Practical guidance
What to do if someone dies in the Netherlands
This guide explains what happens after a death in the Netherlands, who to contact, and how to arrange for your loved one to be brought home, to the UK, Ireland or any other country. Facts for British nationals come from FCDO and government sources. Every situation is different, and if you would like us to take over the arrangements, send us the details.
Typical timeline
7-12 days
FCDO 24hr helpline
+44 (0)20 7008 5000
The Netherlands has an efficient system. When a British national dies in Amsterdam, Rotterdam, or The Hague, the process moves through clear legal channels. Knowing those channels in advance makes a difficult situation more manageable.
Call 112 for police and ambulance. A doctor must certify the death. If the death is at home with a treating physician present, the process is straightforward. If the death is sudden, in a public place, or the cause is not clear, Dutch law requires the treating doctor to notify the GGD (Municipal Health Service) and the police. The police then refer the case to the public prosecutor.
Drug-related deaths in Amsterdam are automatically investigated.
This is the most important fact for families. If your family member died in Amsterdam and drugs were involved, the public prosecutor will be notified automatically, regardless of the circumstances. A judicial post-mortem may be ordered. This is not negotiable and the process cannot be shortened. Average additional time: 7 to 14 days.
Canal drownings follow the same path. Amsterdam’s canal network accounts for a number of British visitor deaths annually. These are treated as unnatural deaths pending investigation.
Call the British Embassy in The Hague at +31 70 427 0427. If the death occurred in Amsterdam, the consulate at +31 20 676 4343 can also assist. The Embassy will provide a list of Dutch funeral directors experienced with UK repatriation, and can certify the Dutch death certificate for UK registration. They cannot intervene in the public prosecutor’s proceedings or pay for costs.
Notify your travel insurer immediately. The Netherlands is not considered a high-risk destination, but deaths involving drugs or alcohol can complicate insurance claims. Review your policy’s exclusion clauses carefully.
Once the body is released
A Dutch funeral director prepares the documentation set. The Akte van Overlijden (Dutch death certificate) is the primary document. It shows cause of death and is available in English, French, and German through the local gemeente. Embalming is required under UK regulations. A zinc-lined coffin follows. The full documentation set takes two to five working days to complete after release.
Amsterdam Schiphol has KLM Cargo direct services to London Heathrow, Manchester, and Edinburgh. Flight time is approximately one hour. This makes the Netherlands one of the lower-cost freight origins in Europe.
UK coroner review on arrival is unlikely when Dutch authorities have certified cause of death with documentation. Natural causes and cases with full investigation records are typically cleared quickly by the receiving UK funeral director.
For the full process, costs and documentation checklist, see our repatriation from the Netherlands guide.
First things first
What to do in the first 24 hours
The immediate period after a death abroad is disorienting. Here are the steps in the order they normally need to happen.
Contact local emergency services
Call 112 for emergency services. A treating physician or GGD (Municipal Health Service) doctor must certify the death. Unnatural deaths are automatically referred to police and the public prosecutor. Contact your insurer and the FCDO on the same day.
Local emergency number: 112
Contact the embassy or consulate
Tell the embassy or consulate of your loved one's own country as soon as possible. It can register the death, give you a list of local funeral directors and explain what the local authorities will need.
For British nationals, that is the British Embassy in The Hague.
Embassy: +31 70 427 0427
British nationals, FCDO 24hr: +44 (0)20 7008 5000
Appoint a local funeral director
A local funeral director in the Netherlands will take care of the body, arrange embalming, obtain the necessary documents, and coordinate with airlines. The embassy can recommend accredited directors. You can also contact a specialist UK repatriation company, who will coordinate with a local partner on your behalf.
Contact your travel insurer
If your loved one had travel insurance with repatriation cover, contact the insurer immediately. They will often have an emergency assistance line and may appoint their own funeral director. Many policies cover the full cost of repatriation, subject to the limit set out in the policy schedule.
Gather the required documents
Repatriation from the Netherlands requires specific paperwork before a body can be transported. Your local funeral director will handle most of this.
- Akte van Overlijden (Dutch death certificate)
- Medical certificate of cause of death (Verklaring van Overlijden)
- Freedom from infection certificate
- Permission to transport human remains from the Netherlands
- Embalming certificate
- Passport of deceased
Documentation typically takes 2-5 working days to complete.
Official support
British Embassy in The Hague
The embassy can provide information and a list of local funeral directors, but they cannot arrange or pay for repatriation. Contact them early to register the death with consular services.
What the embassy can do
What the embassy cannot do
What to expect
How long does it take?
Factors that can extend the timeline
- Dutch judicial investigation (gerechtelijke sectie) ordered
- Death in a canal or waterway (drowning investigations)
- Drug-related death in Amsterdam (police involvement is automatic)
- Documentation gaps
Cost guide
What affects the cost?
Nobody publishes a reliable figure for the Netherlands alone. Our cost page sets out the ranges repatriation firms publish, each named and dated. What you pay turns on the specifics of the case.
| Where the death happened | Distance to the departure airport, and any island or overland transfer, changes the freight arrangement |
| Whether a post-mortem is ordered | An investigation holds the release and adds mortuary time |
| Documentation required | Netherlands paperwork, translation, and any legalisation step |
| Coffin and preparation | Airline and destination rules dictate what is needed |
| Flight availability | Direct services cost less to arrange than multi-leg cargo routing |
| Insurance | Whether a policy covers repatriation, and up to what limit |
Send us the details and we will give you a figure for your case, with no obligation.
If a post-mortem is required
Required for any unnatural death, death in a public place, or where the cause is unclear. In Amsterdam, deaths involving drugs automatically trigger police involvement and referral to the public prosecutor, who may order a judicial post-mortem (gerechtelijke sectie).. Adds 3-14 days. Canal drownings and drug-related deaths are the most common complex cases involving British nationals in the Netherlands.
Common questions
Questions families ask about deaths in the Netherlands
Repatriation from the Netherlands typically takes 7-12 days. The fastest cases complete in 5 days where nothing is contested. Cases involving a post-mortem or a police investigation can take 21+ days.
We do not publish a figure for the Netherlands, because the cost turns on the specifics of the case. What moves it is where the death happened, whether an investigation must conclude first, the documentation the Netherlands requires, and the flight routing available. Send us the details and we will price your case, with no obligation.
Required for any unnatural death, death in a public place, or where the cause is unclear. In Amsterdam, deaths involving drugs automatically trigger police involvement and referral to the public prosecutor, who may order a judicial post-mortem (gerechtelijke sectie).
Cremation is available in the Netherlands. Where cremation has taken place, ashes can usually be carried to the UK in hand luggage with the cremation certificate, which is the least costly way to bring someone home.
The documents required from the Netherlands are: Akte van Overlijden (Dutch death certificate), Medical certificate of cause of death (Verklaring van Overlijden), Freedom from infection certificate, Permission to transport human remains from the Netherlands, Embalming certificate, Passport of deceased. Documentation typically takes 2-5 working days. Your local funeral director gathers most of this on your behalf.
Full repatriation guide for the Netherlands
Detailed information on the full repatriation process, embassy contacts, what affects the cost, cultural considerations, and more.
View full guideCremation in the Netherlands
If local cremation is the right choice for your family, our country guide covers the documentation, airline rules, and costs.
Cremation guideSend us the details
If you need someone to take over the arrangements, tell us what has happened. We arrange repatriation from the Netherlands to the UK, Ireland or any other country.
Send an enquiryTell us what has happened in the Netherlands
Send us the details and we will explain what happens next and prepare a quote for bringing your loved one home, to the UK, Ireland or any other country.
Reviewed by the Repatriate Service editorial team. Information sourced from UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) guidance, official embassy contacts, and professional repatriation experience. Facts last checked September 2026; page updated .
Official lists for the Netherlands
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
Sources: FCDO gov.uk · Repatriation from the Netherlands · Frequently asked questions