What to do if someone dies on holiday

It doesn’t bear thinking about really, you have booked and planned your holiday and are enjoying the fruits of all your hard work, but what happens if your travelling partner dies when you are away on holiday?

If you are overseas with the person when they die, the best advice is to contact the nearest British embassy, High Commission or consulate, who will be able to give you advice on what to do and contact your insurance company as soon as you can.

If you’re on a package holiday, you should tell your representative as soon as you can. Some of the bigger tour operators have welfare teams who will be able to help you with arrangements.

If you are on a cruise, the cruise ship with have a morgue onboard and the bodies of deceased passengers are sensitively unloaded when the cruise ship stops at its next major port. Whichever port country accepts the deceased can then issue a death certificate.

All deaths must be registered in the country where the person died, however, there is more information about how to register a death abroad on our government’s official website.

Funeral arrangements can either be made abroad or the body can be returned to the UK, however repatriation can be expensive so make sure you are aware of all your costs before confirming your arrangement.

You’ll need to be sure you can meet the repatriation and funeral costs or that they’re covered by an insurance policy, as the Foreign and Commonwealth Office will not pay burial, cremation or repatriation expenses.

For more information about what to do if someone dies abroad, please head to www.gov.uk/after-a-death/death-abroad.

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