Around 1000 Australians die overseas every year, usually through illness or accident.
It’s distressing when a family member or friend dies, but when the death happens overseas this can be even more difficult.
During this time, Consular staff will do what we can to assist you. There are legal and practical limits to our help.
How travel insurers can help
Many Australians travel without enough insurance cover. Without travel insurance, the family is responsible for:
- funeral arrangements
- all costs, including the return of the deceased to Australia
Travel insurance that helps to cover these costs will reduce stress. Make sure your family has travel insurance.
Insurance companies will usually:
- provide a list of funeral directors in the foreign country
- provide advice on local funeral services
- cover costs
- take care of arrangements for a local funeral service or the return of the deceased to Australia
If you can't afford travel insurance, you can't afford to travel. This applies to everyone, no matter how healthy and fit you are. Make sure your family's travel insurance covers hospitalisation and medical treatment, as well as any costs incurred as a result of death.
How DFAT can help
We provide consular services through our headquarters in Canberra, and through Australian embassies, high commissions and consulates overseas. Our knowledge and understanding of the local environment can often help. However, we have to work within the legal and administrative processes of the foreign country.
If we're notified that Australians have died overseas, we can:
- help you to understand the legal and administrative processes that apply in that country
- provide a list of local funeral directors and lawyers
- make the local funeral director aware of Australian quarantine regulations
- give you a list of translators if you can't find an English-speaking funeral service company
- give an estimate of cost for local burial, local cremation or transport back to Australia
- advise on how to transfer funds from Australia to meet any costs
- provide advice on managing media enquiries
We can't:
- recommend a specific funeral director or lawyer
- investigate the death of an Australian citizen
- interpret or translate documents
- give legal advice
- pay for or organise a burial or cremation,
- pay for or organise for the deceased and/or their belongings to return to Australia
- get involved in legal matters
- pay any outstanding debts
Read the Consular Services Charter for what the Australian Government can and can't do to help you overseas.
If your family member dies overseas
Local authorities are required to tell us if an Australian dies overseas. After that happens:
- We'll contact the police in Australia.
- Police will visit the family or next of kin to let them know about the death.
- You don't need to travel to the country unless you wish to.
- Funeral directors in both countries can work together to try to meet your wishes.
If a third party has told us about the death, we will always confirm this with local authorities before notifying the next of kin.
Families can contact our 24-hour Consular Emergency Centre on:
- +61 2 6261 3305 from overseas
- 1300 555 135 in Australia
If your travelling companion dies overseas
You need to report the death of any Australian overseas to the nearest Australian embassy, high commission or consulate.
Tell us your travelling companion's:
- full name and date of birth
- passport number, place and date of issue
- details of an immediate family member or close friend
- travel insurance details
The local police will be involved if the death is unexpected and didn't happen in a hospital. We can help you to notify the local police if required.
For advice, call the 24-hour Consular Emergency Centre:
- +61 2 6261 3305 from overseas
- 1300 555 135 in Australia
The Centre can also transfer you to a Lifeline telephone crisis operator for counselling.
Returning to Australia
We can put you in touch with funeral directors overseas. They will need to work with Australian funeral directors if you wish to return your loved one to Australia. The funeral director will consult you and make every effort to meet the wishes of yourself and that of the decease
In some cases, local conditions may require quick decisions to be made. Local authorities may also require an autopsy before a death certificate can be issued.
Depending on the local regulations, it may take several weeks to bring someone's remains home. This can be longer if there is an autopsy or coronial enquiry needed to determine cause of death.
Do I need to register the death in Australia?
You don't have to register the death in Australia, but you may wish to. The registrar of births, deaths and marriages in your state or territory can help you.
Media reporting on deaths overseas
We'll make every effort to ensure relatives don't first hear about a death from the media. It can't always be prevented.
If you hear of the death from a journalist, call the 24-hour Consular Emergency Centre on:
- +61 2 6261 3305 from overseas
- 1300 555 135 in Australia
We'll try to confirm the death with local authorities, and give you advice on how to manage media enquiries.
Getting help overseas when someone dies
Contact the nearest Australian mission
Contact details for Australian missions overseas are available at dfat.gov.au/missions. This page also lists some Canadian missions that will provide consular assistance to Australians.
Not all countries have an Australian or Canadian presence, but there is usually one in the region. We also have informal arrangements with other consular services to help Australians in need.
For advice, call the 24-hour Consular Emergency Centre:
- +61 2 6261 3305 from overseas
Contact the travel insurance provider
Travel insurance companies often have 24-hour helplines available from anywhere in the world. Contact them as soon as possible after someone has died.
While every care has been taken in preparing this brochure, neither the Australian Government nor its agents or employees, including any member of Australia’s diplomatic and consular staff abroad, can accept liability for any injury, loss or damage arising in respect of any statement contained herein.
Consular Policy Branch
Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, RG Casey Building
John McEwen Crescent
BARTON ACT 0221
Tel. (02) 6261 3305; 1300 555 135
Information for travellers and travel advisories are available from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade’s Smartraveller website smartraveller.gov.au.