Consular assistance
British Embassy contacts for France: when someone dies abroad
If a British national dies in France, the Embassy is usually the first official body to contact. A death must be registered with the local authorities in France 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. The local emergency number is 112.
Emergency numbers
FCDO 24-hour line (from UK)
+44 (0)20 7008 5000British Embassy in France
+33 (0)1 44 51 31 00Handling a death in France
Local emergency number: 112
Authority that must release the body: Institut Medico Legal (IML)
When a post-mortem is ordered: Post mortem conducted at Institut Medico Legal (IML) if ordered. Required for cases of violent, sudden, or unexplained death.
Effect on the timeline: Can delay repatriation significantly. Reports sometimes take months.
Getting the report: Post mortem reports can take months to be released to next of kin. Tissue samples and organs may be retained for testing.
Documentation language: French. Regional languages include Breton, Alsatian, Occitan, Basque, Corsican, and Catalan.. English: Moderate in Paris and major tourist areas. Limited in rural areas and smaller cities. Younger generation more likely to speak English. Hospital staff in larger cities usually have some English capability.
Healthcare: Excellent public healthcare system (routinely ranked among world's best). EHIC/GHIC provides emergency cover for UK nationals. Most hospitals have professional interpreter services.
British community: ~150,000-200,000 registered UK nationals. Many more seasonal residents, particularly in Dordogne, Brittany, Normandy, and southern France.
Most common causes of British deaths here: Natural causes (elderly expat population, particularly in southern France and Dordogne); Road traffic accidents (French road fatality rate is higher than UK); Ski resort accidents (winter season, Alps and Pyrenees); Drowning (Atlantic coast, Mediterranean); Cycling accidents; Pre-existing medical conditions
Areas needing extra care: Paris and Ile-de-France (tourist volume); French Alps (ski accidents, particularly Chamonix, Val d'Isere, Meribel); Dordogne and Lot (large elderly British expat community); Provence and Cote d'Azur (tourist volume, elderly residents); Brittany and Normandy (expat community, ferry route proximity); Atlantic coast (drowning risk, strong currents)
Always verify numbers before calling
Official lists for France
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
- Lawyers, where an estate or an investigation needs local legal advice
Embassy phone numbers change. Confirm current details at gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/france 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 France
British Embassy
Paris
35 rue du Faubourg St Honore, 75383 Paris Cedex 08
+33 (0)1 44 51 31 00 Official websiteConsulate
Bordeaux
Consulate
Marseille
Consulate
Lyon
What you need to know
What the British post in France can and cannot do
The British post covering France 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.
In France specifically: Can delay repatriation significantly. Reports sometimes take months.
The full list of what consular staff can and cannot do applies in every country.
Death registration in France
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 France
What the Embassy can and cannot pay for
Consular staff in France 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 France involvesNeed help bringing someone home from France?
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.