Guidance

Slovakia bereavement: death abroad

Updated 4 March 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, 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.

Next of kin is not legally defined in Slovakia. It is usually the closest adult family member, a spouse. It then follows the hereditary line, for example to children and grandchildren. Same sex partners or spouses are not recognised under local law as next of kin.

A dispute over the next of kin would be decided by a civil suit in court.

In Slovakia, the police will notify the next of kin of the death as long as the details are known or can be established.

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.

Access to information concerning a death, post-mortem and police reports, is restricted in Slovakia. The Slovak authorities will not normally provide this information directly to next of kin, or to third parties including our Embassy. Requests for this information should be made through a legal representative. Our consular staff can provide lists of English speaking lawyers in Slovakia, or a full list is available at www.sak.sk . The release of any information can take months, and the documents will be in Slovak.

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 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, 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 Slovakia, you can find a list of funeral directors in Slovakia:  List of local funeral directors.

Local funerals or cremations are available in all Slovak regions. Although English is not normally spoken among funeral directors in Slovakia, they are flexible in finding an English speaking person. The burial is usually more expensive than cremation, depending on the services, locations, transportation etc.

Under the Slovak law, a deceased person must be normally buried within 14 days of death (there are exceptions connected with police investigation or similar). However, in the case of foreign nationals the authorities will normally allow as much time as necessary.

Charities and organisations that offer support

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 that can help.

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. In Slovakia, a death is registered at the local registry office. 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 you wish, you can register the death with the Overseas Registration Unit. You can order a UK-style death certificate, known as a Consular Death Registration certificate. A record will be sent to the General Register Office within 12 months.

The examining doctor will inform the local Registry Office of the death no later than 3 days after the person has been declared dead. The Registry Offices then promptly issue local Death Certificates, usually upon the request of a funeral director, hired by the family of the deceased.

Death Certificates will be issued in Slovak language. You will need to obtain and pay for an official translation. 

Death certificates include the deceased person’s name, date of birth, place of birth, date of death, place of death and issuing authority information. They do not state the cause of death.

If you need official translations into English, you can use the list of translators in Slovakia.

Local authorities have different working hours/days during the work week, best to check with appointed funeral directors or consult the webpages of the relevant municipality/city.

Post mortem examinations (autopsies)

Autopsies are carried out by court appointed doctors with forensic qualifications, in local hospitals. During an autopsy, samples of organs can be removed for testing at the discretion of the doctor, without consent of next of kin. Next of kin are not informed about the removal of any organs. The deceased’s body can be buried or returned to the UK before tests on removed samples are completed. Any samples removed are destroyed during the tests.

Samples of organs cannot be removed for any purpose other than testing without prior consent of the deceased or next of kin (for research or transplants).

Post-mortem reports are not usually made available to the next of kin. However an appointed lawyer can apply for a report.

Mortuary facilities

Mortuaries in Slovakia are located at:

• cemeteries, where bodies are kept in certified cold storage facilities until the funeral, burial, or repatriation
• hospitals, mainly for post-mortem examinations to establish the exact cause of death
• university medical faculties

The police and public prosecutor regulate whether the next of kin is permitted or required to visit or identify the deceased.

Mortuaries are situated all over Slovakia, but not necessarily in every municipality. If the deceased needs to be kept in a mortuary, the costs would have to be covered by the next of kin. These costs are regulated differently in each municipality/city both in terms of daily rates and lump sums.

If no mortuary facilities are available in the vicinity, the local public health authority would decide where the body of the deceased should be taken (such as to the provincial capital or country capital city).

Bringing the body home

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.

The funeral director will also advise on the documents required for the repatriation of the body, the main documents are:

• death certificate
• corpse pass

Find an international funeral director

Some local funeral directors may be able to arrange the repatriation to the UK. You should ask your appointed funeral director if they have the capabilities and understand the requirements.

If not, a relative or formally appointed representative can appoint a UK-based international funeral director to support with the repatriation to the UK. The FCDO provides a list of UK-based international funeral directors.

Local funeral directors will work with UK-based international funeral directors to make sure all the necessary requirements are met both locally and in the UK. This includes providing documents such as a local death certificate and a certificate giving permission to transfer the remains to the UK.

Advice and financial assistance for repatriation

For organisations and charities that may be able to offer assistance with repatriation, see information on LBT Global in Coping with death abroad: specialist support and advice or repatriation charities in Northern Ireland and Wales.

If you wish to arrange a post-mortem in the UK once the body has been repatriated, you can make a request to a UK coroner. The coroner will then decide if a post-mortem is needed. If you want the person who died to be cremated you need to apply for a certificate from the coroner - form ‘Cremation 6’.

Bringing the ashes home

If you choose local cremation, you should seek advice from your funeral director on the regulations on the repatriation of ashes from Slovakia to the UK.

The FCDO provides a list of UK-based international funeral directors.

Documents required for the repatriation of an urn include:

• death certificate
• cremation certificate

You should not have the person cremated abroad if you want a UK coroner to conduct an inquest into their death.

Bury or cremate the body locally

To have a local burial or cremation, 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.

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 below.

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.

When someone dies in Slovakia, personal belongings are usually kept and stored by local authorities/appointed funeral director.

Local funeral director can usually help to return the belongings.

Local Police or other authority usually produces an inventory which is given to the funeral director/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 Her 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. 

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.

In Slovakia, Police and a Public Prosecutor decide/lead on investigation of the death as murder or manslaughter.

The relevant Police contact will be the in touch with the families about updates.

English speaking lawyers in Slovakia are best placed to provide advice on legal/time scale questions families might have.

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 Her 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 for people in financial hardship in terms of representation is only available to EU nationals in Slovakia. The Centre for legal aid might however consider a consultation only (not representation), in exceptional cases to non-EU foreigners legally residing in Slovakia.

Otherwise, you can consider approaching a lawyer providing pro bono services, but it would depend on individual lawyers, whether they agree to take the case on or not. See the link to the list of English-speaking lawyers in Slovakia or a full list is available at www.sak.sk.

Translation and Interpretation

Official language in Slovakia is Slovak.

The local authorities won’t usually provide translations or interpretations in English when someone dies.

See the list of translators and interpreters in Slovakia  if you need these services.

Additional support

Local support organisations

In Slovakia, private organisations/specialists offer support/consultations in English (you have to pay for their services).

For psychological support, you can contact Procare.

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