Consular assistance
British Embassy contacts for Haiti: when someone dies abroad
Non-resident. UK consular services provided by the British High Commission in Kingston, Jamaica. handles cases in Haiti. A death must be registered with the local authorities in Haiti 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 Haiti
British representation: Non-resident. UK consular services provided by the British High Commission in Kingston, Jamaica.
Authority that must release the body: Office National d'Identification (ONI), Parquet Civil
Documentation language: French; Haitian Creole
Areas needing extra care: Most of Port-au-Prince (gang-controlled areas); Artibonite department; Cité Soleil and surrounding metropolitan zone; Anywhere outside Pétionville and secured international compound areas
FCDO advises against all but essential travel to Haiti. Gang violence controls large parts of Port-au-Prince and other cities. The Multinational Security Support Mission (MSS), led by Kenya, began deploying in 2024 but the security situation remains severe. Civil registration infrastructure has collapsed in gang-controlled areas. The Office National d'Identification (ONI) processes death documentation but access to offices in insecure areas is not guaranteed. Cold storage and mortuary capacity is extremely limited outside the capital.
Always verify numbers before calling
Official lists for Haiti
Published by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office for British nationals. We are not connected to the firms listed.
- Funeral directors, for arranging local care and preparation
- Lawyers, where an estate or an investigation needs local legal advice
Embassy phone numbers change. Confirm current details at gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/haiti 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 Haiti
What you need to know
What the British post in Haiti can and cannot do
Non-resident. UK consular services provided by the British High Commission in Kingston, Jamaica. 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 Haiti
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 Haiti
What the Embassy can and cannot pay for
Consular staff in Haiti 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 Haiti involvesNeed help bringing someone home from Haiti?
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.