Repatriation from Dordogne, France

The Dordogne département (Périgord) has had a notable British long-stay population since the 1980s. Attracted by farmhouse prices, space, and climate, British nationals settled across the rural communes of Périgord Noir, Périgord Vert, and the Bergerac valley. Many have since aged in place. The British community here is one of the oldest-established in rural France, which means a significant number of deaths involve people who have lived in France for twenty or thirty years, hold carte de résident, and have French bank accounts, French notaries, and sometimes French grandchildren.

Deaths in the Dordogne generate one of the more complex repatriation files of any French département, precisely because the relationship with France runs so deep.

Consular coverage

The British Consulate General Bordeaux (353 Boulevard du Président Wilson, Bordeaux) covers the Dordogne and the rest of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region. Consular staff can register the death, advise on French documentation, and provide funeral director contacts for Périgueux and Bergerac.

The Consulate cannot pay any costs or instruct French judicial authorities.

FCDO 24-hour emergency line: +44 (0)20 7008 5000. Consulate General Bordeaux: +33 5 57 22 21 10.

What French law requires

Officier de l’état civil: All deaths must be declared to the mairie (town hall) of the commune where the death occurred within 24 hours of the doctor’s declaration. The mairie issues the acte de décès. In rural Dordogne, this is often a small commune mairie. For deaths occurring at the main hospitals (Centre Hospitalier de Périgueux or Centre Hospitalier Samuel Pozzi in Bergerac), the hospital administrative team handles the mairie declaration.

Procureur de la République: Sudden, violent, or unexplained deaths are reported to the Procureur via the gendarmerie (in rural areas) or police nationale. The Procureur may order a réquisition for autopsy. Autopsies are conducted at the Institut Médico-Légal in Bordeaux, or at Centre Hospitalier de Périgueux for less complex cases.

Autorisation de transport de corps hors de France: Required from the préfet or sous-préfet. For Dordogne, this is the sous-préfecture in Bergerac or the préfecture in Périgueux, depending on the commune. The authorisation requires the acte de décès, the treating physician’s certificat de décès, and confirmation that embalming has been carried out (soins de conservation, performed by a thanatopraxiste licensed in France).

Source: Code général des collectivités territoriales, Art. L2223; Décret 2011-121 France; 2024.

Hospital coverage

Centre Hospitalier de Périgueux (80 Avenue Georges Pompidou) is the main public hospital for the northern Dordogne. Centre Hospitalier Samuel Pozzi in Bergerac covers the Bergerac valley. British residents who become seriously ill in rural communes are frequently transferred to Bordeaux (CHU de Bordeaux, Pellegrin or Haut-Lévêque) for specialist treatment, which shifts the administrative focus to the Gironde.

The documentation chain

1. Acte de décès from mairie of commune of death. 2. Certificat de décès from treating physician. 3. Procureur clearance and any réquisition d’autopsie (in sudden or violent deaths). 4. Soins de conservation (embalming) by licensed thanatopraxiste. 5. Autorisation de transport de corps hors de France from sous-préfecture or préfecture. 6. IATA cargo documentation — BOD or CDG to LHR or LGW.

Airport and cargo routing

Bergerac Dordogne Périgord Airport (EGC) has seasonal flights to UK airports (Ryanair services to Stansted, Bristol, East Midlands) and can sometimes be used for cargo in summer. The more reliable year-round route is road transfer to Bordeaux-Mérignac Airport (BOD, approximately 1.5 hours from Périgueux, 1 hour from Bergerac) then BOD-LHR or BOD-LGW. For complex cases involving Paris-based agencies, CDG is also used.

Long-stay resident considerations

British nationals who have lived in the Dordogne for more than five years and registered on the liste électorale consulaire before Brexit hold permanent resident status under the Withdrawal Agreement. Their French property follows French succession law (Code Civil, réserve héréditaire). A British national who owns a French property and has no European will (testament olographe or testament authentique registered with a notaire) may leave their French estate in legal ambiguity. The notaire in France and a UK solicitor handling probate must work in parallel. Families should not wait until after repatriation to appoint a French notaire.

For repatriation guidance, contact our team via our enquiry form or WhatsApp.