Consular assistance
British Embassy contacts for Colombia: when someone dies abroad
Carrera 9 No. 76-49, Bogota; +44 1908 516666; British Embassy Bogota; +57 1 326 8300 handles cases in Colombia. This page lists the numbers you need and what the post can do.
Emergency numbers
FCDO 24-hour line (from UK)
+44 (0)20 7008 5000Handling a death in Colombia
British representation: Carrera 9 No. 76-49, Bogota; +44 1908 516666; British Embassy Bogota; +57 1 326 8300
Authority that must release the body: Notaria (notary office) for Registro Civil de Defuncion; INVIMA (National Institute for Food and Drug Surveillance); Instituto de Medicina Legal (IML) and Ciencias Forenses; Fiscalia General de la Nacion (for criminal cases)
high
Treaty position: Not a signatory to the Strasbourg Agreement on the Transfer of Corpses
Always verify numbers before calling
Embassy phone numbers change. Confirm current details at gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/colombia 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 Colombia
What you need to know
What the British post in Colombia can and cannot do
Carrera 9 No. 76-49, Bogota; +44 1908 516666; British Embassy Bogota; +57 1 326 8300 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 Colombia
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 Colombia
What the Embassy can and cannot pay for
Consular staff in Colombia 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 Colombia involvesNeed help coordinating repatriation from Colombia?
We can take over the arrangements from wherever you are in the process. Call us or leave your details and we will call you back.