What to do after a British person dies in Thailand
This guide gives advice about the death of a British person in Thailand, 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 +66 (0) 2 305 8333.
Register the death and obtain a death certificate
Non-hospital deaths should be reported to the local police as soon as possible. The police will provide a report which is required to register the death at the local district office (amphur). If the death occurred in a hospital, the hospital will issue a confirmation of death. Hospital’s confirmation of death is not an official death certificate. You still need to report the death at the local district office (Amphur) for both hospital and non-hospital deaths.
After someone has died, they are usually taken to a forensic institution where they will be formally identified. The standards of forensic institutions in Thailand vary greatly. In general, forensic institutions in Bangkok are able to perform more comprehensive post mortem examination than forensic institution in other provinces.
Deaths must be registered in the country where the person died. In Thailand, death certificates are issued by the local district office (amphur). They are written in Thai and available at the time of registration. If the death occurred in a hospital, the hospital may be able to liaise with the amphur on behalf of the family. Otherwise, you need to contact the local district office (Amphur) by yourself or you can authorize a friend or relative in Thailand or a funeral director to do this for you. The Embassy cannot report the death and obtain a death certificate for the family.
The local district offices (Amphur) only issue one original death certificate to the person who reports the death. You need to seek advice from a Thai lawyer or local funeral director if you need to obtain a duplicate death certificate.
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. You will need to get the death certificate translated into English and it is suggested to have it certified by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Thailand. Translation services are widely available in major cities in Thailand, but less so in rural areas. You may wish to request extra copies of the certified translation of the death certificate to assist in officially informing other organisations of the death.
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.
You need to tell the local authorities if the person who died suffered from an infectious condition, such as hepatitis or HIV, so they can take precautions against infection.
Deal with a local post-mortem
Post-mortems are normally required in Thailand following the death of a non-Thai national. Exceptions may apply if the death occurred in a hospital unless the cause of death is unknown, unnatural, sudden or violent. Post-mortems are carried out by forensic doctors. It is advisable to inform the police in the first instance if the family don’t wish to carry out the post mortem due to cultural or religious requirement. However, cultural or religious sensitivities may not be taken into account especially if the police think it is a suspicious death. The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office cannot stop or interfere with the process.
During a post-mortem, small tissue samples and organs may be removed and not returned and retained for testing without the consent of the next of kin. You will not automatically be told if this happens and there is nothing you can do to stop it.
If you are in Thailand and want a copy of the post-mortem report, you need to contact the local police station where the death was reported. If you are in the UK, you must apply through the coroner in the UK (in the case of a repatriation) or through the funeral director you used to handle local arrangements. Fees may apply to obtain the post-mortem report.
In Thailand a post-mortem report is usually written in Thai and available around 45 business days after the death occurred. You can contact the funeral director or translation company if you need a translation.
Get a letter to release a body
You’ll need a letter from the British Embassy Bangkok for the local authority or hospital to release the body for burial, cremation or repatriation. You can apply online for the letter and collect it from the embassy.
Apply online for a letter to release a body
If you’re in the UK
You’ll need to appoint a local funeral director or appoint an authorised representative who can apply for the letter for you. The Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office has a list of English-speaking funeral directors in Thailand.
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.
In Thailand, local burials are less common than cremation for religious reasons. As a result, local burials are very expensive and difficult to organise. The next of kin is advised to consider repatriation if they want the person who died to be buried.
Cremation can take place once the Thai authorities are content that the cause of death has been established or no further examinations on the body need to take place.
If arrangements have not been made within a specific timeframe, usually 30 days, the person who died will be buried in a ‘paupers’ mass funeral. Consular staff may be able to request information of the burial site. It is recommended to contact the funeral director if you need to obtain the death certificate when someone has already been buried in a paupers mass funeral.
If a local burial or cremation takes place, there will not be a coroner’s inquest carried out in the UK.
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 funeral arrangements. Insurance providers may also help with any medical, legal, interpretation and translation fees. They 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. See list of UK-based international funeral directors and Thai funeral directors.
The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office 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 much 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 offer assistance, support and information to people affected by a death abroad. See list of UK-based charities and organisations.
Send the body to the UK
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 sending the body to the UK. 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.
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.
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, a certificate of embalming and a certificate giving permission to transfer the remains to the UK.
When you appoint a UK based international funeral director, please ask them to send your authorization form to their appointed local funeral director in Thailand as soon as possible to avoid delay.
Advice and financial assistance for repatriation
Please see the following links: coping with death abroad: specialist support and advice or repatriation charities in Northern Ireland and Wales to find more information about organisations and charities that may be able to offer assistance and advice with repatriation.
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 of Coroner (Cremation 6). But remember that some of the small tissues and organs may have been removed during the post mortem process in Thailand.
Bring the ashes to the UK
If you choose local cremation and wish to take the ashes back to the UK yourself, you can usually do so. You don’t need a specific letter from the Embassy to take the ashes back to the UK.
Check with the airline about specific restrictions or requirements, for example whether you can carry the ashes as hand luggage. When leaving Thailand with human ashes you will need to:
- show the death certificate
- show the certificate of cremation
- fill in a standard customs form when you arrive in the UK
- follow local rules about departing with human ashes
You should not have the person cremated abroad if you want a UK coroner to conduct an inquest into their death. If it is not possible for you to transport the ashes yourself, a UK-based international funeral directors or local funeral director will be able to make the necessary arrangements
Retrieve belongings
Personal belongings found on the person who died at the time of death are handed to the police if the family is not present.
If you choose to repatriate, instruct the funeral director to collect all personal belongings from the police or court and ship them together with the person who died.
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 Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office cannot help with the cost of returning personal belongings to the family or to investigate any missing belongings.
Find a translator
You may need a translator to help understand information from local authorities or get certain documents translated. See list of English speaking translators in Thailand.Kindly be advised that the British Embassy Bangkok does not offer translation services and is unable to certify or verify the accuracy of translations.
Find a lawyer
You can apply to appoint a lawyer in certain circumstances, such as a suspicious death or when you have inquiries related to compensation or estate matters. See list of English speaking lawyers.
Cancel a passport
To avoid identity fraud, the passport of the person who died should be cancelled with HM Passport Office (HMPO). To do this, you need to complete a D1 form.
Inform Thai immigration
Out of courtesy, you may wish to inform the Thai immigration about the death, especially if the person who died is a long term residence in Thailand. You can do this by contacting the local immigration office in person. The immigration may ask you to bring original passport and death certificate of the person who died.
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.
Pensions and bereavement support payments
Spouses and civil partners of British nationals that have died may be able to get:
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payments from their partner’s workplace, personal or stakeholder pension - it will depend on the pension scheme. Contact the pension scheme to find out. UK state pensions are administered by the International Pension Centre
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War Widow’s or Widower Pension - if your partner died because of their service in the Armed Forces or because of a war
Updates to this page
Last updated 20 November 2024 + show all updates
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Added translation
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Added link to apply for a body release letter online.
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Adding more details to the part about how to obtain relevant documents and who to contact.
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Added a new section 'Inform Thai immigration'.
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Added detail to advise contacting the local police for non-hospital deaths
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Added Thai language version
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Updated information on who issues death certificates in Thailand. Provided further detail on post-mortems and how to obtain a consular letter. Added a new section on Pensions and Bereavement Payments
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First published.