Consular assistance
British Embassy contacts for French Polynesia: when someone dies abroad
Non-resident, British Embassy, Paris, France handles cases in French Polynesia. A death must be registered with the local authorities in French Polynesia 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 French Polynesia
British representation: Non-resident, British Embassy, Paris, France
Authority that must release the body: Service de l'État Civil (Civil Registration, Government of French Polynesia); Gendarmerie nationale or Police nationale (non-natural deaths depending on commune)
Documentation language: French, Tahitian
Extreme distance from UK (approximately 15,700 km. 5 archipelagos spanning a vast area of the Pacific Ocean. Deaths on outer islands require inter-island Air Tahiti transfer. Non-resident British Embassy Paris. All documentation in French) certified English translation required. Very limited mortuary infrastructure outside Papeete. Embalming standards and refrigeration capacity outside Tahiti are constrained.
Always verify numbers before calling
Embassy phone numbers change. Confirm current details at gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/french-polynesia 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 French Polynesia
What you need to know
What the British post in French Polynesia can and cannot do
Non-resident, British Embassy, Paris, France 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 French Polynesia
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 French Polynesia
What the Embassy can and cannot pay for
Consular staff in French Polynesia 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 French Polynesia involvesNeed help bringing someone home from French Polynesia?
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.