Guidance

Madagascar: bereavement information

Published 25 November 2019

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 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 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.

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.

The next of kin will be automatically notified of a death under local procedures.

Same sex partners or spouses are recognised under local law or practices as next of kin.

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.

Consular officers may help keeping the family informed of any developments by checking with local authorities. These latter could also help the family.

It is very rare but not impossible for local authorities to have the ability to make international calls to inform next of kin of developments in the UK. Most of the time, they ask the Embassy’s assistance to facilitate the communication.

In case of suspicious death, it is the local authorities to judge to share the type of information to the family, especially, when the case is still under investigation.

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.

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

Funeral directors can significantly reduce the stress on family and friends by providing advice and taking care of most of the arrangements associated with a local funeral or repatriation to the UK.

If you wish to repatriate your loved one to the UK or another country, you will need to appoint an international funeral director. See contact details for companies which can provide this service.

8. 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.

9. Consular death registration

A doctor from the Municipal Bureau of Hygiene ‘BMH’ or from any Basic Healthcare Center ‘CSB II’ (or the Head Doctor if the death occurred in the hospital) will confirm the death and issue a certificate after preliminary examination of the deceased.

All deaths are registered with a Civil Registrar who will issue a death certificate (‘acte de décès’). All documents are produced in French. See list of translators/interpreters.

If you appoint a local funeral director, they will ensure that all formalities and documentation are completed.

The British Embassy does not register deaths that have occurred in Madagascar. Whilst there is no legal obligation for you to do so, you may wish to register the death with the General Registry Office in the UK. See information on how to register a death.

10. Post mortem examinations (autopsies)

In cases of death believed to be from unnatural causes, sudden or unexplained deaths, and/or deaths in suspicious circumstances or due to apparent accidents, the Malagasy police will ask the local coroner to carry out a post-mortem.

The family of the deceased can object to a post-mortem. To do so, they have to inform the Police of their decision. No fees will be charged for carrying out an autopsy. The coroner will not retain any organs.

The autopsy report will be available after the post-mortem is carried out. When the family of the deceased have requested a copy of the report, the coroner will try to produce it without delay (the day following the request at the soonest). The report will be written in French. In case needed, see our list of translators/interpreters.

11. Mortuary facilities

These facilities are only available in the capital, Antananarivo, and the number of provider is limited. If a death occurred in the regions, the undertaker will transport the body to the capital, taking private or local transport (“taxi brousse”).

Arrangements will be made for the deceased to be taken to the mortuary where the body may be viewed by family members and friends.

Power outages are frequent in Madagascar, but the mortuary facilities of major hospitals are generally equipped with a generator. Nevertheless, you should be prepared as the standard of local mortuaries is a lot lower than that of the UK.

No counseling service is available in Madagascar for family and friends of the deceased.

12. Burial, cremation, repatriation

If you wish to organise a funeral in Madagascar, you will need to appoint a local funeral director. Burial is the most common form of funeral in Madagascar, but cremation is possible.

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.

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.

13. Return of personal belongings

If you are repatriating your loved one to the UK you should speak to your international funeral director about returning personal effects. If you are conducting a local funeral and want your loved one’s belongings to be returned to family members living in Madagascar or in the UK, we can assist but this will be at the family’s expense.

The most reliable way to return personal effects is via courier (e.g. DHL).

Please note, the British Embassy cannot take responsibility for the personal belongings of the person who died.

14. 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.

15. 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.

16. Child deaths

There are not specific procedures for the death of a child, unless it is a suspicious death. Depending on the circumstances, investigations could be conducted differently to deaths of adults. Social services will be involved only in specific circumstances.

17. Deaths in road traffic accidents

There is no specific local procedure for deaths in road traffic accidents. Local authorities will do their own investigation, then the body will be transported to the closest mortuary. Next steps will depend on how things go (family could take it or not yet).

18. 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 organisations. You can find more about what they can do online.

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.

19. 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 happens 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

20. Legal aid

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

21. Compensation

No compensation or other services such as counselling or victim assistance are provided in Madagascar.

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

22. Translation and Interpretation

French is the second official language used in Madagascar. You may need translators to assist you speak with local authorities.

Find a list of translators and interpreters in Madagascar.

23. Additional support

The following list of funeral directors has been prepared by the British Embassy Antananarivo for the convenience of British Nationals who may require this service and assistance in Madagascar. It is provided on the understanding that we (the British Embassy) do not assume or undertake any legal responsibility, to you, or those affected, if you choose to take it into account when instructing a local funeral director.

Further and alternatively, we cannot accept any liability to any person or company for any financial loss or damage arising from the use of this information or from any failure to give information.

Our aim is to provide our customers with as much relevant information to enable them to make better informed decisions but our lists are not recommendations and should not be treated as such.

23.1 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.

We also have information for victims of crime abroad, which you may find helpful.