When someone dies in the United Arab Emirates
The process when a British national dies in the UAE, including registering the death, funerals and cremations, and bringing the person’s body to the UK.
Contacting the insurance company
If the person who died had insurance, contact their insurance company as soon as possible. If the person worked in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) or was on business, contact their employer. 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 the UAE 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.
Next of kin
In the UAE, the next of kin of the person who died will usually need to make decisions and practical arrangements for them. They can sometimes appoint someone else to act on their behalf.
There is no legal definition of the next of kin in the UK. If there is a disagreement over who is the next of kin, or the person who has died did not chose a next of kin, this can cause additional complications. Contact the British Embassy if you need advice about the next of kin, for example if you’re not sure who it is or are in a same sex marriage.
Registering the death
The death must be registered in the UAE. The process is quite complicated but your funeral director can normally do this for you.
To register the death you must:
- contact the local police where the person who died lived
- get the death notification from the hospital
- get the death registration letter from the police station (this will be the police station handling the case if the death is being investigated)
Getting the death certificate
To get the death certificate, take these documents to the relevant authority in the Emirate where the person who died:
- police registration
- death notification from the hospital
- passport copy of the person who died, including the visa page
- Emirates ID of the person who died (if they have one)
- photo ID of yourself, such as your passport or driving licence
The death certificate will often be in English, however this may vary across the different Emirates. Emirati death certificates do not always give the cause of death. It’s worth asking for extra copies of the death certificate, as you might need them to show to other people later.
You should get the death certificate stamped and signed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. You can apply on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs website or speak to your funeral director in the UAE for advice.
If the person who died will be buried in the UAE, you can get the death certificate after the burial. If the body will be repatriated to the UK, you will need the death certificate first.
Where to get the death certificate
Dubai
In Dubai you can get the death certificate from:
- Ministry of Health +971 4 380 3331
- Dubai Health Authority 800 342 or +971 4 219 8888
Abu Dhabi
In Abu Dhabi you can get the death certificate from the Department of Health +971 2 449 3333.
Sharjah
In Sharjah you can get the death certificate from:
- Department of Preventative Medicine +971 6 705 8333
- Kuwait Hospital +971 6 503 1163
- Al Qassimi Hospital +971 518 8888
Ajman
In Ajman you can get the death certificate from:
- Ministry of Health and Prevention +971 6 705 8333
- Department of Preventative Medicine +971 6 705 8777
Umm Al Quwain
In Dubai you can get the death certificate from the Ministry of Health and Prevention, call 800 11111.
Ras Al Khaimah
In Dubai you can get the death certificate from Saqr Hospital, call +971 7 204 9999.
Fujairah
Khorfakkan Hospital +971 9 208 1200
Getting no objection letters
Before you can bury, cremate or repatriate the person’s body you will need ‘no objection letters’ from the British Embassy Abu Dhabi and the UAE police.
Getting a no objection letter from the British Embassy Abu Dhabi
To get a no objection letter you’ll need the following documents:
- the Emirati death certificate – this must be stamped and signed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
- the death notification or forensic report
- the British passport of the person who died
- the D1 passport cancellation form
- a next of kin authorisation form (ask the British embassy for this) or a power of attorney document
- copy of the next of kin’s passport
The British embassy will:
- issue a no objection letter so you can bury, cremate or repatriate the body
- cancel the British passport and return it to you
Send us an online enquiry to get a no objection letter from the British Embassy Abu Dhabi.
Getting no objection letters from the police
Take these documents to the police station nearest to where the death occurred:
- original death certificate
- original cancelled passport of the person who died
- letter of no objection from the British embassy
The police will provide relevant no objection letters depending on whether the body will be cremated, buried or repatriated:
- for cremation there’ll be copies for the crematorium, mortuary and municipality
- for burial there’ll be copies for the cemetery, mortuary and municipality
- for repatriation there’ll be copies for the airport police, embalming facility and mortuary
Post mortems in the UAE
A post mortem is a medical examination of the body. There might be one in the UAE if the cause of death is unknown, unnatural, sudden or violent. Any death outside a hospital will be referred to the police who will arrange for a post mortem and the body of the person who died will only be released with the permission of the prosecutor’s office.
There’ll be staff at the mortuaries where they take place who speak English and the facilities are of a high standard, similar to those in the UK.
Post mortem reports are available to the family once the investigation into the death has been completed. You can get a copy from the prosecutor’s office.
Burying or cremating the body in the UAE
You can only bury someone who has died in the UAE if they held a valid residency visa. Those without a valid residency visa may only be cremated or repatriated.
Once you have the death certificate and no objection letters from the British Embassy and police you can speak directly to a local cemetery or crematorium to arrange burial or cremation in the UAE.
For Muslim burials, the next of kin must also go to the local police with their passport to get a burial permit.
The exact rules on burials and cremations are different depending on where you are in the UAE. Special permission is needed if you want to bury or cremate the person in a different Emirate to the one where they died.
Cremation
Cremation in the UAE is only possible for non-Muslims. You must take the no objection letter from the police to the municipality to request a cremation permit to give to the local crematorium.
Cremations can be performed at:
- the Al Foah Cemetary in Al Ain
- Sonapur, Jebel Ali, Dubai
- the Sharjah Crematorium
Children under 3 who have died in the UAE cannot be cremated there. They must be buried in the UAE or repatriated.
Your local funeral director can give you advice on cremation in the UAE.
Christian support and pastoral care
For Anglican support you can contact:
- Christ Church Jebel Ali on +971 4 884 5436 or Holy Trinity Church on +971 4 337 0247 in Dubai
- St Andrew’s Church on +971 2 446 1631 in Abu Dhabi
For Roman Catholic support you can contact:
- St Mary’s Church on +971 4 337 0087 in Dubai
- St Joseph’s Cathedral on +971 2 446 1929 in Abu Dhabi
Christians of any denomination can also contact St Mary’s Church.
Bringing the body to the UK
Ask your funeral director about options for bringing the person’s body to the UK from the UAE. You will need to also appoint an international funeral director in the UK.
The person who died will have to be embalmed and there are specific rules about the coffin. Your funeral director can help arrange this. When taking the person’s body to the UK from the UAE you will need:
- the no objection letter from the British embassy
- the no objection letter from the police
- the death certificate, stamped and signed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
- the death notification
- embalming certificate
- the person who died’s cancelled passport showing cancelled visa and entry stamp
- a UK-based funeral director’s letter of agreement to receive the body if the next of kin is not travelling with it
- flight booking confirmation from the airline
You will need 7 photocopies of each of these documents to take with the body.
Bringing the ashes to the UK
Ask your funeral director about the rules for bringing ashes to the UK. You will need the police letter of no objection.
Ashes can be taken back to the UK on-board the flight as hand luggage or in a suitcase in a special unsealed box. If the next of kin is not travelling with the ashes you will need approval to accept the ashes aboard the flight as well. Your funeral director can help make all the arrangements.
Getting the person’s belongings back
Belongings of the person who died can only be returned to the next of kin once any police enquiries and all local procedures are finished.
If you cannot collect them yourself, your local funeral director can do an inventory and take photos of all the belongings and discard anything like liquids that cannot be shipped to the UK. They will then let the next of kin know the cargo or courier options for them.
Finding an Arabic translator
You may need a translator to help you understand Emirati rules or get documents translated. Check official translators in the UAE. The British embassy or consulate in the UAE cannot provide translation services or pay for translation costs.
Finding an Emirati lawyer
You may need a lawyer to help you understand the Emirati legal system when someone has died. Check English-speaking lawyers in the UAE. The embassy or consulate in the UAE 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 British embassy or consulate
Contact the British embassy or consulate in the UAE if you’re dealing with the death of a child, multiple deaths, a suspicious death or a case of murder or manslaughter:
- in the UAE call +971 2 610 1100 in Abu Dhabi or +971 4 309 4444 in Dubai
- in the UK call +44 (0)20 7008 5000
Updates to this page
Last updated 17 October 2024 + show all updates
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Updated information about getting a no objection letter from the British embassy and added contact link.
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First published.