Advice for families following the death of a British national in the north of Cyprus Prepared by British High Commission Nicosia WWW.GOV.UK Disclaimer: This information is provided by the British Government for the convenience of enquirers, but neither Her Majesty s Government nor any official of the Consulate take any responsibility for the competence or probity of any firm/lawyer on these lists or for the consequence of any legal action initiated or advice given.
Death of British Nationals in the north of Cyprus INTRODUCTION The death of a relative or close friend when overseas can be very difficult to deal with. However, there are organisations and professionals who can help. The following information on the formalities and procedures that must be observed on the death of a British national may prove useful. This information is provided by the British High Commission in Nicosia for the convenience of enquirers. However, neither Her Majesty s Government or any official of the High Commission take any responsibility for the accuracy of the information, for the competency or probity of any organisation mentioned or for the consequence of any action or expenses incurred. The following publications are available from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office website: Death Overseas and Guide for Bereaved Families: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coping-with-death-abroad You can contact the High Commission on 0392 22838761 or 00357 22861100 e-mail consular.enquiries@fco.gov.uk The British Government also provide information that may be of assistance following a death: General - https://www.gov.uk/browse/births-deaths-marriages/death Benefits - https://www.gov.uk/browse/benefits/bereavement Overview - https://www.gov.uk/after-a-death/overview There are currently no facilities for cremation in Cyprus. Consequently, people must be buried on the island or repatriated to the UK (or another country where cremations are allowed) for cremation or burial. Arrangements for funerals are the responsibility primarily of the family, relatives or friends of the deceased. The upkeep and any extension of the British cemeteries is financed entirely from fees paid for the provision of grave spaces. No government or other grants are received. All funeral and burial expenses have to be met from the estate of the deceased.
WHAT TO DO FOLLOWING A DEATH Death at home/outside of the hospital When a death occurs at home or outside of a hospital the Police are always called. An ambulance will more than likely attend and a doctor will also be called out. The deceased will not be taken away by the ambulance and arrangement will need to be made with the local district office (Belediye) to arrange collection. This may not occur until the next morning if the death occurred at night. The deceased will be taken to the local hospital and kept there until the funeral or repatriation. Post mortems normally always take place following a sudden death. If the deceased had been receiving medical treatment and the treating doctor is able to verify the cause of death, there may not be a requirement for a post mortem. Death whilst in hospital If the death occurred whilst being treated in the hospital post mortems do not normally take place unless they are unable to identify the cause of death. Once the cause of death has been verified the doctor will issue a Medical Certificate of Death (Olum Nedenleri Belgesi) See Annex A. Please note this is NOT a Death Certificate. Once the Cause of Death certificate has been obtained, a local funeral can take place. It is not necessary to obtain an official Death Certificate in order to arrange a local funeral. The hospital may issue a Death Certificate for their own purpose but this should not be used before the funeral has taken place. The death certificate should be arranged after the funeral has taken place. Death Certificate If the deceased was not resident or officially working in the north and was declared deceased at the local state hospital, a death certificate can be issued directly by the hospital. This is a very basic photocopied piece of paper that the doctor at the hospital completes. This can be provided in English and an additional copy can be requested at the time of issue. The hospital should stamp the document. see Annex B. Please note that whilst this certificate may be adequate for repatriation you may have difficulties using this in the United Kingdom when dealing with legal matters. It is therefore recommended that you either register with the local authorities, (death certificates available in both English and Turkish), or applying for a British Death Certificate at the Cyprus High Commission. To obtain a British Death Certificate you must initially obtain a local death certificate. Details regarding this can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/register-a-death If the deceased was resident in Cyprus and either had a Kimlik Card (ID Card) or a work or residency permit in their passport a local death registration is required. Once you have the Medical Certificate of Death (Olum Nedenleri Belgesi) you can start the process of obtaining a local death certificate. The forms to register the death can be obtained from any District Office. The District Office Application for Death Registration (see Annex C) must be completed in triplicate. You then need to have these forms signed by the doctor who completed the cause of death certificate and the local muhtar (in the district where the person died). The Muhtar
or Ortakoy usually signs in situations where an autopsy has been necessary, as most autopsies are conducted in Nicosia. Return the completed registration forms to the District Office where the death/autopsy occurred and certificates in both English and Turkish can be provided (example Annex D & E). You may request additional copies. Currently there is no charge for this service. You will also be required to provide your ID, and the passport/id of the deceased and the Medical Certificate of Death.
Obtaining a Death Certificate in the north of Cyprus Where did death occur? Hospital/Clinic Outside hospital/clinic Doctor able to advise COD without post mortem? Police/ambulance/ on-call doctor attend No Yes Can doctor confirm COD? (may contact treating doctor) Post mortem normally undertaken Cause/notification of death paperwork issued No Yes Post mortem normally undertaken Cause/notification of death paperwork issued Deceased held in mortuary until funeral/repatriation Is deceased in a state or other mortuary? Other Local Death Registration Required Deceased will remain at location until hearse collects and takes to local hospital mortuary (this may need to be arranged by family) State Did deceased have a residency/work permit? Yes Obtain death registration forms (3) from District Office Take all forms back to District Office to register the death. (not they will take all the original forms) No Death Certificate can be issued by the State Hospital Complete forms and take to doctor who signed the cause of death form (also require cause of death paper) Take all forms to Muhktar of district where death confirmed Certificates can be obtained in both English and Turkish. You can request additional copies IMPORTANT NOTE: DEATH CERTIFICATES ISSUED BY STATE HOSPITAL ARE SUFFICIENT FOR REPATRIATION HOWEVER MAY NOT BE ACCEPTED IN THE UK. RELATIVES ARE ADVISED TO EITHER FOLLOW THE PROCESS FOR OBTAINING A CERTIFICATE FROM THE DISTRICT OFFICE OR TO APPLY FOR A BRITISH DEATH CERTIFICATE FROM THE HIGH COMMISSION. CREMATION - There are no facilities in Cyprus for cremation.
BURIAL IN CYPRUS Funerals in Cyprus are normally held as quickly as possible after death. This often means within 24-48 hours. It is possible for the body to be kept under refrigeration for longer if necessary however this in not encouraged by the hospital for a long period. The following groups are responsible for the burial of British and Foreign nationals in the north: British Cemetery Committee (Kyrenia) - Mr Harry Fellows 0542 8520236 or (0392) 8252443 or Mr Tim Harris 0533 8452305 (Kyrenia District) - http://www.standrewskyrenia.org/funerals/. British Cemetery Committee (Famagusta) - Ms. Ann Kelly 0533-8607258 (Famagusta District) - http://www.stmarksfamagusta.org/about-us The Foreign Residents Cemetery Committee (Kyrenia) Mr Tommy Rogamo http://tfrnorthcyprus.wordpress.com/home-page/ The Foreign Residents have cemeteries in both Lapta and Alsancak Mrs Sandy Oram (0542 8724291 or 0392 8212307) The committee can arrange all elements of the funeral. They will require the cause of death certificate along with deceased s passport to enable the deceased to be transported from the morgue. IMPORTANT NOTE: Both private and state hospitals do not allow the removal or a deceased person until all medical fees have been paid. In state hospitals payment can only be made in Turkish Lira but this can be done seven days per week between 0800 and 1800. In state hospitals you will need to obtain the medical file of your relative from the ward in which he/she was being treated and take this to the payment booth. Private hospitals have a practice of taking the persons passport/id as security when they are admitted to the hospital. In the state hospital mortuary fees are handled separately from the medical fees and need to be paid at the hospital cash desk, (currently 250tl for an autopsy, 150tl for embalming (for repatriation) and 3tl for each day the deceased remains in the mortuary). Kyrenia British Cemetery Committee includes the mortuary fee in its charges. REPATRIATION If the deceased had insurance it is essential that you initially contact the insurers prior to making any arrangements yourself. If the person who died was an insured tourist the repatriation will most likely take place through the Republic of Cyprus. Generally the insurers will organise everything and normally a death certificate from the north is not required however the cause of death certificate is. This will be given to the funeral directors appointed by the insurance company. When the deceased is transferred to the south a second post mortem normally takes place and a new death certificate issued, often with a different date of death. This is because the authorities in the south do not recognise any documentation from the north and the date of death is deemed to be the day the deceased is transferred to the Republic of Cyprus. A separate list of undertakers is available.
Annex A Cause of Death Certificate
Annex B State Hospital Certificate (adequate for repatriation)
Annex C District Office Application Form for Death Registration (Page 1)
Annex C District Office Application Form for Death Registration (Page 2)
Annex D Death Certificate English
Annex E Death Certificate Turkish