Guidance

Kyrgyzstan: bereavement information

Updated 17 January 2024

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.  

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 and Commonwealth 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 and Commonwealth 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 and Commonwealth 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.

You can contact the British Embassy in Bishkek online or by telephone on +996 (312) 303637.

The priority of the Foreign, Commonwealth and 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 and 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.

According to the Kyrgyz law, the next of kin includes:

• spouses
• parents
• children
• adoptive parents
• adopted children
• full and half brothers and sisters
• grandparents
• grandchildren

Kyrgyz law does not allow or recognise same-sex marriages.

First priority heirs are children (including adopted and born after the death of the person), spouse and parents (including adoptive parents). Brothers and sisters (full and half), and  grandparents (of both parental sides) are the next in line of successors by law. Blood aunts and uncles and cousins (both from the father’s and mother’s side) are third in succession by law.

If no relatives, as described above, exist more distant relatives may be considered.  These can be three, four or five times removed from the deceased.

According to Kyrgyz law, disabled dependents of the deceased, who for at least one year before the person’s death, were dependent on and jointly resided with them, shall be among those entitled to an inheritance.

Disputes related to inheritance amongst next of kin or in relation to next of kin are decided by the courts of the Kyrgyz Republic.

There are no formal procedures, which would describe the notification of next of kin in the event of a death. In practice and depending on the circumstances of the death either medical personnel or law enforcement bodies may notify next of kin or other legal representative (usually spouse, parents or children) about the death of a person.

Release of information to next of kin

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (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.

Information will likely come through the embassy from the police as the chance of confusion with language difficulties may apply. They will rarely contact the family directly if the family are not in Kyrgyzstan.

Access to information concerning a death, other than post-mortem and police reports, is restricted. The Kyrgyz authorities will not provide this information directly to the next of kin, or to third parties including the Embassy. Requests for this information should be made through a legal representative. Our consular staff can provide lists of English speaking lawyers in Kyrgyzstan. The release of any information can take many months, and the documents will be in Russian.

Please bear in mind that issues related to bereavement information are not regulated by Kyrgyz law, so authorities will not keep family members informed of developments.

Local authorities do not have the financial or human resources to make international calls and inform next of kin. Information about the death of a foreign national is provided to the Embassy in the Kyrgyz Republic.

If the body of the deceased is found by the local law enforcement authorities, they usually produce an inventory with photographs of the body and belongings of the deceased. The storage and charge for personal belongings is not regulated by the Kyrgyz law.

Personal belongings are usually returned to the family unless they are considered as material evidence to a criminal case.

If personal belongings are recognised as material evidence they will be attached to a case by a decision of an authorised official of the investigative authority, an investigator, or a judge and they must be kept with the case until the verdict comes into legal force or until the expiration of the time limit for appealing against the decision or ruling to terminate the case. The local police will produce an inventory with the exact date, time and cause of death and it can be requested by the family. There is no deadline for collecting belongings.

Usually, if the family or other legal representatives of the deceased would like  personal belongings to be shipped overseas, they will need to bear all the expenses. There are no organisations known to us who work specifically with foreigners on this matter. In general, this issue is not regulated by law.

If belongings are considered as material evidence to the criminal case, the local police will usually inform the family. Further details on this are in section 1 – Next of Kin.

Raising concerns or complaints about the storage or return of belongings is not regulated by the Kyrgyz law.

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. Some funeral directors are able to work with insurance companies in Kyrgyzstan.

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 and Development Office cannot help with these costs. Funeral directors can also arrange pauper burials.

Appointing a funeral director

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

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

Kyrgyz undertakers are basically equipped and do not have extensive experience of working with foreigners. They will not have fluent English speaking staff.

A deceased person in Kyrgyzstan is usually buried within 72 hours of death. Refrigeration and embalming facilities are poor in Kyrgyzstan and deterioration of remains will quickly occur. Time is of the essence when considering repatriation since international standards regarding the repatriation of the remains must be met before death certification is granted.

It is important to remember that if the deceased was travelling with a tour operator, they can be a valuable source of assistance and advice.

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. 

Civil Records Registry Office under the State Registry Service (also known as ZAGS) will issue a death certificate in Russian and Kyrgyz languages. Collection of all required documents and issue of the death certificate takes 3-5 business days.  As a rule, Kyrgyz death certificates give details of the cause of death.

Post mortem examinations (autopsies)

If the circumstances of the death were not unusual (see below), registration of the death is permitted and the body will be released for repatriation or burial. However, if the Prosecutor and Criminal Police Department under the Ministry of Interior of the Kyrgyz Republic (dealing with the criminal cases involving foreign nationals) are not satisfied after a preliminary examination of the facts, an autopsy may be required. Further investigations and interviews with witnesses may also be called for before a decision is made as to cause of death.

In cases of sudden or unexpected death, whether by accident or misadventure, or where a person dies unattended, the Prosecutor or Criminal Police  Department under the Ministry of Interior of the Kyrgyz Republic will prepare a report of his findings and the body will be released for burial. The report will be retained by the court/prosecutor/ police department and may only be released to a legal representative (a local lawyer) of the next of kin. However, if death was caused by a criminal act, the police will be ordered to conduct a full investigation. The Prosecutor General will then decide whether to prosecute. This can delay the release of the body for burial.

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

Autopsies are carried out by doctors. During an autopsy, organs can be removed for testing, including toxicological studies, at the discretion of the doctor, without consent of the next of kin. The next of kin are not informed about the removal of any organs.

Organ donation is allowed in Kyrgyzstan; however, there are no facilities for this in the country.

Mortuary facilities

Facilities in Kyrgyzstan are basic and are not of a similar standard to the UK. Bishkek and other major cities have these facilities but in regional areas they might not be available.

There is a cost involved on the body being kept in a mortuary, even if the body is being held whilst enquiries are ongoing into the death.

Burial, cremation, repatriation

The next of kin of the person who has died will usually need to decide on a local burial, 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.

If the deceased was covered by travel insurance, the insurance company may have a standing agreement with an international funeral director in the UK to arrange the repatriation. If the deceased is not covered by insurance, the next of kin will need to appoint an undertaker in Kyrgyzstan or an international funeral director themselves.

Some local undertakers in Kyrgyzstan are equipped to carry out repatriation procedures and will provide the special caskets required for the international carriage of human remains. For shipping the body the undertaker will request the documents such as a copy of the deceased’s passport, local medical and civil death certificates, copy of ID of the accompanying person and a certificate giving permission to transfer the remains to the UK along with a zinc coffin sealing report, the undertaker will arrange this. Our Embassy can provide covering certificates for UK Customs. Local formalities for repatriation normally take around 7 days to complete.

In certain circumstances, repatriation may not always be possible. Our consular staff will try to inform the next of kin as soon as possible if this is the case.

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.

If the next of kin choose to proceed with a local burial, they will need to instruct a local funeral director. Our Embassy in Kyrgyzstan can provide a list of funeral directors on request, including indications of costs, and can help with practical arrangements.

There is no cremation service in Kyrgyzstan.  However, there is a service where the cremation can be carried out in Russia and the ashes returned to you in Kyrgyzstan or sent to the UK.

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.

Depending on the type of death involved and who is deemed responsible as next of kin personal items will be managed by the funeral director and returned through him. If the deceased had a partner in Kyrgyzstan the items will usually reside with him or her. If there are suspicious circumstances items may well be withheld until the criminal case is closed.

Please note, the British Embassy 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 Her 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] (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. 

Child deaths

There is no difference between the investigation of child and adult deaths.

Deaths in road traffic accidents

Road deaths are treated in the same way as any other. The only difference is that the traffic police will also be involved and, unlike the UK,  they are separate to the normal police force.  Traffic police would arrive at the scene together with the police, and their written report would trigger a criminal investigation.

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 and Development Office will be available to provide support, including by referring you to a specialised organisations.

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 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 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 system in Kyrgyzstan is very limited and in general is available mainly to defendants in a criminal case.  

Your lawyer will be able to provide details, please refer to the list of English-speaking lawyers in Kyrgyzstan.

Compensation

Compensation is only given to Kyrgyz nationals if they are family members of the deceased and if the criteria for the death warrants it.

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

Translation and Interpretation

Official languages used are Kyrgyz and Russian, a translator will therefore be required. Please refer to the  list of translators and interpreters.

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.

Annex: List of local funeral directors.