Consular assistance
British Embassy contacts for South Korea: when someone dies abroad
Seoul; British Embassy Seoul; Embassy; https://www.gov.uk/world/organisations/british-embassy-seoul handles cases in South Korea. A death must be registered with the local authorities in South Korea 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 South Korea
British representation: Seoul; British Embassy Seoul; Embassy; https://www.gov.uk/world/organisations/british-embassy-seoul
Authority that must release the body: National Forensic Service (NFS), National Institute of Scientific Investigation, Seoul
medium
Treaty position: Not a signatory to the Strasbourg Agreement on the Transfer of Corpses
Always verify numbers before calling
Official lists for South Korea
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/south-korea 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 South Korea
What you need to know
What the British post in South Korea can and cannot do
Seoul; British Embassy Seoul; Embassy; https://www.gov.uk/world/organisations/british-embassy-seoul 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 South Korea
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 South Korea
What the Embassy can and cannot pay for
Consular staff in South Korea 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 South Korea involvesNeed help bringing someone home from South Korea?
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.