Help if someone dies
Death of a British national abroad in suspicious circumstances
As well as the support which we can offer if someone dies from natural causes, we can also suggest the best way to raise any concerns with the local authorities if there is evidence of someone dying in suspicious circumstances.
Basic information
We can also offer basic information about the local police system and legal system, including any legal aid that is available. If required, we can provide lists of local lawyers and interpreters (although we do not pay for either) and, where possible, details of support groups.
In all cases where you, as next of kin, have concerns about the circumstances surrounding the death, we suggest you get professional legal advice.
Can't investigate ourselves
We cannot investigate deaths ourselves and, in many countries, investigating authorities and the courts will not answer enquiries, including from our own staff. If this is the case, it is very important to consider appointing a local lawyer who can look after your interests in court and follow any trial for you.
Standards vary
We will consider making appropriate representations to the local authorities if there are concerns that the investigation is not being carried out in line with local procedures or if there are justified complaints about discrimination against the person who has died or their family. The standard of investigative procedures and expertise varies greatly across the world.
Meeting family representatives
Consular staff in London are available to meet family representatives. They will contact the next of kin if the investigating authorities tell us about any new developments. Where possible, if the next of kin visits the country where the person died during the early stages of the investigation and initial court hearings, our staff there may be able to meet them.
Bereavement
There are a number of organisations in the UK that can help bereaved families and friends come to terms with a death, whether the death was natural or otherwise. Some, such as
Support after murder and manslaughter
, can help you face the problems and difficulties that arise from death overseas under suspicious circumstances.
We also have a leaflet called
Victims of crime abroad (PDF, 329KB)
which you may also find helpful. You can find details on our travel website under
'Our publications'
.
There are certain procedures to be followed in preparation of the return of the coffin. The following information aims to set out those procedures, their cost, and the likely timings involved. While it is usual for assistance companies acting on behalf of the deceased's insurance company to instigate action and pay all costs, we hope that the information will assist members of the family to understand and follow what is happening while they wait for the coffin to reach home.
A doctor must be called to ascertain and certify death. Any hotel reception/management will have the name and contact details of a doctor they can call. Alternatively, a tour rep. can do this also. The local emergency services telephone numbers are 190 or 198.
The British Embassy (Tel. 71 108 700) should be informed. The Consular Section will then liaise with the parties involved, including the Tour Operator representative, if appropriate, the hospital, and the undertakers, and will arrange to inform the next-of-kin if that has not been done already e.g. If no family member is present.
The body will be removed to the nearest hospital and placed in the care of the pathologist there.
Informing the police
The police will be alerted either by the hospital, the doctor or any witnesses to the death (e.g. hotel staff). The police are then bound to carry out an investigation into the circumstances to rule out any suspicion of foul play. Part of that inquiry is, always in the case of a non-resident not already hospitalised under medical care, to requisition a post-mortem examination. They do this in writing addressed to the pathologist, who then acts as coroner. The autopsy can take up to three days.
The body cannot be released for repatriation and burial until the police have concluded the inquiry and authorised the removal of the remains for burial. A period of days may be needed for this, depending on the circumstances. To determine the cause of death, organs and fragments of organs can be removed for testing during an autopsy, without the consent of next of kin. These tests can sometimes take a long time, and the organs are not necessarily reunited with the body before repatriation or burial. We have made the local authorities aware that this can cause tremendous distress for the next of kin, and when possible we would like to be informed when an organ has been removed. Organs are never removed for transplantation.
The pathologist is NOT authorised to give his autopsy report to anyone except the police. This means, in effect, that no statement of cause of death can be obtained at this stage. The pathologist will, however, determine, and certify, that death was not caused by any contagious disease and that therefore the body may be transported for burial elsewhere. There is no charge made for this.
Registering the death
The death must be registered at the nearest town hall (called: "municipalité"). Anyone with knowledge of the deceased or the circumstances (e.g. a relative or fellow traveller, travel agent, or insurance representative) can do this. Requirements are:
- The doctor's certificate of death,
- The deceased's passport, as identity,
- Details of the deceased's marital status and names of spouse (if appropriate), and
- Identity document of the informant
This can be done in one day and has to be done within 72 hours of the time of death. At least three copies of the entry in the death register should be obtained from the registrar, in French (for ease of formalities - the alternative being Arabic, more difficult for both family and authorities in the UK). Costs involved are low: registration is free and extracts are 150 millimes (about 7p.)
Notifying the insurance company
At the same time, the deceased's insurance company should be notified and asked to assist in the formalities and costs of the repatriation. A family member or a tour rep. can do this. There will be a telephone number with the deceased's ticket etc. If there is no insurance cover, the deceased's next-of-kin will have to engage the services of funeral directors in the UK, arranging for them to contact the Tunisian undertaker, and guaranteeing payment.
HM Government will not accept responsibility for costs involved, except in the most extreme circumstances.
Repatriation of a body for burial costs in the region of £2,000.
The undertakers
When the police have authorised removal of the body for burial, it is then the undertaker's job to prepare the coffin and the body, and to deal with the formalities for transport. For this they need to have:
- An instruction from, usually, a UK firm of funeral directors, including a guarantee of payment,
- Three copies of the local death certificate, and
- The police document authorising removal of the body.
The following documents will accompany the coffin and be handed to the UK funeral directors:
- The local death certificate in French,
- An official English translation carried out by the Consular Section of the Embassy,
- The doctor's certificate as to non-contagion,
- The gouvernorate's authorisation of transport,
- The undertaker's statement as to the proper placing of the body in the coffin and the coffin's acceptance for transport, and
- A covering statement issued by the Consular Section of the Embassy explaining the above documents (because they are not in English and may not be readily understandable for the authorities in the United Kingdom).
It is usual for the deceased's belongings to be packed either by any family travelling with him, or by the tour rep. and to be freighted home in the same consignment as the coffin.
In the United Kingdom, the coroner has to know the cause of death before he will authorise burial or cremation.
As stated earlier, no document is available from Tunisia certifying the cause of death. The Embassy in Tunis can help by requesting a copy of the autopsy report, but through the official channels necessary for this operation, it takes several weeks. And the coroner will not usually wish to delay a burial permit for that length of time. He has the option of carrying out an examination himself so as to draw his conclusions and authorise burial in a much shorter time.
Things which might remain to be done in Tunisia:
Registration of the death in the Consular Registers held at the Consular Section of the British Embassy in Tunis. This can be done by a member of the deceased's family at any time. The Consular Section or, Consular Directorate, FCO, can provide a registration form. In support of the registration, the following documents are required:
- The local death certificate, and the deceased's passport (as evidence of his/her British citizenship), and
- The fee is £55 for this service and £35 for subsequent certified copies.
The deceased's passport, which has been used for formalities, is held initially by the undertakers. They hand it to the Consular Section of the Embassy, in most cases within a week or two of the repatriation of the body. We forward it to the office, which issued the passport, where it is disposed of according to the wishes of the next-of-kin. The latter may wish to keep it, and may do so, once it has been cancelled.
If there are police proceedings or a court case following death, the next-of-kin may pursue matters via the services of a local lawyer. The British Embassy cannot engage in legal action for you, but can supply a list of some lawyers to help you identify one in the area concerned.
Similarly, if interested parties wish to bring a case for damages or compensation arising out of a death in Tunisia, the
list of lawyers may be useful. You can ask us for it, or contact the Consular Division of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.
For any further information, or if in doubt about any of the above, you may contact either:
British Embassy
Rue du Lac Windermere
Les Berges du Lac
Tunis
Tel: 00 216 71 108.700
Fax: 00 216 71108.779
E-mail: sidsel.ghehioueche@fco.gov.uk
OR:
Consular Directorate, FCO, London
Tel: 0207 008 008
