What to do if someone dies in Greece

To bring someone home from Greece, the death is registered at the local municipal registry, a Greek funeral director prepares the body and gathers the release papers, and the coffin is flown to the UK as air cargo. The FCDO says these local formalities normally take 8 to 10 days. A death on an island, or a post-mortem, can add to that.

What Greece needs before the body can leave

The FCDO lists four things for taking a body from Greece to the UK: the local death certificate, permission to remove the body issued by a coroner, the passport of the person who died, and a certificate of embalming. GOV.UK’s general guidance on deaths abroad adds that you need a certified English translation of the death certificate to bring the body home.

The death is registered at the registry office of the dimos (local municipality) where the person died, usually within 30 days. In some circumstances it can be registered where the burial or cremation will take place instead. The funeral director can normally do this for you. They will ask for the person’s passport, the medical certificate of death, marital status, address, parents’ names, spouse’s details, and the town where the funeral will be held if it is in the UK.

The death certificate is in Greek

The certificate is the ληξιαρχική πράξη θανάτου (lixiarxiki praxi thanatou, death register entry). It is issued in Greek, and you can ask the funeral director for an English translation. Arranging the certified translation adds time and cost. It is not a step that can be skipped.

The FCDO says Greek death certificates usually give the cause of death, unless it has not been concluded by the time the certificate is issued. For families dealing with an insurance claim or a possible UK inquest, this is useful. The local certificate can usually be used in the UK for most purposes, including probate. Ask for extra copies at the start, because banks, insurers and the UK registrar may each want to see one.

The island transfer

Many British deaths in Greece happen on the islands: Crete, Rhodes, Corfu, Zakynthos, Kos, Santorini and Mykonos among them. In most of these cases your loved one must first be moved to the mainland, usually Athens, before the flight to the UK.

This is a logistics operation in its own right, involving a Greek funeral director, internal permits, and often a domestic flight or ferry. Smaller islands may have very limited funeral facilities, so preparation may have to wait until Athens. Expect one to four days before the Athens-to-UK phase begins, and a separate charge for the transfer.

Consular help is closer than many families expect. Alongside the British Embassy in Athens, GOV.UK lists vice-consulates on Corfu, Crete and Rhodes and an honorary vice-consulate on Zakynthos. Public visits are by appointment, and the embassy takes emergencies at any hour through the FCDO’s online contact form, or on +44 (0)20 7008 5000 from the UK.

Orthodox custom and the burial timeframe

Greece is an Orthodox Christian country, and the custom is rapid burial, typically within 24 to 48 hours of death. Hospital staff, local funeral directors and well-meaning contacts may assume the body will be prepared and buried in Greece quickly.

That is custom, not a deadline you must meet. The FCDO says burials in Greece should take place within one month of death, and that for foreign nationals the authorities will usually allow more time if needed. Be clear from the first call that you want your loved one brought home. A UK repatriation coordinator can speak directly to the Greek funeral home so that nothing is done that cannot be undone.

If there is a post-mortem

A post-mortem may be held in Greece if the cause of death is unknown, unnatural, sudden or violent. The FCDO says it is carried out by court-appointed doctors or pathologists with forensic qualifications, at the request of the Greek police. A doctor in a state hospital may also request one.

Three things families are often not told:

• Cultural and religious wishes may not be taken into account. Small tissue samples and organs may be removed for testing without the family’s permission, and you will not automatically be told.
• The body can still be returned to the UK before those tests finish. Samples are kept for the tests and then destroyed. Permission to remove the body is still needed before it can leave.
• The written report can take several months, or more than a year. It is in Greek, it goes to the court handling the case, and it is not usually given to the family. A local lawyer can apply for a copy. The FCDO keeps a list of English-speaking lawyers in Greece, but the embassy cannot give legal advice or pay legal costs.

If there is an investigation, the person’s belongings may be held as evidence until the court case is over. Otherwise they are normally given to the family or the Greek police, and your UK funeral director can arrange for them to travel with the body.

Cremation in Greece and a UK inquest

Cremation is possible in Greece. The crematorium the FCDO links to is run by Crem Services at Ritsona. If you want a coroner in England or Wales to hold an inquest, do not have your loved one cremated abroad. In Scotland, a further investigation may still be possible.

If you carry the ashes home yourself, you will need the death certificate and the cremation certificate, and you should tell the airline in advance. The FCDO says ashes may not be accepted by post or courier, though they can go as air freight. Scattering ashes in Greece needs no permission from the local authorities.

If burial in Greece is considered

In some Greek cemeteries the remains are exhumed after 3 years as standard procedure and placed in a charnel house at the cemetery. Families who later want to bring their loved one home would face that step, so ask the local funeral director how the chosen cemetery handles it before deciding.

Sources checked 6 October 2026

• FCDO: What to do after a British person dies in Greece (updated 30 January 2026)
• GOV.UK: What to do if someone dies abroad
• FCDO Greece travel advice: getting help
• British Embassy Athens
• Crem Services, the crematorium linked by the FCDO