Guidance

Indonesia: bereavement information

Updated 30 October 2023

Disclaimer

This information is not meant to be definitive, nor is it to be taken as a substitute for independent legal advice. Neither His Majesty’s Government nor its staff take any responsibility for the accuracy of the information, nor accept liability for any loss, costs, damage or expense that you might suffer as a result of relying on the information. Some of the information may not be relevant to your circumstances. The language used is intended to be general and factual and is not meant to cause offence.

Introduction

When a relative or friend dies abroad, the different procedures, laws or language can cause additional distress. You may be uncertain about what to do or who to contact.

This country specific information is designed to help you through some of the practical arrangements you may need to make. It supplements the general information on death abroad produced by the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, which applies to all countries.

Please note, as each country has its own laws and customs when a death occurs, it may not be possible to make the arrangements that you prefer, or at the time you would like.

How to contact the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office

There is a lot of information below, but you may have questions. You can speak to someone by phone 24/7, any day of the year by contacting the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office in London on 0207 008 5000.

If you are not in the UK, you can find the contact details of the nearest British embassy, high commission or consulate

The priority of the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office is to provide assistance to British nationals overseas who need the most help. The level and type of assistance they can offer is tailored to the individual circumstances of each case.

Next of kin

The next of kin of the person who died will usually need to make decisions and practical arrangements. The next of kin can sometimes appoint another person to act on their behalf.

If you are not the next of kin, they will need to be informed. If required, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCDO) can help you do this.

There is no legal definition of next of kin in the UK. Please note that if there is a disagreement over who is the next of kin, or the person who died did not choose a next of kin, this can cause additional complications.

When someone dies in Indonesia, under local procedures, the next of kin (NOK) will automatically be notified of a death by the local authorities if they are in Indonesia or if the local authorities have their contact details from the deceased’s documents. The hospital, local authorities or funeral director will keep them informed of any further developments.

If the NOK is in the UK or abroad, local authorities will notify the British Embassy Jakarta or British Honorary Consulate Bali officials. They will then notify FCDO officials in London to identify next of kin and request that they are informed in person by police officers. You might also be notified about the death directly by someone else, for example a doctor, local police or through news or social media. Once NOK have been informed, FCDO staff will be in touch to provide them with a bereavement pack, and will keep them informed of any development.

In Indonesia, the next of kin is usually a family member who is named in the family card and in the legal will such as:

• Spouse
• Adult child (i.e. over 18 years old)
• Parent
• Adult sibling (i.e. over 18 years old)
• An adult with sufficient relationship to the deceased

An ex-spouse, partner, same-sex partner, or civil partner is not regarded as next of kin.

If there is a dispute over the next of kin, you can refer to a notary public or a lawyer for further advice. You can find list of notaries public in Indonesia and list of lawyers in Indonesia here.

Release of information to next of kin

The FCDO will try to obtain as much information as possible after your relative or friend has died abroad. Some of this may be only available to next of kin. Consular officers may be able to obtain this themselves, or they may put you in touch directly with the authorities overseas. They may be able to provide you with details of others who can advocate on your behalf such as lawyers, charities, or other organisations.

Local procedures will vary depending on the area where the person has died. Generally, the hospitals or local authority will release a death notification. This is not a formal death certificate. Following a request from the NOK, the British Embassy or Consulate will release a letter of no objection (if needed for the funeral process) and cancel the passport of the deceased.

Insurance

It is very important to check if the person who died had insurance. If they had insurance, contact the insurance company as soon as possible. They may have a list of approved funeral directors to help you make arrangements, or be able to cover some of the costs. Please note that international insurance companies sometimes need to have their representatives in Indonesia for settlement purposes.

If the deceased dies in the hospital and needs payment to be settled, please note that a letter of guarantee from the insurance company might not be accepted by hospitals in some rural or remote areas.

If the person who died does not have insurance, the next of kin will usually have to appoint a funeral director and be responsible for all costs. The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office cannot help with these.

Appointing a funeral director

If you decide to bring the deceased to the UK for a funeral or cremation, you may need to appoint an international funeral director. The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office produces a list of international funeral directors based in the UK.

If you decide to hold a funeral or cremation in Indonesia, you can find a list of funeral directors in Indonesia.

Next of kin hold the freedom to choose any funeral director. There are no local laws or procedures that determine when a funeral director must be appointed. However, there will be expectation from the local authorities for the funeral or cremation to be done as soon as possible. A funeral director can handle the whole process of handling the deceased until repatriation/cremation/funeral occurs. Local funeral directors in our list are able to repatriate the deceased out of the country.

Registering the death and obtaining a death certificate

You will need to register the death with the local authorities in the country where the person died. Sometimes a funeral director can do this for you. You will usually need documents about you and the person who has died, which include information such as full name, date of birth and passport number.

The local authorities will need to be told if the person suffered from an infectious condition such as hepatitis or HIV so they can take precautions against infection.

Sometimes a funeral director can register a death on behalf of the next of kin. The next of kin needs to write a letter stating they give consent to the funeral director to act on their behalf. All deaths in Indonesia must be registered to the local authorities (Dinas Kependudukan dan Catatan Sipil/Civil Registry Office). Most offices will issue a death certificate in Indonesian and English language. If it is not in English, you will need to pay for an official translation.

The requirement of registering the death and obtaining a death certificate for foreigners are usually as follows, but please confirm with your local civil registry office for the most updated information:

1. F.2.30 and F.2.31 form signed by a reporter and 2 witnesses, approved by the head of Civil Registry Office (Disdukcapil)
2. Death notification letter from the hospital, primary health care, or doctor;
3. Death notification letter from the local authorities (Desa/Kelurahan)
4. Original and copy of KITAS/KITAP
5. Original and copy of KK (Kartu Keluarga/Family Card) and KTP (ID card) for KITAP holder;
6. Original and copy of SKTT and SKSKPS for KITAS holder;
7. Original and copy of Passport and Visa (for Visitors)
8. Original and copy of Marriage Certificate, if the deceased was married; and
9. Original and copy of Birth Certificate of the deceased
10. Copy of KTP from 2 witnesses
11. The reporter is the next of kin or the head of RT (Ketua RT). If the reporter is the next of kin, the reporter should attach his/her copy of KTP. If the reporter is the head of RT, he/she will need to submit their appointment letter as an evidence of being the head of RT.
12. All documents must be legalized by the issuing office or by showing the originals

It may take up to 1 month to obtain a death certificate depending on the region, paperwork completion, and the residency status of the deceased. The death certificate will be issued in both the English and Indonesian languages. The death certificate will include information on the nationality of the deceased, the location and date of the death, the date of birth of the deceased, and the closest NOK that the deceased had. The death certificate usually does not contain any information about the cause of death unless there is an autopsy. If the process involves an autopsy, then an attachment letter will be issued by the hospital where the autopsy is performed.

The usual local government working hours for service is 8am-3pm but could be vary across region. Some regional office have an online system which you can search by keyword ‘disdukcapil’. There is no public holiday procedure or an out of hour option.

Consular death registration

You do not have to register the death of a British national that occurs overseas with the UK authorities. You can sometimes apply for a consular death registration. This is not mandatory and cannot be used instead of a death certificate from the country where the person died. It is only available in some countries. If you wish to do this, you can find more information on registering a death and apply online. Please note that the British Embassy in Jakarta and the British Honorary Consulate in Bali do not register deaths in Indonesia.

Post mortem examinations (autopsies)

In Indonesia, an autopsy is usually undertaken if the Police consider that the death is suspicious or it’s at the request of the NOK. In the event of a natural/non-suspicious death, an autopsy will only be carried out with the consent/request from the next of kin. If an autopsy needs to be done, the family will have to pay a fee. It usually costs around £300 - £800 depending on the region where the autopsy is conducted. Once the autopsy is completed, the organs will normally be put back inside the body. However, please be aware that following a forensic procedure, organs might be damaged or need to be retained by a forensic department.

Post mortem examinations are carried out at hospitals. It usually takes 1 to 8 hours. All post mortem examinations are carried out according to international standards.

The British Embassy has no power to overrule Indonesian law with regards to a decision to conduct an autopsy. An autopsy may be undertaken to establish the cause of death.

In the case where the autopsy is conducted based on a police request, the report may only be obtained with their permission. Funeral directors can request a copy of the report on behalf of the next of kin to the police. The British Embassy in Jakarta or British Honorary Consulate in Bali can help facilitate the family obtaining the report in these circumstances.

The post mortem examinations report will be issued in English and the cost is included with the whole post mortem examination costs.

Mortuary facilities

Mortuary facilities in Indonesia are not generally comparable with those in the UK. Although the major cities (and certainly Jakarta) have modern facilities sufficient for general needs and crisis contingency, the capabilities are considerably less in the provincial towns and remote areas. Where death happens in an area with limited cold storage, the local hospital will make a referral for the body to be sent to the nearest available cold storage facility available. Mortuary facilities usually costs around £35 to £250 depending on the hospital class.

The British Embassy cannot undertake any identification of the deceased.

Burial, cremation, repatriation

The NOK of the person who has died will usually need to decide between a local burial, cremation or repatriation. Your funeral director should be able to explain the available options and the costs, and help you make arrangements.

If the deceased was covered by travel insurance, the insurance company will normally have an agreement with an International Funeral Director in the UK and will arrange repatriation on behalf of the NOK.

If the deceased was not covered by insurance, the NOK will need to appoint their own funeral director. Please refer to a list of international funeral directors based in the UK and a list of funeral directors in Indonesia.

Local cremation is available for foreign nationals. Cremation facilities may only exist in main, big cities only. For cremation outside of main cities it is likely that the deceased may need to be transferred to the nearest available facility.

You may need to present the letter of no objection from the Consulate before the burial, cremation, or repatriation can take place. The next of kin holds the right to decide when to do the burial/cremation/repatriation.

If someone cannot pay for a funeral, the body will be handed over to the Indonesian Government to be buried by them.

Please note if a local burial or cremation takes place, then an inquest in the UK will not be possible. For more information on inquests, see the information on UK coroners and inquests.

Return of personal belongings

If the person who died had insurance, check with the insurance company if this covers the return of their personal belongings.

Personal effects are normally returned to NOK, or their authorised representative, without any formalities. If personal effects need to be returned to the UK and NOK are not present in Indonesia, the funeral director can assist in arranging for this to be done by commercial means.

Please note, the British Embassy, High Commission or Consulate cannot take responsibility for the personal belongings of the person who died.

Steps to take in the UK

You can find more information on the steps to take in the UK online. This includes information on arranging the funeral, telling the government about the death, UK pensions and benefits, and dealing with the estate of the person who died. There is step-by-step guide about what to do when someone dies.

British passport cancellation

In order to avoid identity fraud, the passport of the person who died should be cancelled with His Majesty’s Passport Office (HMPO). To do this, you will need to complete a “D1 form”.

The the form and instructions on where to send the passport is available online

The British Embassy Jakarta or British Honorary Consulate in Bali can assist NOK for the passport cancellation process with HMPO, and will return the cancelled passport to NOK unless they do not want it.

If you plan to repatriate the person who died to the UK, you may require their passport to do this. In these circumstances, you should cancel the passport after they have been repatriated.

Child deaths

There are no specific procedures for the death of a child. Police will hold a full investigation into any death. The assistance of social services is usually limited in this case. The funeral director will mostly provide any assistance provided. There is no specific authorisation required to bury, cremate, or repatriate a child’s body. The next of kin’s responsibility usually lies with parent(s) whose name stated in the birth certificate.

Deaths in road traffic accidents

In the case of a suspicious death or a road traffic accident, the police in the district in which the death occurred will lead an investigation.

Once the investigation is complete, and if a suspect is apprehended or a vehicle driver is believed to be responsible, a report is prepared and passed to the Prosecutor.

Police reports can be difficult to obtain but if the family would like a copy we will write a formal request letter to the police.

The police will need to issue a permission letter first before the next of kin or funeral director can take the body.

Deaths investigated as murder or manslaughter

If the local police have confirmed that they are investigating the death as a murder or manslaughter a dedicated team within the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office will be available to provide support, including by referring you to a specialised organisation. You can find more about how the FCDO can help with murder and manslaughter abroad.

You should note that if the deceased is repatriated to parts of the UK a coroner or procurator fiscal may decide to hold an inquest. See the section on UK Coroners and inquests below.

Police will normally investigate if there’s a report from family/friends/public/community or anyone who found the body about possible murder or manslaughter case. Police will then follow up and request for an autopsy to be done by forensic team, with family’s consent. It will be difficult for police to do any investigation if no one reports to them. Normally, the police station located the nearest from the (death) location will lead the investigation. For purposes of investigation, a warrant of detention issued by an investigator will be valid for at most 20 days which can be extended for at most 40 days.

If the investigation has concluded and an offender is identified, police will then pass the case to the prosecutor’s office. A warrant of detention issued by a public prosecutor will be valid for at most 20 days which may be extended for at most 30 days. The detention of a suspect or an accused may be extended on the basis of proper and unavoidable reasons such as serious physical or mental disturbance as evidenced by a doctor’s certificate or if the case is liable to imprisonment of 9 years of more. The time from arrest to trial can be lengthy and in some complicated cases can take months, depending on the complexity of the cases.

Death from terrorism may undergo different processes as higher level of investigation will be done by the local authorities.

Death from COVID-19 in Indonesia

If Covid-19 is given as cause of death and you would like to arrange a local cremation and repatriation of ashes, you will need to make contact with a local undertaker within 4 hours of the death registration to give your instructions. If you do not do this, it is likely that a local burial will take place. You will also require a letter of no objection from the Embassy. This will be issued on the next working day. Please check out our Indonesia Travel Advice for the most updated information about COVID-19 in Indonesia.

UK coroners and inquests

If you repatriate the person who died to England and Wales, there may be an inquest. The decision on when to hold an inquest is made by His Majesty’s Coroner. Please note, an inquest will usually only happen in certain situations, for example, when someone has died in suspicious, unnatural, and violent circumstances or whilst in detention. If the person who died is cremated and only their ashes are brought home, there will not be an inquest.

If you repatriate the person who died to Scotland, the Procurator Fiscal may decide to call for a Fatal Accidents or Injuries Inquiry.

If you repatriate the person who died to Northern Ireland, there will be no coronial inquest or further inquiry.

Please note, Procurators Fiscal and Coroners do not have jurisdiction in another country, nor do they seek to apportion blame to a named individual.

You can find more information on Coroners and the Procurator Fiscal in the FCDO guide on death abroad

Legal Aid

Legal aid is not available in Indonesia. Please refer to our list of lawyers.

Compensation

There are no formal government compensation schemes available in Indonesia.

You can find information on UK compensation for victims of terrorism overseas

Translation and Interpretation

The official language in Indonesia is Bahasa. English is familiar to some people but not widely spoken in general. The British Embassy Jakarta has a list of translators and interpreters available in Indonesia.

Additional support

Support organisations in the UK

In the UK, there are many organisations that can help bereaved families. Some of these are listed in the guide coping with death abroad.