What should I do in the event of the death of a relative abroad?
Verified 24 January 2024 - Directorate for Legal and Administrative Information (Prime Minister)
Step-by-step approach
In general, you have to address at the embassy or consulate to obtain assistance in your steps.
Who shall I contact
But if you learn of the death from a travel agency, media or other means, contact the ministry crisis centre of Europe and Foreign Affairs.
Who shall I contact
Please note
if a contract has been signed, consider contacting the assistance organization or insurance company.
You can get help or counseling from the victim support hotline.
Who shall I contact
116 006 - Victim Assistance Number
Listen, inform and advise victims of crime and their families.
By telephone
116,006
Free call
Open 7 days a week from 9am to 7pm
The service can also be accessed by calling the +33 (0)1 80 52 33 76 (Normal pricing number).
By email
victimes@france-victimes.fr
You must report the death to the local registrar, regardless of whether the relative was resident in the country or died while traveling.
One local death certificate is established.
Please note
in rare cases, it is possible to report the death directly to the embassy or consulate of France. Inquire with the consular authority.
Répondez aux questions successives et les réponses s’afficheront automatiquement
Algeria, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Morocco, Monaco, Poland, Switzerland, Tunisia
You must contact the Central Civil Registry Service.
Who shall I contact
Central Civil Registry Service (Scec)
Attention: the Central Civil Registry Service does not welcome any public.
Civil status (birth, marriage or death) of a Frenchman abroad
Only by mail to:
Central Civil Registry Service
11 White House Street
44941 Nantes Cedex 09
You can apply for a civil status certificate through a online service.
For more information, you can:
- Go to diplomatie.gouv.fr
- Call the+33 1 41 86 42 47 Monday to Friday from 9 am to 12 pm and from 1 pm to 4 pm
Free access to video interpretation or instant speech transcription for the deaf or hard of hearing - Email courrier.scec@diplomatie.gouv.fr
The reference to the deceased's death is then added to the deceased's French birth certificate.
The transcription is not mandatory. She's recommended to facilitate certain steps in France (succession, retirement pension, reversion, etc.).
As soon as the transcript is made, you can obtain copies of the death certificate.
Afterwards, you can request a copy of the death certificate at the embassy (or at the French consulate or directly at the central civil registration office in Nantes.
Request for Death Certificate (Overseas) - Free Service
Who shall I contact
Central Civil Registry Service (Scec)
Attention: the Central Civil Registry Service does not welcome any public.
Civil status (birth, marriage or death) of a Frenchman abroad
Only by mail to:
Central Civil Registry Service
11 White House Street
44941 Nantes Cedex 09
You can apply for a civil status certificate through a online service.
For more information, you can:
- Go to diplomatie.gouv.fr
- Call the+33 1 41 86 42 47 Monday to Friday from 9 am to 12 pm and from 1 pm to 4 pm
Free access to video interpretation or instant speech transcription for the deaf or hard of hearing - Email courrier.scec@diplomatie.gouv.fr
Other country
You must contact theEmbassy or Consulate of France.
Who shall I contact
The reference to the deceased's death is then added to the deceased's French birth certificate.
The transcription is not mandatory. She's recommended to facilitate certain steps in France (succession, retirement pension, reversion, etc.).
As soon as the transcript is made, the French Embassy or Consulate will provide you with copies of the death certificate.
Afterwards, you can request a copy of the death certificate from the central civil registration office in Nantes.
Request for Death Certificate (Overseas) - Free Service
Who shall I contact
Central Civil Registry Service (Scec)
Attention: the Central Civil Registry Service does not welcome any public.
Civil status (birth, marriage or death) of a Frenchman abroad
Only by mail to:
Central Civil Registry Service
11 White House Street
44941 Nantes Cedex 09
You can apply for a civil status certificate through a online service.
For more information, you can:
- Go to diplomatie.gouv.fr
- Call the+33 1 41 86 42 47 Monday to Friday from 9 am to 12 pm and from 1 pm to 4 pm
Free access to video interpretation or instant speech transcription for the deaf or hard of hearing - Email courrier.scec@diplomatie.gouv.fr
You can also obtain a copy of the death certificate from the embassy or consulate of France that transcribed the certificate.
Who shall I contact
For the funeral or repatriation of the deceased's body, you can request theassistance from the French Embassy or Consulate.
Who shall I contact
The Embassy or Consulate of France may provide you with the help following:
- Information on the cost of local burial, incineration or repatriation to France
- Indication of the contact details of local or French funeral businesses operating abroad
- Assistance to local funeral directors in case of language problems
The French Embassy or Consulate shall also issue the authorization of transport of bodies or ashes, in case of repatriation.
FYI
Costs (repatriation of remains or ashes, burial on site, etc.) are at the expense of the family.
If you opt for a ash dispersal in the wild in FranceYes, you have to make the declaration.
The situation depends on where the deceased was born.
Répondez aux questions successives et les réponses s’afficheront automatiquement
The deceased was born in France
You must make a statement to the mayor's office the place of birth of the deceased.
A register shall indicate the identity of the deceased, the date and the place where the ash was dispersed.
The deceased was born abroad
You must file the declaration with the Central Civil Registry Service.
Who shall I contact
SCEC - Declaration of ash dispersal in the wild
Central Civil Registry Service
By email
By mail
SCEC
RC/RCA/CIVIL PARTNERSHIPS Section
11 White House Street
44941 Nantes cedex 09
Paragraph 423 et seq
Online service
Service-Public.fr
Service-Public.fr
Service-Public.fr
Service-Public.fr
Service-Public.fr
Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs