When someone dies in Turkey
The process when a British national dies in Turkey, including registering the death, funerals and bringing the person’s body to the UK.
Cremation is not legal in Turkey and there are no cremation facilities.
Contacting the insurance company
If the person who died had insurance, contact their insurance company as soon as possible. Read the general guidance on what to do when someone dies abroad, if you’re not sure if they had insurance.
The insurance company should appoint a funeral director in Turkey and the UK. They may also cover the cost of bringing the person’s body to the UK (repatriation) and help with any medical, legal, interpretation and translation fees.
Registering the death
In Turkey, deaths are recorded by the hospital, forensics unit or prosecutor. This depends on the circumstances in which the person died.
A death report (‘Ölüm Belgesi’) is then sent to the local registry office (‘Nüfus Dairesi’) by the local health authority to register the death.
The registry office can then give a local death certificate (‘Formul C’) to either the next of kin, an appointed local funeral director or a solicitor.
Contact the Turkish embassy in the UK if you need advice on getting the death certificate issued in Turkey.
The Formul C death certificate does not state the cause of death. It is in both Turkish and English.
Post mortems in Turkey
A post mortem is a medical examination of the body. There might be one in Turkey if the cause of death is unknown, unnatural, sudden or violent. The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) or local British embassy or consulate cannot stop or interfere with the process.
Small tissue samples and organs may be removed for testing without the family’s permission. You will not automatically be told if this happens.
If organs are removed they will normally be returned before the person’s body is released for burial. In exceptional circumstances body parts may be kept without permission. This might happen if further investigation is needed.
Post mortem reports are not usually given to the next of kin. If you want a copy of the post-mortem report, apply to the Turkish court dealing with the death, or if the body has been returned to the UK, contact the coroner in England and Wales. There are different processes in Scotland and Northern Ireland.
Burying the body in Turkey
Cremation is not legal in Turkey and there are no cremation facilities. You need a local funeral director to arrange a burial in Turkey. The funeral director will be able to explain the local process. The cost of a casket is not always included in funeral directors’ services. You should ask about this.
Bringing 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 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. There are UK organisations and charities that may be able to offer assistance with repatriation.
The FCDO provides a list of UK-based international funeral directors.
Ask your funeral director about options for bringing the person’s body to the UK from Turkey. They will work with UK funeral directors to make sure all necessary arrangements are made and documents provided, including:
- the local registry office death certificate (Formul C) or the hospital death report if this is not ready yet
- certificate of embalming
- permission to transfer the person’s body to the UK
Getting the person’s belongings back
Belongings the person had with them in Turkey are usually dealt with by the Turkish police, but the decision of what to do with them depends on the Turkish public prosecutor. This decision depends on the circumstances of the death.
FCDO cannot take responsibility for, or help with, the cost of returning personal belongings to the family.
The belongings may be handed to the family if they are in Turkey and the prosecutor agrees. It’s worth asking your funeral director if they can organise collection of the belongings for the family when arranging the repatriation of the person’s body.
Proving who the inheritors are
The prosecutor may decide that some of the belongings need to be held as evidence. The belongings will be handed to the Turkish Probate Court in this case.
To get the belongings from the court you need to show documents proving who the legal inheritors are. Turkish nationals can give the court a document from the Turkish registry office listing all inheritors. As the UK does not have this system, families generally need to follow UK probate rules to establish the inheritors. So to take the belongings from the court yourself you would need a legal document showing that you are the sole inheritor.
To be accepted in Turkey any UK documents must be legalised in the UK and translated by a notarised translator.
Bereaved families should get local legal advice as inheritance issues for British nationals in Turkey can be complicated.
Finding a Turkish translator
You may need a translator to help you understand Turkish rules or get documents translated. Check official translators in Turkey. The embassy or consulate in Turkey cannot provide translation services or pay for translation costs.
Finding a Turkish lawyer
You may need a lawyer to help you understand the Turkish legal system when someone has died. Check English-speaking lawyers in Turkey. The embassy or consulate in Turkey cannot give you legal advice or pay for legal costs.
Telling the UK authorities
Although you do not have to register the death in the UK, when someone dies abroad you still need to tell the UK authorities. Read general guidance on what to do when someone dies abroad to find out what to do.
Contacting the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO)
You can contact the FCDO if you still need advice:
- in the UK call +44 (0)20 7008 5000
- in Turkey contact the nearest British embassy or consulate
Updates to this page
Last updated 5 October 2023 + show all updates
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Restructured to concentrate solely on local Turkish rules and procedures and better structure the information
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First published.