Guidance

Estonia: bereavement information

Updated 23 April 2024

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 1500.

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 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, 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 Estonia and the next of kin is in the UK or abroad, Estonian authorities normally notify the British Embassy. British Embassies will do whatever they can to trace the next of kin as soon as possible and would ask the UK 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 Estonia the seniority of next of kin is usually as follows:

• 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 (a closer relative will have a priority)
• a partner may be considered as the next of kin in the absence of other relatives
• a divorced spouse may need to seek legal advice to establish where he/she can be a next of kin in the absence of other relatives

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.

If a person died in a hospital the medical death notice containing the reason of death (different from the death registration certificate) can be obtained from the hospital by the next of kin or legal representatives. Where the post-mortem has to be performed, the medical death notice can be issued after the post mortem is done. The medical death notice can be issued to the next of kin on the basis of the deceased identity document and the next of kin identity document. The medical death notice can be issued to the appointed funeral directors on the basis of a written authorisation by next of kin.

In cases of sudden or unexpected death whether by accident or misadventure or where a person dies, the police will prepare an initial report of their findings. However, if death was caused by a criminal act, the police will be ordered to conduct a full investigation to establish cause of death. The autopsy report will be sent to the Estonian police and will have to be requested by next of kin from the police.

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.

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.

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

Estonian undertakers have links with international undertakers in the UK and they normally work well together to ensure that all necessary requirements are met in Estonia and in the UK.

A relative or a formally appointed representative must instruct a local funeral director in Estonia or an international funeral director in the UK for a body to be repatriated to the UK, or buried or cremated in Estonia. However 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. It will be the insurance company that will appoint the funeral director both locally and in the UK.

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.

To register the death and get the certificate you need to turn to the local county government and present the notice of death given by the doctor or the police, your and the deceased person’s ID-s. Find the local county government contacts and the opening hours and further information about death registration at the portal of Estonian Ministry of Interior.

Health care providers (primary care physicians, hospitals, ambulance service providers, etc.) will transmit the death facts in the population register automatically for persons who have an Estonian personal identification code and will issue a death certificate. If the deceased had an Estonian personal identification code, you do not have to register the death with the Local County or Tallinn Vital Statistics Office separately.

The death has to be registered within 7 days, starting from the date of death or the date when the person was discovered to be dead. The death certificate will normally be given out within 3 days. Death registration is free of charge in Estonia. The chosen local funeral director may be able to help you with those arrangements if you are outside of Estonia.

Passport of the deceased is retained by the local county government at the time of the death registration and is then forwarded to the embassy. If it is required for repatriation, the passport will be returned to the family or an appointed representative for further repatriation arrangements.

In order to proceed with practicalities in the UK you may need to translate the death certificate into English. Sworn translation services are widely available in Tallinn and other larger towns in Estonia. Please see a list of translators and interpreters for Estonia. A local funeral director may be able to assist with the arrangement of a certified translation of the death certificate if you are outside of Estonia.

Death certificate can be issued in Estonian, English, German or French language.

Death certificate does not state the cause of death. Medical death notice issued by the doctor states the cause of death.

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.

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 and apply online.

Post mortem examinations (autopsies)

A post-mortem, which is also known as an autopsy, is normally performed in all cases and certainly when the death is not by natural causes. Autopsies are conducted for deaths in Estonia at the request of the Estonian State Police or court. A doctor in a state hospital may also request a post-mortem for a death by natural causes when the cause of death is unclear. Post-mortems are carried out by forensic doctors appointed by the hospital or by the court and are sometimes called pathologists. The autopsy may be required if the family wants to repatriate the deceased.

During a post-mortem, small tissue samples and organs may be removed and retained for testing, including toxicological studies. This is done in order to better understand the cause of death and to evaluate any disease or injury that might be present. It can be crucial to establish cause of death in cases where criminal or civil legal procedures may eventuate. This is done without the consent of the next of kin.

Any samples removed are retained for the duration of the tests, and then destroyed. Samples of organs or organs themselves will not be removed for any purpose other than testing without prior consent of the deceased (for research) or next of kin (transplants). When an autopsy is requested for purposes of inheritance matters, the requesting party may be asked to cover charges associated with this service.

Once the Estonian authorities are content that no further examinations need be made, funeral or cremation can take place in Estonia or the body can be returned to the UK.

In Estonia it may take 2 months from the date of autopsy for the full autopsy report to be published. In more complex cases this deadline may be extended. The autopsy report will be sent to the Estonian police and will have to be requested by next of kin from them. You will need to organise and pay for the translation of the report into English. You should be aware that an autopsy report is a factual, clinical document and as such you may find the contents distressing.

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.

Mortuary facilities

Estonian mortuary facilities are of a high standard and similar to that in the UK. Mortuaries are usually attached to local hospitals. The funeral director chosen or the doctor will help you with the transportation of the deceased to the nearest mortuary. There is a cost of keeping the deceased in the mortuary.

Burial, cremation, repatriation

The next of kin of the person who has died will usually need to decide between a local burial, cremation or bringing the person home, which is known as repatriation. Your funeral director will usually be able to explain the options available, as well as the costs, and help you make arrangements.

If you choose a local burial, you will need to instruct a local funeral director and they can make the necessary arrangements with either a private or government owned cemetery. A ceremony can be organised by the funeral director. There can also be a memorial service at the cemetery where the person is buried. Information about cemeteries is available on the cemeteries’ portal in English. You can make specific arrangements depending on your cultural and/or religious beliefs.

Cremation is also common in Estonia. There will also be a memorial service at the crematorium. If the next of kin chooses to have a local cremation and wishes to take the ashes back to the UK themselves, the funeral directors will be able to arrange the necessary paperwork for the return of the ashes to the UK.

Local funeral directors can help with the repatriation if you choose to bring a person back to UK or you may choose to appoint an international undertaker in the UK. If the deceased was covered by travel insurance, the insurance company will normally have a standing agreement with an international funeral director in the UK to arrange repatriation on your behalf. Estonian undertakers have links with international undertakers in the UK and they work well together to ensure that all necessary requirements are met in Estonia and in the UK.

It is possible to donate the organs and tissue to medical science.

It is possible to apply for the funeral support from the local county government.

Please note that 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

Personal belongings found on the deceased at the time of death are either handed over to the family, if they are present, or taken by the police. If the next of kin chooses repatriation, it is advisable to instruct the local undertaker to collect the belongings from the police and to ship personal belongings together with the body. If there is an investigation into the death, the deceased’s clothing can be retained as evidence and is not returned until the court case is finished.

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 a step-by-step guide on gov.uk.

British passport cancellation

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

The form and instructions on where to send it 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

If the Estonian police is not satisfied after a preliminary examination of the facts surrounding the deceased’s death, the police will conduct a full investigation and there are no separate procedures for child deaths.

If a child dies unborn, the stillbirth in Estonia is defined as the birth of a baby who has died at any time from 22 weeks into the pregnancy through to the due date of the birth. In case of such death, the doctor will issue a medical death notice and this notice will be used for funeral arrangements. The birth/death certificate is not issued in case of stillbirths. It is possible to mark a child’s name on the medical death notice.

Deaths in road traffic accidents

If the Estonian police is not satisfied after a preliminary examination of the facts surrounding the deceased’s death, the police will conduct a full investigation and there are no separate procedures for deaths in 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 what they can do online.

If the Estonian police is not satisfied after a preliminary examination of the facts surrounding the deceased’s death, the police will conduct a full investigation.

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 HM 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 Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office guide on Death Abroad

Legal Aid

There is an option of free state legal advice in Estonia for people residing in Estonia For information on how to find a lawyer if you need one, see our list of lawyers.

Compensation

It is possible to apply for the funeral support from the local county government for people residing in Estonia.

The Estonian government provide support for victims of crime.

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

Translation and interpretation

In order to proceed with practicalities in the UK you may need to translate the death certificate into English. Translation services are widely available in Tallinn and other larger towns in Estonia. A local funeral director may be able to assist with the arrangement of a certified translation of the death certificate.

Additional support

Local support organisations

There are some counselling services in Estonia that can provide support for those experiencing grief and loss.

You can find further support at:

• state victim support in Estonia
• emotional support and pastoral care helpline
• support helpline for children
• emotional support helpline NGO Eluliin - Line of life
• psychosocial and crisis support helpline

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.