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Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) is the UK government department responsible for British nationals abroad, formed in 2020 by the merger of the former Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the Department for International Development. The FCDO operates the network of British embassies, high commissions, and consulates worldwide and is the first point of UK government contact for any British national who dies overseas. [source: gov-uk/death-abroad-2026-05-02.html]

For families dealing with a death abroad, the FCDO consulate or embassy in the country where the death occurred provides:

  • Advice on the local death-registration process and the documentation each country requires.
  • Lists of local funeral directors, lawyers, translators and interpreters.
  • Help contacting the local authorities.
  • Advice on transferring money from friends and family in the UK.
  • The optional consular death registration, for families who want the death recorded in the UK (gov.uk/register-a-death; £150, plus £50 per consular death registration certificate). [source: gov-uk/register-a-death-overseas-2026-09-27.html] [source: gov-uk/consular-services-fees-2026-09-27.html]

What the FCDO cannot do: pay burial, cremation, repatriation or legal costs, or any other debts or expenses (there is no FCDO grant for these); recommend a specific funeral director or lawyer; investigate a death abroad; translate documents or conversations. The FCDO is an advisor and intermediary, not a service provider. For help with costs, gov.uk points to the Funeral Expenses Payment, the Children's Funeral Fund for England and repatriation charities; see When someone dies abroad. [source: gov-uk/what-to-do-when-someone-dies-abroad-2026-09-27.html]

24/7 line: 020 7008 5000 from the UK (+44 20 7008 5000 from abroad). Country-specific consulate numbers are listed at gov.uk/world. For a serious incident, death, hospitalisation, arrest, missing person, call the consular line or the local embassy first; out-of-hours calls are routed to a duty officer. [source: gov-uk/what-to-do-when-someone-dies-abroad-2026-09-27.html] [source: gov-uk/contact-the-fcdo-2026-09-27.html]

→ When someone dies abroad

Last verified: 28 September 2026 against gov.uk/guidance/what-to-do-when-someone-dies-abroad and gov.uk/guidance/contact-the-fcdo.

AfterLoss

Our death abroad guide explains how the FCDO supports families when a death happens overseas, including consular registration and repatriation. An AfterLoss case keeps the foreign certificates, FCDO correspondence, and UK procedural steps together, so the parallel paper trails stay legible to whoever picks the file up next.