Consular assistance
British Embassy contacts for Iran: when someone dies abroad
British Embassy Tehran handles cases in Iran. A death must be registered with the local authorities in Iran 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 Iran
British representation: British Embassy Tehran
Authority that must release the body: State Organisation for Civil Registration (SABTE AHVAL); Medical Legal Organisation (Pezeshki Qanuni)
Documentation language: Persian (Farsi)
Areas needing extra care: Border regions with Iraq, Afghanistan, and Pakistan subject to FCDO advisories. Sistan-Baluchestan province. Kurdish border areas in the north-west.
British-Iranian dual nationals not recognised as British by Iranian authorities: significant complication. Risk of arbitrary detention. UK-Iran tensions ongoing. Nuclear-related sanctions complicate financial transactions. British Embassy operational but access to detained nationals historically restricted.
Always verify numbers before calling
Official lists for Iran
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/iran 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 Iran
What you need to know
What the British post in Iran can and cannot do
British Embassy Tehran 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 Iran
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 Iran
What the Embassy can and cannot pay for
Consular staff in Iran 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 Iran involvesNeed help bringing someone home from Iran?
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.