Guidance

Solomon Islands: bereavement information

Updated 3 September 2020

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.

This bereavement pack in the Solomon Islands has been prepared for British Nationals who require information on death in the Solomon Islands. Read the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office’s general guide for bereaved families.

Solomon Islands: Bereavement Information

Prepared by British Consular Services Honiara. Reviewed and updated (23 June 2020).

These notes are designed to help you through the practical arrangements you will need to make. While care has been taken in compiling these notes, the British High Commission in Honiara or HM Government accepts no legal liability for their contents.

You should be aware that Solomon Islands procedures differ significantly to those in the United Kingdom. The police are normally notified upon the death of a foreign national, but seldom notified as promptly as we would like. While we understand your need for arrangements to be made quickly, this may not always prove possible.

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 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.

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.

When someone dies in the Solomon Islands and the next of kin is in the UK or abroad, Solomon Islands authorities normally notify the British Consulate in the area where the person has died. British Consulates will do whatever they can to trace the next of kin as soon as possible and would ask the UK police to pass on the sad news. However you might also be notified about the death directly by someone else, for example a doctor, a social worker or a police officer.

The seniority of next of kin is usually as follows:

• Spouse/Partner/Civil Partner
• Adult child (i.e. over 18 years old)
• Parent
• Adult sibling (i.e. over 18 years old)
• An adult with sufficient relationship to the deceased

An ex-partner is not regarded as next of kin.

Same sex relationships are not recognised in Solomon Islands and therefore local authorities may not view a same sex spouse or civil partner as next of kin.

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 is restricted until a Coroner has reviewed the evidence such as post-mortem and police reports. Local authorities will usually not provide this information directly to next of kin, or to third parties, including our Consulates, until after the conclusion of the preliminary investigation. The release of any information will usually take several months and in some more complicated instances, years.

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.

Post mortem examinations (autopsies)

A Post Mortem, which is also known as an autopsy is only performed in certain circumstances. Facilities in the National referral Hospital (NRH) Honiara are very basic.

A basic report may be made by the doctors who attended the deceased.

In some cases it may be necessary to have a further autopsy in the UK even though one has been carried out overseas and, when repatriation is to England or Wales, it is probable that the Coroner will wish to hold an inquest.

Mortuary Facilities

The mortuary in Honiara, at the main hospital, whilst new, remains basic and can hold up to 10 bodies

Appointing a Funeral director

If you decide to bring your relative or friend to the UK, 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

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.

If the deceased was covered by travel insurance, the insurance company will normally have a standing agreement with an international funeral director in Britain to arrange repatriations. If the deceased is not covered by insurance, the next of kin will appoint an international undertaker in the UK.

The local undertaker in Solomon Islands, working with the international undertaker will be able to arrange a locally registered death certificate, a certificate of embalming, and a certificate giving permission to transfer the deceased to the UK, which is requirement to repatriate the body. Locally issued certificates are in English and therefore translations are not necessary. Depending on flight availability and possible formalities with the local authority, repatriations can usually be carried out within a week.

Local burial is possible with agreement from the local authorities. It is more common for a repatriation.

There is no crematorium in Solomon Islands and, although cremation is rarely practiced in Solomon Islands, it is possible. If you are thinking of arranging a local cremation, please take advice from your local funeral director. Cremations can take a long time to arrange in Solomon Islands.

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.

Registering the death and obtaining a death certificate

The Registrar General office in Honiara will issue a local death certificate in English language. This may take days or even weeks. Death certificates do not give details of the cause of death, as would be the case in the UK. Solomon Island Local death certificates are recognised in the UK. There is a statutory minimum fee for obtaining a death certificate.

Return of personal belongings

Personal belongings found on the deceased at the time of death are either handed over to the family, if they are present, or taken by the police. If the next of kin chooses repatriation, it is advisable to instruct the local undertaker to collect the belongings from the police and to ship personal belongings together with the body. If there is an investigation into the death, the deceased’s clothing can be retained as evidence and is not returned until the court case is finished.

Please note, the British High Commission or Consulate cannot take responsibility for the personal belongings of the deceased.

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 uk.gov

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.

Further Information

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 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

Legal Aid/Court Proceedings

Under certain circumstances, such as suspicious death, you may wish to engage the service of a local lawyer to represent your interest should a trial or inquest is necessary. Should you wish to have detailed feedback from court proceedings, you may wish to engage a lawyer before the case is passed to the public prosecutor. At a cost court transcript can be made available once proceedings are complete through a private transcript company. Also see our list of lawyers

Compensation

Government compensation is not available in Solomon Islands. You can find information on UK compensation for victims of terrorism overseas online

Additional support

Support organisations in the UK

In the UK, there are many organisations that can support and help bereaved families. Some of these are listed in the guide coping with death abroad

We also have information for Victims of Crime Abroad available online, which you may find helpful.