1. 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.

2. 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.

3. 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.

4. 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.

Requests for information concerning a death can be obtained from the Seychelles authorities. Next of kin may want to consider contacting a legal representative to do this, but it is not required. Our consular staff can provide a list of English-speaking lawyers in Seychelles.

A death certificate can be obtained from the Department of Immigration and Civil Status, which is open to the public. A cause of death certificate can be provided to the next of kin by the medical authorities. However, if a death has occurred in suspicious circumstances, an inquest is normally carried out and this is a public hearing.

5. Contacting the travel insurance company

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.

What to do if the person who died didn’t have insurance?

If you are not sure whether the person who died had insurance, check with their bank, credit card company or employer.

If the person who died did not have insurance, a relative or a formally appointed representative will usually have to appoint a funeral director and be responsible for all costs. The FCDO provides a list of UK-based international funeral directors.

6. 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 FCDO produces a list of international funeral directors based in the UK.

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

The next of kin can approach a funeral director directly or, if the deceased had  insurance then the insurance company may appoint one themselves.

You will need to discuss the family’s wishes with the funeral director and decide whether to:

• repatriate the deceased to the UK.
• have a local cremation and repatriate the ashes to the UK or have them scattered in Seychelles
• have a burial in Seychelles (check with the funeral director for advice on whether this is possible)

An International Funeral Director can also organise repatriations to most countries in the world.

If the deceased was travelling with a tour operator, they can also be a valuable source of assistance and advice.

Once appointed, the funeral director will be able to make the arrangements and obtain the paperwork, including the death certificate, on behalf of the next of kin.

7. 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.

Once a death has been certified by a medical officer, the next of kin will receive a Notification of Death within a mandatory 24-hour period, which is to be used to register the death at the Civil Status Office in Victoria.The declaration with the Civil Status Office should be made within 24 hours of the death. Most of the time the funeral director can handle this duty, providing they have the relevant personal details from the next of kin, but family or friends may do this if they wish. Note that the Notification of Death does not specify the cause of death.

A local medical certificate specifying the cause of death will later be issued by the medical officer who certified the death, or a pathologist in cases of unnatural death or cases under investigation. The medical certificate will be sent to the Civil Status Office only. In the case of a natural death both documents (Notification of Death and Medical Certificate) may be issued together although, the medical officer is under no obligation to release the Death Certificate in a 24-hour period.

If a person goes missing in Seychelles, the next of kin can apply to the Registry of the Supreme Court to hold an enquiry into the disappearance, to determine if the person can be declared as dead. If the court is not satisfied that the person is dead, the missing person will be declared as absent.

8. 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 on registering a death and apply online.

9. Postmortem examinations (autopsies)

Autopsies are carried out at the mortuary of Seychelles Hospital (more widely known as Victoria Hospital). Autopsies are carried out in cases of sudden or suspicious death. There will also be an autopsy if the doctors are uncertain of the cause of death.

10. Mortuary facilities

The main mortuary on Mahe is at the Seychelles Hospital (more widely known as Victoria Hospital). The facilities may not be fully comparable with those expected in the UK, but the attitude and skills of the doctors are of a professional standard. Undertakers also have mortuary facilities. The mortuary at the Seychelles Hospital has space for cold storage and is regularly maintained.

There is a daily charge for the use of the cold storage facility and family or insurance are liable to cover these costs. There is not currently a limit on the length of time the cold storage facility can be used, either for citizens or non-citizens. Facilities exist for all major religions in Seychelles.

Once a body is released from the hospital, it will generally be transported to the undertaker’s which also has cold storage facilities. If there are outstanding hospital fees, the deceased will still be released from the hospital mortuary, but the next of kin or insurance company will be liable to cover any outstanding fees. The undertaker will charge €600 to hold the deceased for 1 week and then a further €75 per day after. Note that the prices are subject to change without notice.

11. Burial, cremation and repatriation

Following the death of a British national in Seychelles, the next of kin or their formally appointed representative 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.

If the deceased was covered by travel insurance, it is important that the next of kin contact the insurance company as soon as is realistically possible. If insurance cover is granted, you should discuss with them what funeral arrangements they will cover. If there is no insurance cover, the cost of burial, repatriation or cremation will need to be met by the family of the deceased.

The services of an international undertaker are necessary to help with these arrangements. The next of kin will also need to discuss funeral arrangements and costs with an international undertaker. The FCDO and our High Commission in Seychelles are not able to meet these costs.

There are details for international undertakers below. The international undertaker will then pass the wishes of the next of kin regarding the funeral of the deceased, as well as the details of those taking responsibility for the costs involved to our High Commission in Victoria. If the deceased was travelling with a tour operator, they can be a valuable source of assistance and advice.

We appreciate that the next of kin may not always live in the UK. International Funeral Directors can organise repatriations to most countries in the world (see below).

11.1 Local Burial and Cremation

To have a local burial, a relative or a formally appointed representative needs to appoint a local funeral director.

The funeral director will be able to explain the local process. Prices vary depending on the circumstances and funeral options. It is important to agree on the costs with the undertaker in advance, where consideration will be given for the particular circumstances. After a post-mortem has been carried out, the undertaker can take the deceased directly to their premises to prepare for the burial or cremation.

If you wish to have a burial or cremation in Seychelles, the FCDO provides a list of English-speaking funeral directors in Seychelles.

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.

11.2 Bringing the ashes home

If you choose local cremation and wish to take the ashes back to the UK yourself, you can usually do so. Check with your airline about specific restrictions or requirements, for example whether you can carry the ashes as hand luggage. When leaving Seychelles with human ashes you will need to:

• show the certificate of cremation
• show the letter of authorisation to travel with the cremated ashes issued by Seychelles Public Health Authority
• fill in a standard customs form when you arrive home

You should not have the person cremated abroad if you want a UK coroner to conduct an inquest into their death. If it is not possible for you to transport the ashes yourself, a funeral director will be able to make the necessary arrangements. The FCDO provides a list of UK-based international funeral directors.

11.3 Repatriation

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 repatriations through a local undertaker on your behalf. Documentation required to repatriate the deceased will be provided by the undertakers with the assistance of our High Commission if necessary. Formal letters from our High Commission such as Consular Certificates are not needed by His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs. If required, a note to this effect can still be produced by the High Commission in Victoria upon request.

Local formalities for repatriation can take up to seven days or more to complete. Please be aware that in certain circumstances, repatriation may not always be an option – if this is the case, our consular staff will endeavour to inform the next of kin as soon as possible.

The local international undertaker to the UK will assist with repatriation preparation such as the embalming, setting, flight and shipment which airlines require. The passport and all original copies of relevant documents such as post-mortem reports and police reports must accompany the deceased. This will be arranged by the undertaker. Payments should be covered by insurance where applicable.

12. Return of personal belongings

Personal effects are normally returned to the next of kin, or their authorised representative, without formalities. If personal effects need to be returned to the UK and the next of kin are not present in Seychelles, the undertaker will pass on any costs incurred to the next of kin.

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.

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.

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. 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 FCDO 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.

In the case of a suspicious death, the police in Victoria will lead any investigation. Police reports can be obtained from the police after a post-mortem has taken place and it is not a requirement for this to be done through a legal representative. A pathologist will also issue a post-mortem report.

All official documents in the Seychelles are in English. A police report can be requested from the police if required, but the undertaker will normally receive all of these documents.

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.

16. 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.

17. Legal Aid

Legal aid is available to Seychellois citizens, but not usually for foreigners. The exception to this can be in criminal cases where a person charged with an offence can be appointed a lawyer – destitute non-citizens will obtain legal services under this constitutional provision.

18. Finding a lawyer

You can apply to appoint a lawyer in certain circumstances, such as a suspicious death. The FCDO provides a list of English-speaking lawyers in Seychelles.

19. Compensation

The social security scheme in Seychelles has some benefits related to death, such as the provision of a coffin, or some money towards the cost of the funeral. This is only available to Seychellois citizens and those who have contributed to the social security scheme. The general practice is for claims to be made by the individual rather than through a legal representative.

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

20. Additional support

Support organisations in the UK

In the UK, there are many charities an organisations that can provide help and information to people affected by a death abroad. The FCDO provides a list of UK-based charities and organisations.

21. Check you have done everything you need to do in the UK

Check this step-by-step guide for when someone dies to make sure you have done everything you need to do in the UK after someone has died. You can find information on:

• how to tell the government about the death
• UK pensions and benefits
• dealing with the estate of the person who died