Consular assistance
British Embassy contacts for Bosnia and Herzegovina: when someone dies abroad
British Embassy, Sarajevo handles cases in Bosnia and Herzegovina. A death must be registered with the local authorities in Bosnia and Herzegovina before a body or ashes can leave the country. Consular staff will register the death with UK authorities, issue consular documents and give you a list of local funeral directors. They cannot meet any cost, arrange the repatriation, or authorise release of the body. If the person who died was not British, contact the embassy or consulate of their own country instead.
Emergency numbers
FCDO 24-hour line (from UK)
+44 (0)20 7008 5000Handling a death in Bosnia and Herzegovina
British representation: British Embassy, Sarajevo
Authority that must release the body: Municipal register office for death registration; Federal Institute of Forensic Medicine (Sarajevo, Federation entity) or Institute of Forensic Medicine of Republika Srpska (Banja Luka) for non-natural deaths
Documentation language: Bosnian; Croatian; Serbian
Bosnia and Herzegovina has a resident British Embassy in Sarajevo and established civil registration procedures. The country is divided into two entities (the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Republika Srpska) with separate administrative systems. Deaths in the Federation are handled by the Federal Institute of Forensic Medicine in Sarajevo; deaths in Republika Srpska by the Institute in Banja Luka. Cross-entity cases can add time. Documents are in Bosnian/Croatian/Serbian using Latin script (Republika Srpska may also use Cyrillic). Mostar and the Neretva valley are popular UK tourist destinations.
Always verify numbers before calling
Official lists for Bosnia and Herzegovina
Published by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office for British nationals. We are not connected to the firms listed.
- Translators and interpreters, for certified translation of the death certificate and permits
Embassy phone numbers change. Confirm current details at gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/bosnia-and-herzegovina before a trip. The FCDO 24-hour line (+44 (0)20 7008 5000) is the most reliable point of contact in an emergency.
Contact details
British Embassy and consulates in Bosnia and Herzegovina
What you need to know
What the British post in Bosnia and Herzegovina can and cannot do
British Embassy, Sarajevo is the post that registers the death and can give you a list of local funeral directors. It cannot pay any repatriation cost, arrange the repatriation itself, release the body, or shorten a local timeline.
The full list of what consular staff can and cannot do applies in every country.
Death registration in Bosnia and Herzegovina
The Embassy can register the death separately under UK law. This is optional and does not replace the local certificate, but some families find the UK death certificate useful for administrative purposes.
Typical timeline from Bosnia and Herzegovina
What the Embassy can and cannot pay for
Consular staff in Bosnia and Herzegovina cannot pay repatriation costs, funeral director fees, or any local charges, and cannot lend money to cover them.
They can give you a list of local funeral directors, contact next of kin, and help you reach an insurer. If there is no insurance and no family funds, they can explain what limited options exist.
What repatriation from Bosnia and Herzegovina involvesNeed help bringing someone home from Bosnia and Herzegovina?
We can take over the arrangements from wherever you are in the process, and bring your loved one home to the UK, Ireland or any other country. Send us the details and we will come back to you with a quote.