Consular assistance

British Embassy contacts for the Comoros: when someone dies abroad

Non-resident, British High Commission Port Louis, Mauritius handles cases in the Comoros. A death must be registered with the local authorities in the Comoros 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 5000

Handling a death in the Comoros

British representation: Non-resident, British High Commission Port Louis, Mauritius

Authority that must release the body: Gendarmerie Nationale, Ministry of Health, civil status office

Documentation language: Comorian (Shikomori); Arabic; French

Three-island archipelago (Grande Comore, Anjouan, Mohéli) with separate local administrations. French civil law supplemented by Islamic personal status law. Non-resident Embassy adds coordination layer. Limited international air connections.

Always verify numbers before calling

Embassy phone numbers change. Confirm current details at gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/comoros 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 the Comoros

What you need to know

What the British post in the Comoros can and cannot do

Non-resident, British High Commission Port Louis, Mauritius 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 the Comoros

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 the Comoros

What the Embassy can and cannot pay for

Consular staff in the Comoros 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 the Comoros involves

Need help bringing someone home from the Comoros?

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.

We respond by email within one hour, 24/7.

No obligation. Your details are kept confidential.