Consular assistance
British Embassy contacts for the Democratic Republic of Congo: when someone dies abroad
British Embassy Kinshasa handles cases in the Democratic Republic of Congo. A death must be registered with the local authorities in the Democratic Republic of Congo 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 the Democratic Republic of Congo
British representation: British Embassy Kinshasa
Authority that must release the body: Parquet (state prosecutor); Police Nationale Congolaise; Institut National Medico-Legal (INML)
Documentation language: French; Lingala; Swahili; Kikongo
Areas needing extra care: North Kivu; South Kivu; Ituri province; Tanganyika province conflict areas; Areas near DRC-Rwanda border; Areas near DRC-Uganda border
Very high complexity. Ongoing armed conflict in eastern provinces. Bureaucratic layers in Kinshasa. INML capacity is limited. FCDO advises against all travel to eastern DRC provinces. Repatriation from Kinshasa is achievable; from conflict zones it may not be.
Always verify numbers before calling
Official lists for the Democratic Republic of Congo
Published by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office for British nationals. We are not connected to the firms listed.
- Lawyers, where an estate or an investigation needs local legal advice
Embassy phone numbers change. Confirm current details at gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/democratic-republic-of-congo 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 Democratic Republic of Congo
What you need to know
What the British post in the Democratic Republic of Congo can and cannot do
British Embassy Kinshasa 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 Democratic Republic of Congo
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 Democratic Republic of Congo
What the Embassy can and cannot pay for
Consular staff in the Democratic Republic of Congo 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 Democratic Republic of Congo involvesGuides for the Democratic Republic of Congo
Need help bringing someone home from the Democratic Republic of Congo?
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