Guidance

Somalia: bereavement information

Updated 12 November 2024

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.

1.1 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, 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.

1.2 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 we can offer is tailored to the individual circumstances of each case.

1.3 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.

There is also no legal definition of next of kin in Somalia. However, a living spouse, a child, a parent, or an adult with a blood relationship to the deceased will be recognised by the authorities. In case of a dispute the court or community elders will determine the next of kin.

Same sex partners or spouses are not recognised in Somalia.

When someone dies in Somalia and the next of kin is in the UK or abroad, the Somali authorities may notify the British Embassy or the person’s employer if they were employed.

1.4 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.

Local authorities do not have the ability to make international calls to inform next of kin of developments and as such can only communicate through the British Embassy or the person’s employer.

In case of a natural death and where the local authorities are satisfied as to the identity of the next of kin, all confirmed information that relates to the deceased will be released to the next of kin. In the case of a suspicious death, information may be withheld where such release may prejudice any investigation by the police.

Such withheld information may be released to the next of kin after the conclusion of any investigation. In some cases, the next of kin may have to request this information through a legal representative.

1.5 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.

If you are resident in the UK, and if the deceased had their main home in the UK when they died, you may be able to get help with funeral costs if you have difficulty paying for the funeral.

1.6 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 Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office produces a list of international funeral directors based in the UK.  

The funeral director can assist in navigating the local system and liaising between the family, the authorities (including the police and the coroner), international funeral homes (if repatriation is the choice of the family) and the airlines. They will normally ensure that all necessary requirements are met in Somalia and in the country of repatriation. They are also equipped with special caskets to carry out repatriation procedures for the international carriage of a deceased person.

There are no licensing requirements for funeral directors in Somalia, and standards are a lot lower than in the UK.

1.7 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. A 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.

Somalia has a limited and poorly functioning civil registry which is completely decentralised. Implementation of processes is uneven.

When an individual dies in Somalia, a death notification will usually be issued, bearing the logo of the hospital where the death occurred. Municipalities (local governments) should issue death certificates based on the hospital’s death notification document, but this does not always happen. Obtaining an official death certificate can be a lengthy and challenging process, especially outside of the capital, Mogadishu.

There is no set time within which a death certificate is issued. If a death is suspicious and under investigation by the police, this may delay the process further.

A funeral director can register a death on behalf of the next of kin and the Embassy is always available to help where possible if they experience any challenges.

Death certificates are issued during the official government working hours and there is no out-of-hours option.

Death certificates can be issued in Somali, Arabic or English. If you require a translation, you can consult a list of local interpreters produced by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.

1.8 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 and apply online.

1.9 Post mortem examinations (autopsies)

Post-mortem services are not available in Somalia.

1.10 Mortuary facilities

Services and the expertise necessary to prepare a loved one to be moved to another country are generally only available in Mogadishu.

Most mortuary facilities are basic and fall well below the standards in the UK. For this reason, it is important to either bury or repatriate your loved one as soon as possible. Mortuary fees will need to be met by the next of kin.

Erdogan Hospital (also known as Digfer Hospital or Somalia-Turkey Training and Research Hospital) has a refrigerated mortuary.

1.11 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.

Cremation is not available in Somalia, however, foreign nationals can be buried.

There is no law limiting the time in which a burial must take place, but the scarcity of refrigerated mortuary facilities dictates that burials usually take place as quickly as possible.

Your funeral director can help to acquire the burial permit and seek authority to bury in the government or private cemeteries. Space is scarce and a fee will be charged for burial.

If you choose to repatriate your loved one back to the UK, an international funeral director can assist in navigating the local system and liaising between the family, the authorities (including the police and the coroner), international funeral homes and airlines.

The process of obtaining the correct paperwork to allow your loved one to be repatriated can be complicated and lengthy. Our Embassy will do everything they can to assist you or the funeral director with the paperwork required to allow repatriation, subject to restrictions on their movement due to the security situation in Somalia. Consular assistance in Somalia is provided remotely from the British High Commission in Nairobi.

There are no national or local Somali laws governing the size or material used for caskets and containers. Funeral directors can source caskets suitable for international air travel.

In certain circumstances, immediate burial or repatriation may not always be possible. For example, local authorities may need some time to conclude investigation in case of a suspicious death.

Please note that if a local burial 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.

1.12 Return of personal belongings

Personal belongings found on the deceased at the time of death are usually either handed over to the family, if they are present, or taken by the police. Unless required by the police as part of an investigation, personal effects are normally returned to next of kin or authorised representatives without formalities.

If the next of kin chooses repatriation, it is advisable to instruct the funeral director to collect the belongings from the police and to ship them together with the body or in advance.

If the person who died had insurance, check with the insurance company if this covers the return of their personal belongings.

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

1.13 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.

1.14 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.

1.15 Child deaths

Police in Somalia will hold a full investigation into any death that is not of natural causes; there are no separate procedures for deaths involving children.

1.16 Deaths in road traffic accidents

Police in Somalia will hold a full investigation into any death that is not of natural causes; there are no separate procedures for deaths resulting from road traffic accidents.

1.17 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 information on how the FCDO can help with murder or manslaughter abroad.

Suspicious deaths are investigated by the police and findings forwarded to the Attorney General who prosecutes the case.

Due to weak institutional development in Somalia, the time from arrest to trial can be lengthy and, in some cases, can take several months to years. For this reason, we strongly advise the next of kin to appoint legal representation in order to be kept fully informed on the investigation and to be advised on steps to take. You can find details of English-speaking lawyers in Somalia produced by the FCDO.
In Somalia, there are no family liaison police officers allocated to families of foreign nationals while the investigation is ongoing.

1.18 UK coroners and inquests

You should note that if the deceased is repatriated to part of the UK, a coroner or procurator fiscal may decide to hold 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, or violent circumstances or whilst in detention. An inquest may delay cremation or burial in the UK.

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 to death abroad.

1.19 Legal Aid

Legal aid is not usually available to family members of a deceased person in Somalia. However, you can find details of English-speaking lawyers, produced by the FCDO, who can be engaged privately.

1.21 Compensation

There is no government compensation scheme in place for murder, manslaughter or terrorism cases in Somalia.

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

1.22 Translation and Interpretation

Somali is the official language in Somalia and widely spoken. You can find details of translators produced by the FCDO online.

1.23 Additional support

Local support organisations

There are no registered charities or organisations in Somalia that can provide information, support or advice to bereaved families. However, Somalia is predominantly a Muslim society, and Islamic religious leaders readily offer emotional support to Muslims.

1.24 Support organisations in the UK

In the UK, there are many organisations that can help bereaved families. You can find the details of some of these organisations in the general information on death abroad produced by the FCDO.