Coroner ’ s Inquest .
The Funeral Director who has been appointed to deal with the funeral will notify the appropriate Coroner to advise that someone has been repatriated . The Coroner will ask to see what papers accompanied the deceased and ascertain if a cause of death has been given by the authorities abroad .
Identification
The Coroner will also ask if the deceased has been formally identified in this country and if so , ask for a statement to confirm this . If the deceased has not been identified , the Coroner ’ s Oficer will make suitable arrangements to do this .
Circumstances
The Coroner ’ s Oficer may make further enquiries with the family to establish the circumstances leading to the death as well as liaising with the deceased ’ s GP in this country to establish the medical background .
Post Mortem Examination
A post mortem examination may be required in the country where the deceased has died to determine the cause of death . If a post mortem examination is performed abroad , there may not be a need for a post mortem examination to be performed in the UK . However , this is the decision of the local Coroner investigating .
Depending on what examinations / treatments have been performed abroad , this may have limitations on any subsequent post mortem examination .
Natural Cause of Death
If the Coroner is satisfied after his investigations that the deceased has died from natural causes and a specific cause identified , he will not make any further investigations . The Coroner will issue a Coroner ’ s ‘ Certificate for Cremation ’ to the Funeral Director to allow the cremation to take place . If the deceased body is for burial then the Registrar ’ s Ofice can issue a ‘ Certificate of No Liability ’ to the Funeral Director .
The Registrar will need to see a Death Certificate from the country in which the deceased died and a translation of the Death Certificate if it is not in English .
Unnatural Cause of Death
If the cause of death is one of unnatural causes or unascertained , the Coroner will proceed to open and list the case for an Inquest . An Inquest is a formal hearing to confirm who the deceased was , how , when and where they died . Depending on the circumstances of the death and where the death occurred , reports for the Inquest may be limited in detail . On some occasions , the local UK police may be able to assist by providing support , or families may wish to instruct legal representation to guide them through the process . Whether the deceased is to be buried or cremated , the Coroner will issue the appropriate document to allow the funeral to take place .
The Inquest must be opened to allow the deceased to be formally released , although the Inquest need not be concluded to allow the funeral to occur . Further information about registering a death abroad can be found at
www . gov . uk / register-a-death