What to do after a British person dies in Eswatini
This guide gives advice about the death of a British person in Eswatini, including information on burial, cremation and repatriation.
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.
Contact the travel insurance company
If the person who died had insurance, contact their insurance company as soon as possible. Insurance providers may help to cover the cost of repatriation. Repatriation is the process of bringing the body home. 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.
Register the death and obtain a death certificate
Deaths must be registered in the country where the person died. In Eswatini, deaths must be registered within 60 days at an office for the Ministry of Home Affairs. You can find these offices throughout Eswatini.
To register the death and get a death certificate, you will need certain documents, depending on where the person died.
If they died in hospital, the doctor who confirmed the death will provide a certification of cause of death (known as the ‘BMD 10’).
If the person died at home, a chief from the Umphakatsi (local council) will provide an officially-stamped letter (instead of the BMD 10).
If the death was not at home or in hospital, you may need a police report or other documentation.
You will also need:
- the birth certificate and photo identification of the person who died
- your own photo ID
- a birth or marriage certificate proving you are related to the person who died
If you register the death more than 60 days after the person died, you will also need a ‘requesting affidavit’ or ‘sworn statement’, stating why your registration is late. You can get this from a notary public. The FCDO provides a list of English-speaking lawyers in Eswatini.
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. You can buy 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.
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.
Mortuary facilities
Mortuary facilities vary throughout Eswatini. 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.
Deal with a local post-mortem
A post-mortem is required when the cause of death is unnatural or unknown, or if the body is going to be repatriated. The police usually decide whether to conduct a post mortem. Cultural or religious sensitivities may not be taken into account. The FCDO cannot stop or interfere with the process.
State pathologists perform post-mortems within 1 to 2 days on behalf of the Ministry of Justice.
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.
The next of kin can ask the Royal Eswatini Police for a preliminary post-mortem report. You can also pay for a private doctor to carry out an independent post-mortem.
Bring 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 may need to appoint an international funeral director yourself.
The FCDO also provides a list of English-speaking funeral directors in Eswatini.
The funeral director will be able to explain the repatriation process and the documents needed.
There are no direct flights from Eswatini to the UK. Most bodies are repatriated to the UK via South Africa.
Find 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 once 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’).
Bring 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. When leaving Eswatini with human ashes you will need to:
- show the death certificate
- show the cremation certificate from the funeral home
- fill in a standard customs form when you arrive home
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.
Bury or cremate the body locally
You need a death certificate before the body can be buried or cremated locally. A relative or a formally appointed representative will also need to appoint a local funeral director.
The FCDO provides a list of English-speaking funeral directors in Eswatini. The funeral director will be able to explain the local process.
The only mortuary that offers cremation services in Eswatini is Dups Funeral Home and Crematorium, based in Manzini. For a cremation, in addition to the death certificate you will need to provide:
- ‘Schedule A Forms’, to be completed by the next of kin
- ‘Schedule B Forms’, to be completed by a medical practitioner
The funeral home will provide both forms, and also a cremation certificate for the airline if you are going to return the ashes to the UK.
If a local burial or cremation takes place, there will not be a coroner’s inquest carried out in the UK.
Retrieve 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.
Find 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 Eswatini.
Cancel a passport
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 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.
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 and dealing with the estate of the person who died.