When someone dies in South Africa
Find out about local procedures, burials and cremations, and returning the body to the UK
If you are dealing with the death of a child, multiple deaths, a suspicious death or a case of murder or manslaughter, call +27 12 421 7500 or +27 21 405 2400.
Contacting the travel insurance company
If the person who died had insurance, contact their insurance company as soon as possible. Repatriation is the process of bringing the body home. Insurance providers may help to cover the cost of repatriation. Insurance providers may also help with medical, legal, interpretation and translation fees.
If the person who died had insurance, the insurance company will appoint a funeral director both locally and in the UK.
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 Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) provides a list of UK-based international funeral directors.
The FCDO cannot help with any costs. In some cases, funeral directors and lawyers may provide services on a pro bono basis. Pro bono work is done for free or for a reduced cost, depending on your circumstances. This is decided on a case by case basis.
Charities and organisations that offer support
Some UK-based charities and organisations may be able to provide help and information to people affected by a death abroad. The FCDO provides a list of UK-based charities and organisations.
Registering the death and getting a death certificate
Deaths are registered with the Department of Home Affairs (DHA) in South Africa.
You can get an ‘abridged’ death certificate at any DHA office, which will include details of the person who died, and their death date. These certificates are issued free of charge on the same day as the death is registered.
You can get an ‘unabridged’ death certificate which will also include the cause of death by completing a BI-132 form and submitting it to the nearest DHA office. You will need to pay a fee. You will need ID documents for yourself and the person who died, including your full name, date of birth and ID or passport number.
You do not need to register the death in the UK. 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 (ORU). You can buy a UK-style death certificate, known as a Consular Death Registration certificate. The ORU will send a record to the General Register Office within 12 months.
If the person who died suffered from an infectious condition, such as hepatitis or HIV, you must tell the local authorities, so they can take precautions against infection.
Next of kin
The next of kin for the person who died needs to carry out these legal procedures. Under South African law the next of kin is defined as their married partner or closest living blood relative.
If you are the next of kin, you may need to complete an affidavit confirming this, and show identification for yourself and the person who died.
If you are not the next of kin, you may need authorisation from that person to register the death or carry out other legal procedures.
Mortuary facilities
Mortuary facilities can vary throughout South Africa. Most major towns and cities have mortuaries with temperature-controlled storage facilities, but these may not be available in rural areas. This may mean the body cannot be preserved in a good condition.
Dealing with a local post-mortem
In South Africa, post-mortems are performed when the cause of death is unknown, unnatural, sudden or violent. Post-mortems are carried out by appointed forensic pathologists. Cultural or religious sensitivities may not be taken into account. The FCDO cannot stop or interfere with the process.
There is no fee for this post-mortem, which will usually take place soon after the body reaches the mortuary. You should delay making any final funeral arrangements until the examination has been carried out and the ‘death notification form’ (DHA 1663) has been issued.
During a post-mortem, small tissue samples and organs may be removed and retained for testing without the consent of the family. You will not automatically be told if this happens.
As cases can take years to come to court in South Africa, tissue samples may not be released for cremation or burial for some time. Forensic analysis such as toxicology testing can take a long time before results are available.
The post-mortem report will be shared with the police. You may not be given a copy of the report if there is an ongoing investigation. Reports are usually made available after the cause of death has been established and if there isn’t an ongoing investigation.
State facilities will release the body when the post-mortem is complete and the attending doctor has issued a death notification form (DHA 1663).
If a post-mortem was carried out in South Africa, you can ask for a copy of the report by contacting:
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your local UK coroner if you bring the body back to the UK
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the British High Commission in South Africa
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the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office in the UK
If you bring the body back to the UK, the UK coroner will automatically assume responsibility and open an inquest. The coroner can investigate the cause of death, and help with translation and interpretation of any medical findings.
Bringing the body home
If the person who died had insurance, find out if their insurance provider can help cover the cost of repatriation. Repatriation is the process of bringing the body home. If so, they will make all the necessary arrangements.
If the person who died is not covered by insurance, you will need to appoint an international funeral director yourself.
Finding an international funeral director
A relative or a formally appointed representative must appoint a UK-based international funeral director for the person who died to be repatriated 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 civil registry death certificate, a certificate of embalming and a certificate giving permission to transfer the remains to the UK.
Advice and financial assistance for repatriation
There are UK organisations and charities that may be able to offer assistance with repatriation.
Requesting a post-mortem in the UK
If you want to have a post-mortem in the UK after the body has been repatriated, you can request one from 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
You should not have the person cremated abroad if you want a UK coroner to conduct an inquest into their death.
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. To leave South Africa with human ashes you will need to show:
- the death certificate
- the certificate of cremation
You will also need to fill in a standard customs form when you arrive in the UK
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.
Burying or cremating 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 FCDO provides a list of English-speaking funeral directors in South Africa.
The funeral director will be able to explain the local process.
A private burial can be arranged through a local funeral director.
Cremation facilities are widely available in South Africa. Aquamation is a greener alternative to cremation that uses water and chemicals. It is available in some parts of South Africa.
If the person who died is not identified and there are no family or friends to contact, the local mortuary may conduct a ‘pauper’s funeral’ on behalf of the state after 30 days, with the approval of the police. This is usually a burial without a ceremony in an individual, unmarked grave in a cemetery.
If a local burial or cremation takes place, there will not be a coroner’s inquest carried out in the UK.
Retrieving belongings
Personal belongings found on the person who died at the time of death are given to the police if the family is not present.
If you choose to repatriate, instruct the local funeral director to collect all personal belongings from the police or court and ship them together with the body.
If there is an investigation into the death, clothing may be retained as evidence and will not be returned until the court case is finished.
The FCDO cannot help with the cost of returning personal belongings to the family.
Finding a translator
You may need a translator to help understand information from local authorities or get certain documents translated. The FCDO provides a list of English-speaking translators in South Africa.
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 South Africa.
Cancelling a passport
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 need to complete a D1 form.
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.
Checking you have done everything you need to do in the UK
Check this step-by-step guide 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