When someone dies in Suriname

If you are dealing with the death of a child, multiple deaths, a suspicious death or a case of murder or manslaughter, call the British High Commission in Guyana +592 226 5881.

Contacting the travel insurance company

If the person who died had insurance, contact their insurance company as soon as possible. Insurance providers may help to cover the cost of repatriation. Repatriation is the process of bringing the body home. Insurance providers may also help with medical, legal, interpretation and translation fees.

If the person who died had insurance, the insurance company will appoint a funeral director both locally and in the UK.

What to do if the person who died didn’t have insurance

If you are not sure whether the person who died had insurance, check with their bank, credit card company or employer.

If the person who died did not have insurance, a relative or a formally appointed representative will usually have to appoint a funeral director and be responsible for all costs. The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) provides a list of UK-based international funeral directors.

The FCDO cannot help with any costs. In some cases, funeral directors and lawyers may provide services on a pro bono basis. Pro bono work is done for free or for a reduced cost, depending on your circumstances. This is decided on a case by case basis.

Charities and organisations that offer support

Some UK-based charities and organisations may be able to provide help and information to people affected by a death abroad. The FCDO provides a list of UK-based charities and organisations.

Registering the death and getting a death certificate

You must register the death in the country where the person died. In Suriname, deaths are registered at the Surinamese Civil Registry. Opening hours are 7am to 3pm, Monday to Friday. It usually takes 3 working days to register a death.

If you appoint a local funeral director to register the death on your behalf, you will also need to give them a ‘letter of authorisation’ stating that you authorise them to act on your behalf. The funeral director will tell you what the letter needs to include.

If the cause of death is natural, a doctor will prepare a death report which will be submitted to the Surinamese Civil Registry (CBB). The official Surinamese death certificate (Overlijdens Akte) will then be issued.

If the cause of death is unknown, unnatural, sudden or violent a pathologist will carry out a post-mortem to determine the cause of death.

Surinamese death certificates are issued in Dutch, and do not show the cause of death.

You do not need to register the death in the UK. The local death certificate can usually be used in the UK for most purposes, including probate.

If you wish, you can register the death with the Overseas Registration Unit (ORU). You can buy a UK-style death certificate, known as a Consular Death Registration certificate. The ORU will send a record to the General Register Office within 12 months.

If the person who died suffered from an infectious condition, such as hepatitis or HIV, you must tell the local authorities, so they can take precautions against infection.

Next of kin

The next of kin for the person who died needs to carry out these legal procedures. Under Surinamese law the next of kin is defined as their married partner or closest living blood relative.

Same-sex partners or spouses are not recognised under Surinamese law, However, if you and your partner have a will stating that you are the next of kin, then you will be allowed to carry out these legal procedures.

If you are not the next of kin, you may need authorisation from that person to register the death or carry out other legal procedures.

Mortuary facilities

There are cold storage facilities in Paramaribo and Nickerie.

There are mortuary facilities at the following hospitals:

• Academisch Ziekenhuis (AZP)
• Stichting’s Lands Hospitaal
• Uitvaartverzorging M.J.Poese (private hospital)
• Sanatam Dharm

Dealing with a local post-mortem

Post-mortems are usually performed when the cause of death is unknown, unnatural, sudden or violent. Post-mortems are carried out by forensic doctors appointed by the court. Cultural or religious sensitivities may not be taken into account. The FCDO cannot stop or interfere with the process.

In Suriname, post-mortems are carried out at the Academic Hospital (AZP).

During a post-mortem, small tissue samples and organs may be removed and retained for testing without the consent of the family. You will not automatically be told if this happens.

The post-mortem report will usually be made available to the next of kin. The report is issued in Dutch.

You will need the post-mortem report to repatriate the body to the UK.

You can ask for a copy of the report by contacting one of the following:

• the British High Commission in Georgetown, Guyana

• the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office in the UK

If you bring the body back to the UK, the UK coroner will automatically assume responsibility and open an inquest. The coroner can investigate the cause of death, and help with translation and interpretation of any medical findings.

Bringing the body home

If the person who died had insurance, find out if their insurance provider can help cover the cost of repatriation. Repatriation is the process of bringing the body home. If so, they will make all the necessary arrangements.

If the person who died is not covered by insurance, you will need to appoint an international funeral director yourself.

Finding an international funeral director

A relative or a formally appointed representative must appoint a UK-based international funeral director for the person who died to be repatriated to the UK. The FCDO provides a list of UK-based international funeral directors.

Local funeral directors will work with UK-based international funeral directors to meet all the necessary requirements both locally and in the UK. This includes providing documents such as a local civil registry death certificate, a certificate of embalming and a certificate giving permission to transfer the remains to the UK.

Advice and financial assistance for repatriation

There are UK organisations and charities that may be able to offer assistance with repatriation.

Requesting a post-mortem in the UK

If you want to have a post-mortem in the UK after the body has been repatriated, you can request one from a UK coroner. The coroner will then decide if a post-mortem is needed. If you want the person who died to be cremated, you need to apply for a certificate from the coroner (form ‘Cremation 6’).

Bringing the ashes home

If you choose local cremation and wish to take the ashes back to the UK yourself, you can usually do this. Check with your airline about specific restrictions or requirements, for example whether you can carry the ashes as hand luggage.

To leave Suriname with human ashes you will need to show:

• the death certificate
• the certificate of cremation
• an export permit from Ministry of Justice and Police

You will also need to fill in a standard customs form when you arrive in the UK.

If it is not possible for you to transport the ashes yourself, a funeral director will be able to make the necessary arrangements. The FCDO provides a list of UK-based international funeral directors.

Burying or cremating the body locally

To have a local burial or cremation, a relative or a formally appointed representative needs to appoint a local funeral director.

The FCDO provides a list of English-speaking funeral directors in Suriname.

The funeral director will be able to explain the local process.

There are crematoriums in Suriname and several places in Suriname where it is possible to cremate the body on a wood pyre.

To cremate a body in Suriname you need:

• authorisation from the pathologist who performed the post-mortem
• the death certificate
• a cremation licence from the Ministry of Justice and Police
• an agent from the Ministry of Justice and Police to attend the cremation
• authorisation from the civil authorities
• authorisation from the next to kin

If a local burial or cremation takes place, there will not be a coroner’s inquest carried out in the UK.

Retrieving belongings

Personal belongings found on the person who died at the time of death are given to the police if the family is not present.

If you choose to repatriate the body, instruct the local funeral director to collect all personal belongings from the police or court and ship them together with the body.

If there is an investigation into the death, clothing may be retained as evidence and will not be returned until the court case is finished.

The FCDO cannot help with the cost of returning personal belongings to the family.

Finding a translator

You may need a translator to help understand information from local authorities or translate certain documents. The FCDO provides a list of English-speaking translators in Suriname.

Finding a lawyer

You can apply to appoint a lawyer in certain circumstances, such as a suspicious death. The FCDO provides a list of English-speaking lawyers in Suriname.

Cancelling a passport

To avoid identity fraud, the passport of the person who died should be cancelled with His Majesty’s Passport Office (HMPO). To do this, you need to complete a D1 form.

If you plan to repatriate the person who died to the UK, you may need their passport to do this. In these circumstances, you should cancel the passport after they have been repatriated.

Checking you have done everything you need to do in the UK

Check this step-by-step guide for when someone dies to make sure you have done everything you need to do in the UK. You can find information on:

• how to tell the government about the death
• UK pensions and benefits
• dealing with the estate of the person who died