Guidance

Guinea: bereavement information

Updated 5 November 2024

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 (FCDO), 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, 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.

There is no legal definition of next of kin in Guinean Civil law either. 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, a family council decision may be required for the purpose of repatriation.

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.

In Guinea, it is not uncommon for the local authorities to share information freely to the family and/or friends of the person who has died. 

Local authorities will, however, usually communicate any developments to the British Embassy or a lawyer appointed by the family, who will then pass this on to them, as the authorities will not make international calls.

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 person who died to the UK for a 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 Guinea, you can find a list of funeral directors in Guinea

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.

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. If it is not in English, you will need to obtain and pay for an official translation. 

The funeral director can register a death on behalf of the next of kin if appointed by the family, or when the death occurs at a hospital from a natural cause, the health officer makes a declaration of death in French, with the date, hour, and cause of the death.

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.

Post mortem examinations (autopsies)

If death occurs at a hospital due to natural causes, an autopsy will not be performed unless requested by the next of kin, for a fee.

Post mortems are normally performed when the cause of death is unknown, unnatural, sudden, violent, or suspicious. The police might request that a forensic doctor assist, and for a report in French to be sent to the police and the judiciary in case of legal action.

Cultural or religious sensitivities may not be considered and the FCDO cannot stop or interfere with the process.

When law enforcement has requested a post mortem, the report might become confidential until the police investigation is closed.

During a post -mortem, small tissue samples and organs may be removed and retained for testing without the consent of the family. You will not automatically be told if this happens.

Mortuary facilities

Main public hospitals and private clinics in Conakry, and some regional hospitals, have mortuaries with temperature-controlled storage facilities, but these may not be available in rural areas. This may mean the body cannot be preserved in a good condition.

If the person died somewhere without mortuary facilities, the funeral director will need to move the body to a temperature-controlled storage facility as quickly as possible.

Public storage costs approximately £5 to £10 per day. Private storage costs £20 to £30 per day.

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, the costs, and help you make arrangements.

Local funeral directors will work to meet all the necessary requirements for local burial, note that there is no cremation facility in Guinea; the nearest is in Sierra Leone, a 5 hour drive from Conakry.

The funeral directors can also assist in providing all necessary documents for repatriation such as a local death certificate and certificate of embalming, release the body for repatriation. A letter of authorisation by the next of kin is required.

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.

If you choose to repatriate, the local funeral director may be able to collect all personal belongings and ship them together with the body.

If there is an investigation into the death, clothing may be retained as evidence and will not be returned until the court case is finished.

The FCDO cannot help with the cost of returning personal belongings to the family. 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 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 HM 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

Police in Guinea will hold a full investigation into any death, and this includes deaths involving children.  

Social services in Guinea will only be involved where a child dies in their care or where there is an allegation of abuse leading to death. 

There are no special procedures for neonatal and stillbirths in Guinea.

Deaths in road traffic accidents

Police in Guinea will hold full investigations into any death - there are no 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.

Police, judicial inquiries, the local equivalent of coroners’ inquests.

In cases of suspicious death and road traffic accidents the police will take the lead, though the examining magistrate is the prosecutor.

The Public Prosecutor will receive the preliminary investigative report from the police and gendarmerie, and suspects can be in pre-trial detention for a long period. Detainees are allowed to get lawyers to defend their case in front of a criminal court.

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

There is no legal aid scheme available in Guinea. 

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

Compensation

Government-led compensation schemes for victims of crime are not available in Guinea. You can find information on UK compensation for victims of terrorism overseas

Translation and Interpretation

The official language in Guinea is French. English is not widely spoken. You will need to obtain and pay for an official translation of all documents. See our list of translators.

Additional support

Local support organisations

There are no charities in Guinea that can provide information, support or advice to bereaved families. 

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

Some UK-based charities and organisations may be able to offer assistance, support and information to people affected by a death abroad. The FCDO provides a list of UK-based charities and organisations.