Cross-border · First steps · Information, not legal advice — as at 19 June 2026
What to do when someone dies abroad
First, look after yourself and your family — almost nothing has to be done immediately. The death is registered where it happened; you’ll gather a few key documents (the death certificate above all); and the legal side of any foreign property or accounts can wait until you’re ready and be handled remotely, in English. There is no clock ticking in the first days, and you don’t have to travel.
We know how overwhelming this is. This is a calm checklist, not a to-do list for today.
In the first days
- The death is registered in the country where the person died. If it happened abroad, the local authorities (and, for many nationalities, the consulate) handle registration; a hospital, care home or funeral director there will usually guide the immediate steps.
- Get several certified copies of the death certificate. It’s the one document everything later depends on. If it’s in another language, keep the original safe — translations can be arranged later.
- You can usually register the death with your home country too (for example, you can usually ask for a British death abroad to be recorded with the UK authorities too), which can make things simpler at home.
- Funeral and repatriation are practical decisions for the family; travel insurance or an existing policy may help with costs.
That is genuinely most of what the early days require. The estate can wait.
When you’re ready — the estate
Once the immediate period has passed, attention turns to the estate: the home, the bank accounts, any pension or policy. If the person owned property or accounts in Portugal, Spain, Italy or France, that country’s own process transfers them — and it can be handled remotely, under a power of attorney, so you never need to travel. The first useful question is simply which country’s law applies and what needs to happen. Telling us what has happened costs nothing: we’ll reply with what the work involves and its fixed fee, before anything starts.
A word on safety
Bereavement is, sadly, a time when scams appear. A genuine lawyer will never message you out of the blue demanding payment or bank details. If anything feels off, stop and check directly using a number you’ve found yourself.
You don’t have to work it out alone
When you’re ready — and only then — tell us what’s happened. We’ll explain, in plain English, what needs to happen with the foreign side, what it will cost as a fixed fee, and what (if anything) is time-sensitive. There’s no obligation, and you’ll know the fee before anything begins.
Three companion guides for the days ahead: the frozen bank account · signing everything from home · how long it all takes.
One reassurance for later: when the legal work does begin, your money stays yours — we never hold client or estate funds. Anything owed to officials, you pay directly, prepared by us. Why we never hold your money →