When someone dies in The Bahamas
Find out about local procedures, burials and cremations, and returning the body to the UK
Contacting 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.
Registering the death and getting a death certificate
In The Bahamas, you can register a death at the Registrar General’s Department. You will need to submit a Medical Certificate of Death to the death registry section. A death certificate will then be printed and signed by the Registrar.
You can appoint a funeral director to register the death for you. Funeral directors can also apply to have the body released and collect the death certificate. The funeral director will work directly with the morgue, the police, the coroner’s office and the Registrar General’s Department.
Bahamian death certificates do not include the cause of death if the results of the post-mortem are still pending. Death certificates are usually issued within a few days of the death being registered. You can apply for copies online from the Registrar General’s Department. There is a fee of $10 per certificate.
In the case of an unnatural death the death certificate may be delayed until results from toxicology tests or a doctor’s report are available.
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 Bahamian law the next of kin is defined as their married partner or closest living blood relative.
Same-sex partners, whether married or not are not recognised as next of kin under Bahamian law.
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
In the event of a sudden death, the body will be taken to one of the following morgues which have cold storage facilities:
- The Rand Morgue, Princess Margaret Hospital, Nassau
- The Ronald Bourne mortuary, Rand Memorial Hospital, Grand Bahamas
There is no fee for storage of the body at the mortuary.
Dealing with a local post-mortem
Post-mortems are usually only performed when the cause of death is unknown, unnatural, sudden or violent. Post-mortems are carried out at the Rand Morgue at the Princess Margaret Hospital. Cultural or religious sensitivities may not be taken into account. The FCDO cannot stop or interfere with the process.
The body must be formally identified by a family member, friend or colleague before the examination can begin. You will need to bring the passport of the person who died as photo ID. To release the body, you will need to complete a form confirming that you have identified the person who died.
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. These samples are usually returned to the body after being examined and tested.
Post-mortems for foreign nationals usually take 4 to 6 working days. However, if a toxicology report is needed it can take up to a year as the samples will be sent to the USA for testing. If you want the results sooner, you can ask the pathologist to take additional samples and pay for them to be sent for testing at a private laboratory. You can also get a preliminary post-mortem report from the Rand Morgue. Ask your funeral director about this.
You can ask the morgue for a copy of the post-mortem or toxicology report, or request that the funeral director do this on your behalf. There is usually a fee of $100. If there has been an inquest and the post-mortem is issued by the coroner there is no charge for the report.
If a post-mortem was carried out in Bahamas, you can ask for a copy of the report by contacting one of the following:
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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 Jamaica
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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 meet all the necessary requirements 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 The Bahamas with human ashes you will need to show 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 The Bahamas.
The funeral director will be able to explain the local process.
If the body is going to be cremated locally, you will need an additional signature from a second doctor on the death certificate.
If the burial is not paid for, the body will be stored for 6 to 8 weeks, before being buried as part of a pauper’s burial at Southern 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 the body, 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 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 The Bahamas.
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 for when someone dies to make sure you have done everything you need to do in the UK. 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