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

1. 1

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

   • Expected or hospital deaths: In England and Wales, an attending doctor completes the Medical Certificate of Cause of Death (MCCD), which is scrutinized and countersigned by an independent Medical Examiner before being sent electronically to the local Register Office [1]. In Scotland, a doctor issues the Medical Certificate of Cause of Death (Form 11), which may be selected for review by the Healthcare Improvement Scotland Death Certification Review Service (DCRS) [1].
   • Sudden, unexplained, or accidental deaths: If the death occurs unexpectedly outside a hospital, call 999 (or 111 when a death was expected at home). Unexplained, sudden, or accidental deaths are referred to the local Coroner in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland (for example, Inner West London Coroner's Court) or to the Procurator Fiscal (Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service) in Scotland [1][2]. When a Coroner or Procurator Fiscal investigates, civil registration and international release wait until the post-mortem inquiry is completed and the Coroner issues the relevant release certificate or order [1][2].
2. 2

   Insurance Check, Funeral Directors in Both Countries, and Romanian Consular Notification

   • Check travel and repatriation insurance first: Before signing an independent funeral or international transport contract, check whether the deceased held travel, medical-assistance, or employer-sponsored repatriation insurance. Where a policy applies, the insurer's assistance service typically appoints the funeral coordinators directly and covers eligible repatriation expenses.
   • Appointing a UK and Romanian funeral coordinator: If no insurer is managing the transfer, you can appoint a licensed UK funeral director experienced in international repatriation through the National Association of Funeral Directors [3] (or the National Society of Allied and Independent Funeral Directors, SAIF), coordinated with a receiving funeral provider in Romania authorized by the county or Bucharest Public Health Directorate (firmă de servicii funerare autorizată sanitar de Direcția de Sănătate Publică - DSP under Government Decision HG nr. 741/2016 issued by the Romanian Ministry of Health, Ministerul Sănătății). These directories are listed as public-source examples for orientation; Clarvia does not endorse, recommend, or rank providers.
   • Romanian consular notification and role: Contact the competent Romanian consular mission in the United Kingdom, such as the Consulate General of Romania in London (or the Consulates General in Manchester or Edinburgh, operating under Ministerul Afacerilor Externe via the eConsulat.ro portal) [4][5]. The Romanian consular mission issues the mandatory mortuary passport (pașaport mortuar) free of consular fees for repatriating an uncremated body to Romania and processes the transcription of the UK Death Certificate into the Romanian civil registers [4][5][6].
3. 3

   Civil Death Registration in the United Kingdom and Document Recognition for Romania

   • UK civil registration: Once the Medical Examiner or Coroner confirms that registration can proceed, register the death at the local Register Office in the UK district where the death occurred (for example, Westminster Register Office or Manchester Register Office) within 5 days in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, or within 8 days in Scotland [1]. The registrar provides the Certificate for Burial or Cremation (the "green form" for local disposition) and official certified copies of the UK Death Certificate [1][2].
   • Legalization (Apostille) and Romanian civil registration: To be recognized for consular transcription, repatriation, and succession in Romania, the UK Death Certificate (or Coroner's Certificate) must carry a Hague Apostille issued by the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office Legalisation Office [7], accompanied by an authorized translation into Romanian when submitted for civil status transcription [5][6]. Whereas a domestic death occurring inside Romania must be declared within 3 days (or within 48 hours accompanied by a police or prosecutor certificate for violent or suspicious deaths) at the local civil registry (Serviciul Public Comunitar Local de Evidență a Persoanelor - SPCLEP or Primăria of the place of death, coordinated nationally by Direcția Generală pentru Evidența Persoanelor - DGEP) to obtain the Romanian Death Certificate (Certificatul de deces), the Burial/Cremation Permit (Adeverința de înhumare/incinerare), and where needed a multilingual CIEC Form C extract (extras multilingv Formular C) [8], a death occurring in the UK is registered first at the UK Register Office and then transcribed into Romanian civil records either at the Consulate General of Romania in London (or Manchester/Edinburgh) or at the SPCLEP / City Hall of the deceased's last domicile in Romania (for example, Primăria Sectorului 1 București or Primăria Municipiului Cluj-Napoca) [6][8].
4. 4

   Repatriation of Remains or Ashes to Romania vs. Local Burial or Cremation in the United Kingdom

   • Option A - Repatriation of the body or cremated ashes to Romania:
     • UK export clearances: Your UK funeral director obtains the Coroner's Out-of-England Order (Form 104 in England and Wales, or Healthcare Improvement Scotland DCRS clearance in Scotland for repatriated remains), an official Embalming Certificate (Certificat de îmbălsămare), a medical certificate confirming that the deceased did not suffer from a communicable infectious disease (Free from Infection), and confirmation that the body is placed in a hermetically sealed zinc-lined coffin (sicriu de zinc sigilat) conforming to international transport standards [4][5].
     • Romanian mortuary passport (pașaport mortuar) and DSP rules: Under Romanian Law no. 102/2014 and Government Decision HG nr. 741/2016 (under which local Public Health Directorates, Direcția de Sănătate Publică - DSP, regulate sanitary funeral standards and issue mortuary passports for transfers originating in Romania), bringing an uncremated body from the UK into Romania requires a pașaport mortuar issued free of charge by the Consulate General of Romania in London (or Manchester/Edinburgh via Ministerul Afacerilor Externe / eConsulat.ro) [4][5]. The family or authorized funeral director submits the Apostilled UK Death or Coroner's Certificate, the deceased's Romanian identity document or passport, the UK Out-of-England Order, the Embalming Certificate, the non-infectious disease certificate, and the transport route/burial approval [4][5]. If the deceased is cremated in the UK, a pașaport mortuar is not required to transport the sealed cremation urn to Romania, though the Apostilled UK Death Certificate and Cremation Certificate should accompany the urn [4].
   • Option B - Local burial or cremation in the United Kingdom:
     • If the burial or cremation takes place in the UK, the UK funeral director uses the Register Office "green form" (or Coroner's Order for Burial or Cremation Form 6) to arrange the service locally [1][2]. Even when the funeral takes place in the UK, the Apostilled UK Death Certificate should still be transcribed with the Romanian consular mission or local SPCLEP in Romania to update the deceased's Romanian civil status and settle Romanian estate or pension matters [6][8].
5. 5

   Post-Death Notifications, Survivor Benefits, Tax Filings, and Estate Administration in Romania and the United Kingdom

   • United Kingdom notifications, survivor benefits, and probate:
     • Tell Us Once and DWP claims: Use the unique reference number supplied by the UK registrar to complete the Tell Us Once service within 28 days, notifying HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC), the Department for Work and Pensions, HM Passport Office, DVLA, and local council services in one step [2]. Eligible surviving partners under UK State Pension age can apply to the Department for Work and Pensions Bereavement Service for Bereavement Support Payment (ideally within 3 months of the death, and up to 21 months maximum), or contact the International Pension Centre if cross-border UK State Pension contributions apply [9].
     • UK probate: If the deceased held UK real estate or bank accounts above institutional release thresholds, the executor or entitled representative applies to HM Courts and Tribunals Service for a Grant of Probate (or Letters of Administration if there is no will) in England and Wales, or Confirmation via the Sheriff Court in Scotland, after filing any required HMRC Inheritance Tax forms [2].
   • Romania funeral grant, survivor pension, notarial succession, and tax exemption:
     • CNPP funeral grant (ajutor de deces) and survivor pension (pensie de urmaș): If the deceased was insured or a pensioner in the Romanian public pension system (or an eligible dependent family member of an insured person), the person who paid the funeral expenses can apply to the territorial pension house (Casa Teritorială de Pensii, such as Casa de Pensii a Municipiului București, under the national pension authority Casa Națională de Pensii Publice - CNPP) for the Romanian funeral grant (ajutorul de deces), which is paid within 3 working days of submitting the complete application, the Romanian death certificate, and original invoices [10]. Eligible surviving partners and dependent children can also apply to the territorial pension house for a monthly survivor pension (pensia de urmaș) under Law no. 360/2023 [10][11].
     • Notarial succession and 2-year tax exemption: To transfer property, land, or bank accounts in Romania, heirs open the notarial succession procedure (procedura succesorală notarială) before a public notary in the district of the deceased's last domicile or where the main Romanian assets are situated, coordinated through the national notary union (Uniunea Națională a Notarilor Publici din România - UNNPR), to obtain the Certificate of Heir (Certificatul de moștenitor) [12]. Under the Romanian Fiscal Code administered by the National Agency for Fiscal Administration (Agenția Națională de Administrare Fiscală - ANAF), if the succession procedure is completed within 2 years from the date of death, heirs are completely exempt from the 1% inheritance tax on immovable property (if completed after 2 years, a 1% tax applies to the value of the real estate in the estate).

Official Authorities & Verified Contacts

Official Sources Checked by Clarvia

1. [1]
   What to do after someone dies: Register a death — GOV.UK
2. [2]
   Organisations you need to contact and Tell Us Once — GOV.UK
3. [3]
   Find a Funeral Director — National Association of Funeral Directors (NAFD)
4. [4]
   Eliberarea pașaportului mortuar și repatrierea decedaților — Ministerul Afacerilor Externe (MAE)
5. [5]
   Înregistrarea decesului și pașaportul mortuar în Regatul Unit — Ambasada României / Consulatul General al României la Londra (MAE)
6. [6]
   Înscrierea certificatului de deces britanic în registrele de stare civilă române — Ambasada României la Londra (MAE)
7. [7]
   Get your document legalised (Apostille) — GOV.UK - Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office
8. [8]
   Stare civilă - Înregistrarea decesului și transcrierea actelor de stare civilă — Direcția Generală pentru Evidența Persoanelor (MAI)
9. [9]
   Bereavement Support Payment — GOV.UK - Department for Work and Pensions
10. [10]
    Ajutorul de deces - documente necesare și condiții de acordare — Casa de Pensii a Municipiului București (CNPP)
11. [11]
    Pensia de urmaș - condiții de acordare — Casa Județeană de Pensii Brașov (CNPP)
12. [12]
    Procedura succesorală notarială și registrele naționale notariale — Uniunea Națională a Notarilor Publici din România (UNNPR)