When someone dies overseas

What follows is in the order it usually unfolds, as Smartraveller describes it, with the Australian end of the journey at the close.

1. The news

   When the department learns that an Australian has died overseas, it first confirms the death with local authorities, then contacts the police in Australia, who contact the family.

   If you hear first from the media or someone else, contact the nearest Australian embassy, high commission or consulate, or the Consular Emergency Centre on +61 2 6261 3305 from overseas or 1300 555 135 in Australia.

2. Local law comes first

   Local authorities decide how to deal with a death in their country, including legal matters and how the remains are handled. They may need an autopsy before issuing a death certificate. Smartraveller warns that local rules “may not align with the will or religious beliefs of the person who died”, that some places have laws dictating only cremation or only burial, or fixed timeframes, and that “you may need to make decisions quickly.”

3. What falls to the next of kin

   Smartraveller defines next of kin as “a person’s closest living legal or blood relative”. Travelling there is a choice, not a requirement. The tasks that can fall to the next of kin include:

   • paying a fee to the local authorities or a funeral director before the remains are released
   • choosing a funeral director in the country of death
   • choosing a funeral director in Australia as well, when the person is being brought home
   • working with the local police if the death is being investigated.

4. Cremation there, or the journey home

   Bringing someone home “can take several weeks”, longer if there is an autopsy or coronial inquiry, and there are strict quarantine requirements. Funeral directors in both countries can work together.

   Australian Border Force sets out the papers a body must arrive with: a copy of the official death certificate, or else an extract from an official register that records why the person died. Where neither is available, a statement from a medical practitioner that the body shows no sign of communicable disease is accepted. The body must travel in a hermetically sealed container and, once cleared, be moved under the direction of a coroner or funeral director.

   If the person is cremated overseas, the rules are lighter. Border Force says there are no requirements for importing human ashes, only for the container: it should be free of contaminants such as soil, and a wooden container must be declared on arrival. It advises checking with the airline before carrying ashes.

5. A cremation in Australia after a death abroad

   Queensland and Victoria both ask for papers from the place of death. In Queensland, an application to cremate can be supported by a certificate releasing the body, given by a coroner, or someone in an equivalent position, where the death happened. In Victoria, if the death occurred outside the state, an authority to cremate from the coroner, or another person permitted by the law of that place, “may be sufficient” for the cemetery trust to consider; if the trust is unsure of the documents, the applicant is referred to the Department of Health for approval.

6. Insurance, and the registry at home

   If the person had travel insurance, insurers can usually cover costs, give a list of local funeral directors, and arrange a local funeral or the return to Australia. Insurers often have 24-hour helplines.

   Registering the death here as well is optional. A family that would like an Australian record can ask the births, deaths and marriages registry in their own state or territory.

What consular staff can and cannot do

The Consular Emergency Centre can also transfer you to a telephone counsellor.