Consular assistance
British Embassy contacts for Turkey: when someone dies abroad
If a British national dies in Turkey, the Embassy is usually the first official body to contact. A death must be registered with the local authorities in Turkey 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 Turkey
+90 312 455 3344Handling a death in Turkey
Local emergency number: 112
Authority that must release the body: Council of Forensic Medicine (Adli Tip Kurumu) or local forensic authorities
When a post-mortem is ordered: Post mortem ordered by the Turkish public prosecutor (cumhuriyet savcisi) if death is sudden, violent, suspicious, or cause is unknown. Standard for non-natural deaths.
Effect on the timeline: Can delay repatriation by 2-6 weeks. Prosecutor must authorise release of the body.
Getting the report: Reports may take weeks to months. Access for foreign families can be difficult without legal representation.
Documentation language: Turkish. English: Good in tourist coastal areas (Antalya, Bodrum, Fethiye, Marmaris) and central Istanbul. Limited in eastern Turkey, inland cities, and rural areas. Hospital staff in tourist areas usually speak basic English. Official documents are in Turkish only.
Healthcare: Good private healthcare in major cities and tourist areas. State hospitals are adequate but can be stretched. Turkey is a major medical tourism destination with modern private hospital groups (Acibadem, Memorial, Florence Nightingale). Eastern Turkey has more limited healthcare.
British community: ~30,000-50,000 British residents in Turkey. Concentrated in coastal areas (Antalya province, Fethiye, Bodrum, Didim, Kusadasi).
Most common causes of British deaths here: Natural causes (elderly expats and holidaymakers); Road traffic accidents (Turkish road safety standards differ from UK); Drowning (hotel pools, sea swimming); Medical tourism complications (post-surgical deaths); Falls (hotel balconies, historical sites); Alcohol-related incidents; Heat-related illness (summer temperatures exceed 40C in southern Turkey); Earthquake-related deaths (Turkey sits on major fault lines)
Areas needing extra care: Antalya and surrounding coast: Highest volume of British tourists. Drowning, road accidents, heat illness.; Bodrum/Mugla province: Tourist accidents, drowning, elderly expats.; Istanbul: Tourist volume, road accidents, medical tourism.; Dalaman/Fethiye corridor: Tourist volume, paragliding accidents, drowning.; Cappadocia: Hot air balloon accidents (rare but high-profile).; Eastern Turkey: Limited infrastructure, earthquake zones, border region risks.
Always verify numbers before calling
Official lists for Turkey
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/turkey 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 Turkey
all consulate numbers before go-live. Istanbul consulate is the busiest for British nationals. Antalya consulate covers the major tourist coastal strip. Check gov.uk for current list.
What you need to know
What the British post in Turkey can and cannot do
The British post covering Turkey 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 Turkey specifically: Can delay repatriation by 2-6 weeks. Prosecutor must authorise release of the body.
The full list of what consular staff can and cannot do applies in every country.
Death registration in Turkey
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 Turkey
What the Embassy can and cannot pay for
Consular staff in Turkey 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 Turkey involvesNeed help bringing someone home from Turkey?
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.