Guidance

Angola: bereavement information

Updated 21 November 2022

Disclaimer

This information is not meant to be definitive, nor is it to be taken as a substitute for independent legal advice. Neither Her 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.

Angola: bereavement information

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 (FCDO)

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 FCDO 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 online.

The priority of the FCDO 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 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.

There is no legal requirement in Angola for a death to be registered by the next of kin. In fact, a death is usually registered by a local funeral director, which will take care of all necessary procedures in Angola. The services of an international undertaker are normally necessary to help with these arrangements. They can be appointed by the insurance company, employer, next of kin, other relatives, or in their absence, a friend.

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, but it can be a bureaucratic and slow process in Angola. Some of this information may be only available to next of kin, and the Funeral Director appointed in Angola is in the best place to gather information on your behalf. Consular officers may be able to obtain these themselves, or they may be able to provide you with details of others who can advocate on your behalf such as lawyers, charities, or other organisations.

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.

If the person who died did not have insurance, the next of kin will usually have to appoint a funeral director and will usually be responsible for all costs. The FCDO cannot help with these costs.

Appointing a funeral director

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

If you decide to hold a funeral in Angola, you can find a list of local funeral directors on our website. It is the next of kin’s responsibility to appoint and instruct a funeral director as soon as possible after being notified of the death, by making direct contact with them. Once the funeral director has the next of kin’s signed authority to proceed, they will liaise with Angolan authorities to organise funeral arrangements, burial or repatriation and assist with the issuing of the deceased’s death certificate.

Payment for these arrangements is a private agreement between the next of kin and the funeral director. Services offered vary from agency to agency so we would recommend that you make enquiries with different funeral directors to find the one who can best assist you. If the person who died had insurance, the insurance company will appoint their own international or local undertaker. You should not enter into an arrangement with an undertaker without speaking to the insurance company first.

The local funeral director may liaise with the funeral director in the UK. Please note that in order to sign consent and give instructions to a funeral director in Angola, the next of kin does not need to be physically in country and may keep in direct contact with the funeral director via telephone or email.

Registering the death and obtaining a death certificate

The death will need to be registered with the Angolan Civil Registration Office. This can normally be done by the funeral director. They will need the passport of the person who has died, and to know the marital status of the person who has died and their parents’ names.

Please note that the registration procedures may take some time. If there has been a post-mortem examination, the cause of death might not be known for some months and the post-mortem report will not be released until the end of the inquiry.

The local authorities will need to be told if the person suffered from an infectious condition such as COVID-19, hepatitis or HIV so they can take precautions against infection.

You do not need to register the death with the UK authorities. The local death certificate can usually be used in the UK for most purposes, including probate. As the death certificate will be issued in Portuguese, you will need to obtain and pay for an official translation. The funeral agent can obtain copies of the death certificate and provide the official translations for you.

Post-mortem examinations (autopsies)

When death occurs by natural causes in hospital or at home where the person has been under the supervision of a doctor for a known illness, there will normally be no police or court intervention. The attending doctor will certify the death.

Post-mortem examinations can be ordered where death has occurred suddenly or under suspicious circumstances. They are part of the inquiry into the causes and circumstances of the death.

In such cases, the Prosecutor may ask the police to investigate further, or call witnesses for questioning. He will almost certainly instruct the Medical Examiner to carry out a post-mortem examination. Under Angolan law, the Public Prosecutor’s inquiry is subject to judicial secrecy. In practice, this means that the file, including police and post-mortem reports, cannot be made public until the inquiry has been formally concluded. The next-of-kin, legal representative or Embassy may apply for a copy of the file at any time, but this will normally only be made available on conclusion of the inquiry.

Mortuary facilities

The deceased will normally be held at a local hospital morgue. However, you should be aware that storage facilities could vary depending on the part of the country, and in many places are significantly worse than the standard you would expect in the UK. We cannot guarantee the condition of the body of the person who died. For this reason, it is customary in Angola for funerals to take place quickly after a person has died.

Burial, cremation, repatriation

The next of kin of the person who has died will usually need to decide between a local burial or bringing the person home, which is known as repatriation. Cremations are not common in Angola; there is only on cremation facility in Luanda.

Your funeral director will usually be able to explain the options available, the costs, and help you make arrangements.

The law does not specify a timescale for repatriation. COVID-19 tests are mandatory before body repatriation and permits will not be issued if the body is found to be infected with COVID-19.

Please note if a local burial 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. The local funeral may be able to assist the next of kin with the return of belongings, but this is a private arrangement, and it is at their discretion.

Please note, the British Embassy cannot take responsibility or become involved in storing, collecting or forwarding personal belongings. If legal assistance is required, you can find a list of local lawyers on our website

Steps to take in the UK

You can find more information on the steps to take in the UK online. This guide 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.

British Passport cancellation

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

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

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

When a child dies, the investigation is usually carried out in the same way as a death of an adult; there are no separate procedures for deaths involving children in Angola, although the local authorities expect the parents or legal guardians to be appointed as next of kin.

Deaths in road traffic accidents

Local authorities in Angola will hold an investigation into any sudden death, without any separate procedures for deaths involving road traffic accidents.

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.

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 Her 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

There is no legal aid available in Angola. Some local lawyers will take pro-bono cases, but they would decide this depending on the merits of the case.

For further information on how to find a lawyer if you need one, see our list of lawyers in Angola.

Compensation

There is no government compensation scheme in Angola.

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

Supporting organizations 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.

Annexes:

List of local funeral directors.

List of local lawyers.

List of local translators and interpreters.