When someone dies in Iran
If a British national dies in Iran, 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, phone +98 21 64052014 Sunday to Thursday 7:30am to 3:15pm. Outside these hours, phone the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) on +44 20 7008 5000 (available 24 hours a day).
Contacting the 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 may appoint a funeral director 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 has died did not have insurance, the next of kin/representative or sponsor (in the case of sponsored visitors) will usually be responsible for all costs relating to repatriation or burial.
There are no funeral directors in Iran. All the necessary procedures relating to a death are dealt with by the local authorities.
If you decide to repatriate the deceased to the UK for burial or cremation, you should consider appointing an international funeral director. 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.
Registering the death and getting a death certificate
In Iran, you must register the death with local authorities, who will issue a death certificate. You will need to get it officially translated from Farsi to English and certified by the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
You do not need to register the death in the UK. The local death certificate will be accepted in the UK for most purposes, including probate Optional Consular death registration for a death overseas. Read more details at www.gov.uk/register-a-death
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
Depending on where the death occurs, mortuary facilities will vary greatly within Iran. The provinces will usually provide basic facilities (cold storage) for short-term retention at the local government hospital. Autopsy services and embalmment/preparation for repatriation are only carried out in the main government mortuary in Tehran.
Coroner’s Office Contact (Tehran)
Autopsy Hall
Legal Medicine Organisation of Islamic Republic of Iran
Behesht Street
Southern Side of Park Shahr
Tehran
Tel: (+98) (0) (21) 55609071-4 Fax: (+98) (0) (21) 55608003
Email: info@lmo.ir
Cemetery Office Tehran
Centre for Scientific and Educational Research
Legal Medicine Organisation of the Islamic Republic of Iran
The Eastern Door of Behesht-e-Zahra Cemetery, Old Ghom Road, Tehran,
Tel: (+98) (0) (21) 51633000/ 55201031-9
Fax: (+98) (0) (21) 56524800-9
Dealing with a local post-mortem
Generally in Iran, any death occurring outside of a hospital will be referred to the police, who will arrange for an examination of the deceased to take place. Following this examination, the deceased’s body will be released with the permission of the Prosecutor’s Office.
Under Islamic Law, the body should be buried as soon as possible after death, so routine postmortem examinations are not common practice. Autopsies are only carried out if the cause of death is suspicious (unnatural causes) when local authorities may authorise a postmortem as part of their investigation without the family’s consent.
Organs are not permitted to be removed from a body under Islamic Law but in the course of an investigation it may be necessary to remove organs, and these will be returned to the body in most cases. If necessary, biopsies are performed for toxicology tests and further examination.
A final report will be available to the family upon completion of both the postmortem and the investigation into the circumstances of the death. You must request a copy of the report from the Prosecutor’s Office.
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.
Repatriation cannot take place without first obtaining the death certificate. If the cause of death is not confirmed and further test results are pending, the death certificate will be issued but the cause of death will be entered as ‘under investigation’. Test results can take up to 3 months to be finalised.
If the body is embalmed, which is usually a requirement by airlines, it may not be possible to have a post-mortem in the UK.
If the person who died is not covered by insurance, you will need to appoint an international funeral director yourself. Your funeral director will usually get all the documents required for repatriation. The British embassy may be able to assist if there are delays in getting these documents.
Wherever the death occurred within Iran, the body will be transported to the Legal Medicine Organization (LMO) in Tehran, where the facilities provided by the Office of Legal Medicine/ Coroner’s Office and Judiciary Offices are available. The accompanying documentation will be checked to confirm if the case requires an autopsy.
Repatriation is usually arranged through a local carrier service after the necessary permits have been issued by the local authorities. Experienced carrier companies in Tehran include:
Farahani Trading Company
Imam Khomeini Airport
Tehran
Iran
Phone: +98 21 56944874 / +98 9126595017 / +98 9354590417
Airland International Ltd
214, Somaye Ave.
Tehran
Phone: +98 21 88827877 / +98 9121239146
https://www.airlandco.com/
There may be other companies offering the same services. The embassy does not recommend specific companies.
The usual list of requirements for repatriation:
- If the deceased was a resident, the employer/sponsor must cancel the resident visa with the Immigration Police and also cancel the British passport.
- A letter (no objection to the repatriation) issued by the British Embassy addressed to the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (to introduce the deceased and their representative).
- In order that an export permit be issued, all necessary documentation must be presented to the local police authorities and the deceased visa must be cancelled and presented to the Immigration Police at the airport.
- A flight must be booked for the repatriation.
- The next of kin or their representative should accompany the coffin to the airport customs where the documentation will be checked, identity confirmed, and the coffin sealed in compliance with international standards.
- Usual documents required for repatriation include original British passport of the deceased, local death certificate, police report, original cancelled Iranian birth certificate (for Iranian/British nationals).
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.
A local carrier service provider will work with UK-based international funeral directors to meet all the necessary requirements 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.
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’).
Burying or cremating the body locally
There are no cremation facilities in Iran.
Burial is an option in Iran, and this can usually be arranged by one of the local churches/mosques or other religious organisations depending on their faith or religious belief.
If a local burial 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 the body, instruct the appointed 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 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 Iran:
Find a professional lawyer in Iran.
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 need 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 for when someone dies to make sure you have done everything you need to do in the UK, including registering the death with local authorities in Iran. 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