What to Do When a Citizen of France Dies in United Kingdom: 5-Step Official Checklist

1. 1

   Obtain Medical Certification of Death and Coroner or Procurator Fiscal Clearance in the United Kingdom

   Civil registration and funeral arrangements cannot proceed until the cause of death is officially certified or cleared by the competent medical or forensic authority in the United Kingdom [1]:

   • Natural deaths in England and Wales (Medical Examiner system): An attending doctor completes the Medical Certificate of Cause of Death (MCCD), which must be independently reviewed and countersigned by an NHS Medical Examiner [1]. The Medical Examiner's office contacts the family or next of kin to explain the cause of death and transmits the countersigned MCCD electronically to the local Register Office (for example, Westminster Register Office in London or Manchester Register Office), after which the 5-day registration window begins [1].
   • Natural deaths in Scotland and Northern Ireland: In Scotland, the attending doctor issues the Medical Certificate of Cause of Death (Form 11), which may be selected for review by Healthcare Improvement Scotland's Death Certification Review Service (DCRS) before registration completes [1]. In Northern Ireland, the doctor issues the MCCD for submission to the district Registration Office [1].
   • Sudden, accidental, or unexplained deaths: If your family member died suddenly outside a hospital, call emergency services on 999 (or NHS 111 where appropriate) so the police can attend [1]. Unexplained, violent, or perioperative deaths are referred to the local Coroner in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, or to the Procurator Fiscal (Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service) in Scotland [1]. If a post-mortem examination or inquest is required, the Coroner or Procurator Fiscal issues interim certificates or direct burial/cremation and transfer authorisations once forensic inquiries conclude [1].
2. 2

   Check Insurance Coverage, Appoint Funeral Coordinators in the United Kingdom and France, and Notify the French Consulate

   Before signing an independent funeral contract, check whether the deceased held travel insurance, bank-card assistance coverage, employer coverage, or a French pre-need funeral or repatriation policy (contrat d'assurance obsèques or assistance rapatriement) [6][7]. If coverage applies, contact the insurer's 24-hour assistance desk immediately, as the insurer normally appoints and pays the international funeral operators directly [6].

   If no insurance policy applies, the family can appoint a licensed funeral director in the United Kingdom alongside a receiving funeral operator in France to manage the cross-border transfer end-to-end [6][10]:

   • Funeral director in the United Kingdom: You can locate an accredited UK funeral director experienced in international repatriation through the National Association of Funeral Directors (phone: +44 121 711 1343; email: [email protected]) or the National Society of Allied and Independent Funeral Directors (SAIF) [10].
   • Receiving funeral operator in France: In France, funeral transport and burial/cremation must be carried out by a prefecturally licensed funeral operator (opérateur funéraire habilité en préfecture), searchable via municipal directories or national federations such as the Fédération Nationale du Funéraire (FNF) and the Fédération Française des Pompes Funèbres (FFPF) [7]. Clarvia provides directory information for orientation only and does not endorse, recommend, or rank specific providers.
   • French consular notification: Notify the Consulat général de France à Londres (phone: +44 20 7073 1200) or the French Consular Section in Edinburgh (if the death occurred in Scotland), operating under the Ministère de l'Europe et des Affaires étrangères (France Diplomatie) [6]. Consular staff provide procedural guidance, verify documents for mortuary transit into France, and transcribe the UK death record into the French civil registry, though the French state cannot pay funeral or repatriation costs [6].
3. 3

   Register the Death in the United Kingdom and Transcribe the Death Record for France

   The death must first be registered with the civil registry in the UK district where the death occurred before it can be recorded in the French civil registry [1][6]:

   • UK Civil Registration (Register Office): Once the Register Office confirms receipt of the MCCD or Coroner's notification, register the death within 5 days in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, or within 8 days at any Registration Office in Scotland (such as Edinburgh City Chambers or Glasgow Registration Office) [1]. Request multiple official certified copies of the UK Death Certificate (Certified Copy of an Entry of Death), as banks, insurers, and French consular authorities require original certificates [1][6].
   • French Consular Transcription vs. Domestic Declaration: Unlike a death occurring inside metropolitan France - which must be declared at the local town hall (mairie du lieu de décès) within 24 hours excluding weekends and public holidays to obtain a French acte de décès intégral or a multilingual CIEC Form C extract under the 1976 Vienna Convention [7] - a death in the United Kingdom is registered locally first and then submitted to the Consulat général de France à Londres for transcription de l'acte de décès [6]. You can apply by post using the consular transcription form, an original UK Death Certificate, proof of the deceased's French nationality (such as a French passport, national identity card, or French birth certificate), and the livret de famille [6].
   • UK Apostille (when required): While the Consulat général de France à Londres accepts original UK Death Certificates directly for consular transcription [6], French notaries or financial institutions handling estate assets prior to transcription may require a Hague Apostille from the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office Legalisation Office (phone: +44 3700 00 22 44) [3].
4. 4

   Coordinate International Repatriation to France or Local Burial/Cremation in the United Kingdom

   Your appointed UK and French funeral directors handle the technical health, coroner, and border clearances depending on whether you select repatriation of the body, transport of cremated ashes, or a local funeral in the United Kingdom [1][6]:

   • Repatriation of the body to France: In England and Wales, the UK funeral director submits notice to the local Coroner to obtain the Out-of-England Order (Form 104), which authorises removal of the body outside England and Wales [1][6]. In Scotland, clearance to move human remains outside Scotland is issued through Healthcare Improvement Scotland's Death Certification Review Service (DCRS) or the Procurator Fiscal [1]. For entry into France under international mortuary transit rules (the Berlin Agreement of 1937 and the Strasbourg Agreement of 1973), the UK funeral director arranges preservation care (soins de conservation / embalming) if required, a medical certificate confirming the absence of contagious infection, and a hermetically sealed coffin with a zinc liner (cercueil hermétique), and obtains the consular mortuary transit permit (laissez-passer mortuaire) via the Consulat général de France à Londres (or prefectural authorisation in France) before air or Eurotunnel transport to the receiving French municipality (such as Paris, Lyon, or Marseille) [6][7].
   • Repatriation of cremated ashes: If cremation takes place in the United Kingdom, the crematorium issues an official Certificate of Cremation [6]. Ashes placed in a sealed urn can be transported to France accompanied by the UK Death Certificate, the Certificate of Cremation, and consular or municipal clearance; under French law, cremated ashes may be placed in a cemetery columbarium, sealed onto a family grave monument, or scattered in a designated space after declaration to the local mairie (keeping ashes permanently in a private residence is not permitted in France) [6][7].
   • Local burial or cremation in the United Kingdom: If the funeral takes place in the United Kingdom, the Register Office (or Coroner/Procurator Fiscal) issues the Certificate for Burial or Cremation (the "Green Form" in England and Wales, or Form 14 in Scotland) directly to the UK funeral director [1].
5. 5

   Complete Post-Death Notifications, Survivor Benefits, Tax Filings, and Estate Administration in Both Countries

   After the funeral or repatriation is underway, administrative and estate steps frequently span both jurisdictions [2][4][7]:

   • United Kingdom notifications, pensions, and probate:
     • If the deceased lived in England, Scotland, or Wales, the registrar provides a unique reference number for the government's Tell Us Once service, which notifies HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC), HM Passport Office, local councils, and state pension services in one step [2]. You can also contact the Department for Work and Pensions Bereavement Service (phone: 0800 151 2012) to report the death and check eligibility for Bereavement Support Payment or Funeral Expenses Payment [2].
     • If the deceased lived in France but received a UK State Pension, notify the International Pension Centre (phone: +44 191 218 7777) directly [5].
     • If the deceased left property, bank accounts, or investments in the United Kingdom above institution thresholds, the executor or entitled representative must apply to HM Courts & Tribunals Service for a Grant of Probate (or Letters of Administration if there is no will) in England and Wales, or apply to the Sheriff Court for Confirmation in Scotland, after submitting any required Inheritance Tax forms to HMRC [4].
   • French social security, survivor pensions, taxes, and succession:
     • Lump-sum death grant (capital décès): If the deceased was employed or insured under the French general social security system shortly before death, eligible priority dependents can claim the capital décès from the Caisse Primaire d'Assurance Maladie (CPAM via Ameli.fr) within 2 years of the date of death [7][8].
     • Survivor pensions (pension de réversion): An eligible surviving married or formerly married partner can apply for a survivor pension under the French basic scheme through L'Assurance Retraite (phone from abroad: +33 9 71 10 39 60) and for supplementary employee survivor benefits via Agirc-Arrco (using the unified online portal on info-retraite.fr or lassuranceretraite.fr) [7][9].
     • French notary and inheritance tax (déclaration de succession): If the deceased was domiciled in France, held real estate in France, or had French estate assets above the statutory threshold, instruct a notary via Notaires de France (Conseil supérieur du notariat) or the Paris Chamber of Notaries (Chambre des Notaires de Paris) [7][11]. The notary checks the central wills registry (Fichier central des dispositions de dernières volontés - FCDDV), drafts the certificate of heirship (acte de notoriété), and prepares the French inheritance tax return (déclaration de succession) for the French tax authorities (Direction générale des Finances publiques - impôts) [7][11]. When a death occurs outside metropolitan France (including in the United Kingdom), the statutory deadline to file the déclaration de succession with the French tax office is 12 months from the date of death (compared to 6 months when the death occurs inside metropolitan France) [7][11].

Official Authorities & Verified Contacts

Official Sources Checked by Clarvia

1. [1]
   Register a death — GOV.UK
2. [2]
   Organisations you need to contact and Tell Us Once after a death — GOV.UK
3. [3]
   Get your document legalised (Apostille) — Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (GOV.UK)
4. [4]
   Applying for probate: Apply for probate — HM Courts & Tribunals Service (GOV.UK)
5. [5]
   International Pension Centre — Department for Work and Pensions (GOV.UK)
6. [6]
   Décès d'un proche à l'étranger et transcription consulaire au Royaume-Uni — Ministère de l'Europe et des Affaires étrangères / Consulat général de France à Londres
7. [7]
   Que faire en cas de décès d'un proche ? — Service-Public.fr
8. [8]
   Capital décès : versement d'une aide aux proches par l'Assurance Maladie — Ameli.fr (Assurance Maladie)
9. [9]
   Demander une pension de réversion — L'Assurance Retraite (CNAV)
10. [10]
    National Association of Funeral Directors (NAFD) — National Association of Funeral Directors
11. [11]
    Le règlement d'une succession et la déclaration de succession — Notaires de France (Chambre des Notaires de Paris)