What to Do When a British Citizen Dies in France: 5-Step Official Checklist

1. 1

   Obtain the Medical Verification of Death and French Medical Death Certificate

   The mandatory first step is to have a physician verify the death and issue the French medical certificate of death (certificat médical de décès, on paper form Cerfa or electronically via the CertDc application), which is required to register the death at the town hall (mairie) and authorise any funeral transport or procedure [1][2]:

   • Death in a hospital, clinic, or care home (EHPAD): The attending hospital or facility doctor issues the certificat médical de décès directly [1][2]. The deceased person's body can remain in the facility's mortuary suite (chambre mortuaire) pending funeral arrangements.
   • Death outside a healthcare facility (private home, hotel, holiday home, or public place): Call the French emergency medical service (SAMU) on 15 (or the European emergency number 112) immediately so that a doctor attends to certify the death and complete the certificate [1]. Once the medical certificate is signed and provided there is no judicial hold, a licensed funeral operator can transfer the body to a funeral home (chambre funéraire) within 48 hours of death [1].
   • Sudden, accidental, or suspicious death (obstacle médico-légal): If the cause of death is unknown, violent, or suspicious, the doctor ticks the medico-legal hold box (obstacle médico-légal) on the medical certificate [1][3]. Law enforcement (National Police or Gendarmerie) and the Public Prosecutor (procureur de la République) then take charge of the investigation (which may include transfer to a forensic institute for an autopsy), and burial, cremation, or repatriation cannot proceed until the prosecutor issues formal judicial burial/removal clearance (permis d'inhumer) [1][3].
2. 2

   Check Insurance Coverage and Appoint a Funeral Director in France and the UK

   Do not attempt to handle prefectural permits or international air freight formalities without a licensed funeral operator. Before signing an estimate (devis) with a funeral company, verify any existing assistance coverage [3]:

   • Travel insurance, medical assistance, or bank card coverage: If your family member was visiting France temporarily or held repatriation insurance, contact the insurer's 24-hour emergency assistance centre immediately before making any financial commitment [3]. The insurer typically appoints the funeral directors in France and the UK directly.
   • Appointing a licensed funeral operator: If no insurance applies, the family appoints a licensed funeral company in France (entreprise de pompes funèbres habilitée) or a UK funeral director working with a French international partner [1][3]. In France, you can locate a licensed professional through the Fédération Nationale du Funéraire (FNF, phone +33 1 55 43 30 00, email [email protected]) [4] or the Fédération Française des Pompes Funèbres (FFPF, phone +33 1 46 60 24 24) [5]. In the United Kingdom, the official directory of the National Association of Funeral Directors (NAFD, phone +44 121 711 1343, email [email protected]) allows you to appoint a UK funeral director to receive the coffin or urn [6].
   • Role of British consular assistance: Contact the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) and the consular services of the British Embassy Paris (24/7 consular assistance on +33 1 44 51 31 00 from within France or +44 20 7008 5000 from the UK) [3]. The British consular network provides a list of English-speaking funeral directors in France, guides the family on local procedures, and cancels the British passport, though it cannot pay for funeral or repatriation costs [3].
3. 3

   Register the Death at the French Town Hall Within 24 Hours and Obtain the Multilingual Extract (Form C)

   Under the official rules published on Service-Public.fr, the death must be declared within 24 hours of medical certification (excluding weekends and public holidays) at the civil status office (service de l'état civil) of the town hall (mairie) of the municipality where the death occurred [1][2]:

   • Who files the declaration: If the death occurred in a hospital, the facility may transmit the declaration directly to the mairie; in practice, families usually authorise their appointed French funeral operator to complete this step [1][2]. You must provide the certificat médical de décès together with the deceased person's British passport (and, if available, their birth or marriage certificate) [1][2].
   • Documents to request from the mairie and the doctor: Request several full certified copies of the French death record (copies intégrales de l'acte de décès) as well as multilingual death certificate extracts (extraits d'acte de décès plurilingues - Form C / Formule C under the 1976 Vienna Convention) [1][3]. Because a French civil death record never states the medical cause of death, also ask the hospital doctor or the physician who certified the death for a separate medical certificate (attestation médicale) stating the cause of death, which UK authorities require for repatriation [3].
4. 4

   Arrange a Local Funeral in France or Repatriation to the United Kingdom

   The person authorised to arrange the funeral (personne ayant qualité pour pourvoir aux funérailles) chooses between a local funeral in France and repatriation to the United Kingdom [1][3]:

   • Option A - Burial or cremation in France: In metropolitan France, burial (inhumation) or cremation (crémation) must take place at least 24 hours and no more than 14 calendar days after death (prefectural extensions may be granted in specific circumstances) [7]. The mayor (maire) of the municipality of death (or cremation) issues the coffin-closing permit (autorisation de fermeture du cercueil) and the burial or cremation permit [7]. If cremation takes place in France followed by transport of the ashes to the UK, the sealed urn travels with the death certificate, the cremation certificate (certificat de crémation), and, where applicable, the prefectural transit permit [3][8].
   • Option B - Repatriating the coffin to the United Kingdom: The French funeral operator applies to the prefecture (préfecture) of the department where the coffin is sealed to obtain the prefectural mortuary transit permit (arrêté préfectoral de laissez-passer mortuaire) [8]. The body undergoes required preservation treatment (soins de conservation) and is placed in a hermetically sealed coffin (with a sealed metal liner and purifying filter) under official supervision prior to air or cross-Channel transport [8].
   • Arrival formalities in the United Kingdom (England and Wales vs Scotland):
     • In England and Wales: Every body repatriated from abroad falls under the jurisdiction of the local Coroner for the district where the funeral will take place [3]. The UK funeral director submits the French death certificate, the medical cause-of-death certificate, and certified translations to the Coroner to obtain the burial or cremation order (Coroner's Order / Form 104 Out-of-England); if the death was violent, unnatural, or unexplained, the Coroner is legally required to open an inquest [3].
     • In Scotland: There is no coroner system. Instead, the Scottish funeral director submits the foreign death certificate and medical documentation to the Death Certification Review Service (DCRS) of Healthcare Improvement Scotland (phone +44 131 623 4300) to obtain authorisation for burial or cremation in Scotland [9], while sudden or suspicious deaths abroad of Scottish residents may be reported to the Procurator Fiscal at the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (phone +44 300 020 3000) [10].
5. 5

   Complete Post-Death Administrative Steps in the United Kingdom and France

   Once the death certificates have been issued, administrative, pension, and estate procedures are divided between the two countries:

   • In the United Kingdom (pensions, tax, and probate): If the deceased was habitually resident in England, Wales, or Scotland and died during a temporary stay in France, the UK government's Tell Us Once service allows you to notify most UK government departments simultaneously (including HMRC, DWP, DVLA, and HM Passport Office) [11]. Conversely, if your relative lived permanently in France, Tell Us Once is not available: you should contact the International Pension Centre of the Department for Work and Pensions directly (phone +44 191 218 7777) regarding the UK State Pension, as well as HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) [11][12]. To administer bank accounts and assets located in the UK, the executor or next of kin applies for a Grant of Probate (or Letters of Administration in England and Wales) or Confirmation (in Scotland) [11].
   • In France (bank accounts, CPAM, and notarial estate settlement): If your relative lived in France or owned assets there, notify French banks (which freeze individual accounts upon receipt of the death certificate), the local health insurance fund (Caisse primaire d'assurance maladie - CPAM, reachable on 3646 within France or +33 1 84 90 36 46 from abroad), and the French tax authorities [1]. Settling an estate that includes real property in France (or where the deceased had their habitual residence in France) requires a French notary (notaire) to draw up the deed of heirship (acte de notoriété) and property transfer certificate (attestation immobilière), with inheritance tax declarations generally due within 6 months (or 12 months if the death occurred outside metropolitan France); you can consult the official directory of the Notaires de France (phone +33 1 44 90 30 00) [13].

Official Authorities & Verified Contacts

Official Sources Checked by Clarvia

1. [1]
   Declaration of death, medical certificate and initial steps (Service-Public.fr) — Direction de l'information légale et administrative (Service-Public.fr)
2. [2]
   Medical certificate of death and declaration at the town hall (mairie) — Service-Public.fr
3. [3]
   What to do when someone dies in France — Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (GOV.UK)
4. [4]
   Contact Us - National Funeral Federation (Fédération Nationale du Funéraire - FNF) — Fédération Nationale du Funéraire
5. [5]
   French Federation of Funeral Directors (Fédération Française des Pompes Funèbres - FFPF) — Fédération Française des Pompes Funèbres
6. [6]
   Contact the National Association of Funeral Directors (NAFD) — National Association of Funeral Directors
7. [7]
   Burial and cremation timeframes in France (14 calendar days) — Service-Public.fr
8. [8]
   Transport of a body or ashes abroad - Prefectural mortuary transit permit (laissez-passer mortuaire) — Services de l'État (Préfecture)
9. [9]
   Deaths abroad and repatriation to Scotland - Death Certification Review Service — Healthcare Improvement Scotland
10. [10]
    Reporting deaths abroad and role of the Procurator Fiscal in Scotland — Scottish Government (mygov.scot)
11. [11]
    What to do after someone dies: Tell Us Once and reporting a death abroad — GOV.UK
12. [12]
    International Pension Centre - Contact and reporting a death — Department for Work and Pensions (GOV.UK)
13. [13]
    Cross-border estate settlement and official directory of French notaries — Conseil supérieur du notariat (Notaires de France)