Guidance

Macao: bereavement information

Updated 15 May 2020

Macao: bereavement information

Updated 8 May 2020

1. 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.

2. 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 http://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coping-with-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.

3. 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 1500.

If you are not in the UK, you can find the contact details of the nearest British embassy, high commission or consulate http://www.gov.uk/government/world/embassies.

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.

4. 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, Commonwealth & Development Office 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 Macao and the next of kin is in the UK or abroad, Macao Authorities normally notify the British Consulate. British Consulate will do whatever they can to trace the next of kin as soon as possible and would ask the local police to pass on the sad news.

However, you might also be notified about the death directly by someone else, for example a doctor, a social worker or a police officer.

In Macao, the seniority of next of kin is usually as follows

• spouse

• adult child

• parent

• adult sibling

Same sex relationship is not legally recognised in Macao. If there is dispute over who is the next of kin, legal advice should be sought and court could make a decision.

The Macao Police and/or Coroner will request to see your passport and some proof of your relationship with the deceased. This usually means the long form birth certificate or marriage certificate. For a certified copy of UK birth or marriage certificates, please apply to - http://www.gro.gov.uk/gro/content/.

If you are not the next of kin, please obtain an authorisation letter from next of kin, copy of next of kin’s passport and proof of relationship between the next of kin and the deceased.

5. Release of information to next of kin

The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office 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.

Macao Police do not usually take active role to keep the family informed of the development of any investigation, but they can be contacted if family has questions to ask. Family can request a copy of the autopsy and investigation report from the Public Prosecution Office after death inquiry is concluded. However, it usually takes several months.

6. 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 Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office cannot help with these costs.

7. 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 Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office produces a list of international funeral directors based in the UK. http://www.gov.uk/government/publications/international-funeral-directors-in-the-uk

If you decide to hold a funeral or cremation in Macao, you can find a list of funeral directors in Macao - https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/macao-list-of-mortuary-and-funeral-home

If the deceased was insured you should immediately contact the insurance company to establish if they are able to cover for the repatriation expenses and make the necessary arrangements. You may need the insurance policy number and the associated 24 hour medical emergency contact number to do this. If the travel insurance company confirm that there is a current policy, you should not appoint your own funeral director or be pressurised by local funeral agencies to do so. It will be the insurance company that will appoint the funeral director both locally and in the UK.

8. Registering the death and obtaining a death certificate

For those who died of illness at the hospital, doctor–in-charge of the patient will issue a death certificate (certificate de Obite). For death involving police investigation, death certificate will be issued by coroner. Next of kin needs to register the death at the Civil Registry https://www.gov.mo/zh-hant/services/ps-1993/ and receives a certificate of death narrative registration. Only after the registration, can the body be removed from the mortuary.

Civil Registry

Address: Rua do Campo, n 162, Macao, Edificio Administracao Publica 2 andar

Tel: (853) 2855 0110
Email: crc@dsaj.gov.mo
Website: www.dsaj.gov.mo

9. Post mortem examinations (autopsies)

For any sudden deaths whether they are occurred at the residence, on the street, or on the way to the hospital {except traffic accidents, as these are under the authority of Public Security Police Force (PSP)}. The Police Judiciary (PJ) will be involved to investigate the cause of death, in order to verify if any criminal elements exist.

Police Judiciary will try to contact friend and family of the deceased and notify the next of kin. Verify the identity of the deceased through the family of the deceased by photographs, fingerprints or DNA. The family also needs to provide proof of relationship with the deceased. Family can entrust someone to do it via an authorisation letter.

Investigation documents from Police Judiciary will send to Coroner to obtain professional opinions. With the Coroner’s opinions, the investigation reports will submit to Public Prosecution Office. The Prosecutor will decide whether or not an autopsy should be conducted, and relatives will be notified of the decision. Family can apply to the Prosecution Office if they do not wish autopsy to be carried out. However, the final decision is on Prosecution Office. Whether or not the autopsy is conducted, the coroner will issue a death certificate.

In some cases it may be necessary to have a further autopsy in the UK even though one has been carried out overseas and, when repatriation is to England or Wales, it is probable that the Coroner will wish to hold an inquest.

Please note that an inquest will not take place in the UK if a local burial or local cremation has taken place.

10. Mortuary facilities

The public mortuary in Macao is at
Conde S Januario Hospital, Estrada dos Parses, Macao.
Tel: (853) 8390 3620
Email: info@ssm.gov.mo
Website: www.ssm.gov.mo

For patients who dies at Kiang Wu Hospital, the bodies will be kept at
Mortuary of Kiang Wu Hospital,
Estrada do Repouso, Macao
Tel: (853) 8295 0133
Email: kwhis@macao.ctm.net
Website: www.kwh.org.mo

11. Burial, cremation, repatriation

In Macao, the common arrangements for the body are burial, cremation and transfer to other places. Because of the specialty in burial arrangement, (such as transfer of the body, embalming, import/export of the body in/out of Macao), it will involve other government departments such as the Health Bureau (SS), the Public Security Police Force (PSP) and the Civic and Municipal Affairs Bureau (IACM). The next of kin should arrange the repatriation of the body through an international funeral director.

Burial can be conducted in Macao. Cremation has to be done in Zhuhai, China. The fee is approximately MOP 40,000 (£4000). Repatriation of the body to other places costs around MOP 30,000 (excluding air ticket).

The death certificate issued by the coroner is valid for one year. The family members need to arrange the funeral matters and register the death to Civil Registry as soon as possible after receiving the certificate. (The Health Bureau will charge a (frozen) storage fee of MOP 200 per day after the family members received the death certificate.)

If the identity of the body cannot be verified or the family stated they will not handle the funeral matter, Police Judiciary will notify the Public Prosecutions Office for them to instruct to carry out the burial due to health issue.

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.

12. Return of personal belongings

Personal belongings found on the deceased at the time of death are usually taken by the police. If the next of kin chooses repatriation, it is advisable to instruct the funeral director to collect the belongings from the police and to ship them with the body. If there is an investigation into the death, some items may be retained as evidence and will not be returned until the case is finished.

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

13. 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 a step-by-step guide about what to do when someone dies.https://www.gov.uk/when-someone-dies

14. 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 form and instructions on where to send the passport is available online.http://www.gov.uk/government/publications/what-to-do-with-a-passport-when-the-passport-holder-has-died

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.

15. Child deaths

There is no separate procedures for deaths involving children, if case of child death reported to police and the cause of death is unclear, Police Judiciary will investigate the death and coroner opinion is sought and report to Public Prosecution who will decide whether or not an autopsy should be conduct and further investigation is needed.

The Macao Civil Registry register death of ‘stillbirth’ of a baby at or after 22 weeks of gestation.

16. Deaths in road traffic accidents

Public Security Police Force in the district in which the death occurred in traffic accident will lead an investigation to the cause of death and to verify any criminal elements exist. Opinion from Coroner will be sought, and report will be submitted to the Public Prosecution Office. The Prosecution will decide whether or not an autopsy should be conduct, and whether any person will be prosecuted.

17. 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. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/helping-british-people-abroad-murder-and-manslaughter

If a death is regarded as suspicious the Police will investigate in full and will report to Public Prosecution Office.

Next of kin will be provided the name and contact details of the officer in charge of the case. They will be kept fully informed of the progress of the case.

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.

18. 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 http://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coping-with-death-abroad

19. Legal Aid

Legal Aid in Macao aims to ensure that all persons who meet the legal requirement but have insufficient financial capacity can assert or defend their rights and interests protected in law through juridical litigation. http://www.caj.gov.mo/en/application.htm

All residents of Macao, including temporary residents, can apply for legal aid if they meet certain legal requirements. Legal aid can be applied for at any stage of a legal action.

20. Compensation

The Macau government does not provide monetary compensation to crime victims, and there is no government office for crime victim assistance. Instead, the Social Welfare Department offers support to crime victims. The support offered includes monetary benefits, health care, psychological services, and counselling. http://www.ias.gov.mo/en/swb-services/individual-and-family-service/financial-assistance

In the UK - You can find information on UK compensation for victims of terrorism overseas http://www.gov.uk/compensation-victim-terrorist-attack

21. Additional support

Local support organisations

Social Welfare Department - http://www.ias.gov.mo/en/home

The Samaritans - https://samaritans.org.hk/services/pbs/

The Sheng Kung Hui, Macao - https://skhssco.org.mo/about/ / http://www1.skhwc.org.hk/en/services/main/6/

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. http://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coping-with-death-abroad

We also have information on victim of crime https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/victims-of-crime