Three calls matter in the first hours. Get them in roughly the right order and everything after moves faster.
Call one: local emergency services or the hospital
If the death has just happened and hasn’t been confirmed, dial the local emergency number, not 999. Every country has its own, and it’s worth knowing what it is for wherever you’re travelling. A doctor has to certify the death before anything else can happen, including notifying an embassy or an insurer.
If your loved one died in hospital, staff will usually have already begun this process. Ask the hospital directly what happens next and whether they can recommend a local funeral director experienced with international cases.
Call two: the travel insurance provider
This is the call that unlocks money and, often, a case manager who has done this before. Most travel insurance policies include a 24-hour emergency assistance line separate from the general claims number. Look for it on the policy documents or the insurance card.
Insurers who cover repatriation typically appoint an approved funeral director in the country of death and handle the logistics directly with them. That doesn’t mean you can step back entirely, but it does mean someone experienced is now working the case alongside you.
No policy number to hand? Check the deceased’s email for a booking confirmation, since travel insurance is often bundled with flights or bought as an add-on close to departure.
Call three: the British Embassy, High Commission or Consulate
Find the nearest one for the country where the death occurred, not the country you’re calling from. Gov.uk’s guidance on what to do when someone dies abroad sets out clearly what consular staff can and can’t do. They can advise on local funeral directors, lawyers, translators and interpreters, and they can explain the local registration process. They cannot investigate the death, give legal or medical advice, or pay for repatriation, burial or cremation.
If you can’t reach the local post, or you’re calling from the UK trying to help a family member abroad, the FCDO runs a 24-hour number: +44 (0)20 7008 5000. Select the option for consular services for British nationals.
What if you’re not sure which order to call in
Call all three in quick succession if you need to. There’s no penalty for getting the sequence slightly wrong, and a distressed family member on the phone to an embassy before the insurer isn’t going to cause a problem. What matters is that all three eventually happen within the first day or two.
What happens after the calls
Once the local doctor or police confirm the death, the death has to be registered with the local authority in the country where it happened. This is a legal requirement everywhere and it comes before any repatriation can be planned. Only after local registration is issued can the funeral director start the paperwork for moving your loved one home.
For a full walkthrough of what comes next, read what happens when someone dies abroad. If you want detail on exactly what the embassy will and won’t help with, see what the British Embassy does when someone dies abroad.
Repatriate Service can be reached on +44 7703 577246 at any hour, or through the enquiry form below, if you need someone to talk through what to do next.