When someone dies in Nepal

The death of a relative or a friend can be a traumatic experience. When the death occurs overseas, family and friends in the UK can feel additional distress as they are unfamiliar with foreign procedures and perhaps are unable to communicate in the language of the country where the death occurred.

Consular Directorate of the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office and our Embassy in Kathmandu are ready to help as far as they can. You may be uncertain about what to do next or who to contact for advice. These notes are designed to help you through the practical arrangements you will need to make.

You should be aware that Nepalese procedures may differ to those in the United Kingdom and that, while we understand your need for arrangements to be made quickly, this is not always possible until we have contacted the next of kin and confirmed with them how they wish to proceed.  

If there is a death of a dual British National in Nepal, the passport on which he/she entered the country will lead on all repatriation/consular assistance. Accordingly, to local procedures, that particular Embassy will be responsible to issue all necessary documents for repatriation- even if family request for the other Embassy to lead.   

Autopsies (post mortems) 

An autopsy is mandatory for any individual, irrespective of nationality, who dies due to unnatural causes, in Nepal. In addition, all bodies that are to be repatriated as well as have insurance, should be autopsied and certificates obtained.

Autopsies of foreign national are carried out at the Department of Forensic Medicine, at Institute of Medicine, Kathmandu. This is usually completed within 24 hours after death, provided, all formalities and legal processes have been completed, but it could take longer in some exceptional cases or while recovering the body from remote parts of Nepal.  

During autopsy, organs are examined and any samples required, for further investigations, will be collected. While organ transplants are available in Nepal, at present, the only tissue that is recovered after death, are cornea, provided that the collection occurs within a few hours after death. Under no circumstances, should any organs be removed and retained, without the informed expressed consent of the person who died, or their next of kin.

The person who died is released for burial, cremation or repatriation once the autopsy is completed.  

A death certificate summarising the cause of death is usually available immediately after autopsy. A more detailed report is made available in approximately a week’s time. Reports of further investigations usually take several weeks. At present, there are no charges associated with autopsy facilities. 

Mortuary facilities 

Autopsy facilities for foreign nationals are available only at Department of Forensic Medicine, Institute of Medicine. Storage facilities, for short term storage, are available at most hospitals in Kathmandu. The refrigeration facilities at Department of Forensic Medicine may be used even where burial or repatriation is intended, irrespective of autopsy requirements. The bodies are stored between 0 and minus 4 degrees centigrade, and the standard applied in relation to storage temperature is on a par with UK morgues.  

The charge for refrigeration is NRS 2500 per day. 

With regards to the autopsy as well as refrigeration facilities, the Department of Forensic Medicine can be contacted at  

Office: (+977 – 1) – 4438400 

Mortuary: (+977 – 1) - 4433900  

Repatriation, cremation and burial 

There are 2 international funeral agents based in Kathmandu. These agents are well established and work to UK standards. They are extremely well prepared for the repatriation of foreign nationals from Nepal. Repatriations can normally take place within 1 week or 10 days. Some insurance companies choose to use funeral agents from India. In these cases repatriation can take up to 4 to 5 weeks. The consular section of the British Embassy will ensure that the appropriate documents are provided to the agents in order for the person’s body to pass through customs and immigration. These require a death certificate, issued after autopsy, as well as a certificate of embalming. 

Nepal has a predominantly Hindu population. Cremation is the norm in Nepal, rather than burial. Burial in Nepal is generally only applicable for members of a few communities, including the Muslim community.  

There are crematorium facilities for foreign nationals in Kathmandu, the Consular Section or mortuary staff can arrange this for you. Cremations can be performed using traditional wooden pyres or on electric crematorium. Retrieval of ashes is difficult considering the large amount of wood and straw used in the traditional pyre.  

Hindu cremation can be carried out at Pasphupati temple. Buddhist cremation can be done in at the Swyambhu Temple. These usually cost approximately NPR 5000 – 7000. 

Burial is not common place and standards are not as in the UK. Any service would have to be provided by a local minister if available, not all religions are represented in Nepal. The Consular Section at the British Embassy would assist with this if required.  

Family members, with the assistance of the Consular Section at the British Embassy would complete the appropriate forms at the Aarya Ghat Office.  

Digging of the burial site will take approximately 3 to 4 hours.  

The 24hour contact number for Araya Ghat is 00 977 14492999. 

Funeral Directors Contact Details:  

Registering the death 

A local death certificate, citing the cause of death, will be issued in Nepalese once the autopsy is completed. The Law Book Management Committee (Khanooni Kitab Khana) can translate the death certificate if required.   

Deaths of British nationals overseas are not automatically recorded in the UK Register Office, nor is there any obligation for the death overseas of a British national to be registered with the British Embassy. However, next of kin may find that there are advantages in doing so: a British form of death certificate is then available, and a record of the death is afterwards held at the General Register Office in the UK. 

To apply from within the UK, you should complete the necessary paperwork and send it to: 

If you are applying from Nepal, you will need the following documents to register the death at the British Embassy in Nepal. 

• doctor’s/hospital report detailing the cause of death

• passport of the person who died

• evidence of the person who died’s claim to British nationality: full length (A4) British birth certificate or certificate of naturalisation or registration as a British National

• completed death registration form

Toxicology reports 

If families require toxicology reports, this can be obtained by making a request with the Teaching Hospital, Department of Forensic Medicine. Please be aware that toxicology reports in Nepal can take over 1 to 2 years to be ready. The British Embassy can help the families to officially make a request to obtain this report and regularly follow up on the status of the report with the authorities. 

Return of personal effects

Personal effects are normally returned to next of kin, or their authorised representative, without any formalities. If personal effects need to be returned to the UK and next of kin are not present in Nepal, the Embassy can assist with making arrangements by commercial means, though this must be funded by the insurance company or family/friends.  

Police/judicial inquiries 

In the case of suspicious death or a road traffic accident, the Police (or the Traffic Police, as appropriate) in the district in which the death occurred will lead an investigation. Once the investigation is complete, and if a suspect is apprehended or a vehicle driver is believed to be responsible, a report is prepared and passed to the Prosecutor. At this point the victim’s family are entitled to take a copy of the report and to comment on it if they wish.  

The Prosecutor will then decide whether further enquiries are necessary, or whether to submit the case to the Court for a trial to take place. This can be a lengthy process and subject to delay and postponement. After the Judge has reached a verdict (there is no trial by jury in Nepal), there is a period of 70 days in which an appeal can be submitted to the Court of First Instance. If the matter can’t be resolved within 70 days this may be further extended for a further period of 30 days by the courts.  

UK coroners 

When a body is repatriated to England or Wales, a coroner will hold an inquest only if the death was violent or unnatural, or if the death was sudden and the cause unknown. In some countries the cause of death is not given on the death certificate, and coroners do not generally have access to judicial files from other countries. Consequently, coroners may order a post-mortem as part of the inquest.  

Coroners can request copies of postmortem and police reports from the Nepalese authorities via the FCDO in London. In some instances, this can take several weeks.  

In Scotland, the Scottish Executive is the responsible authority. However, they are not obliged to hold an inquest into cause of death. Coroners in Northern Ireland are also not obliged to hold an inquest into cause of death. However, next of kin can apply for a judicial review if no inquest is held.  

Compensation 

There are no formal government compensation schemes available, although damages can be claimed from the accused, and a decision will be made by the Judge when the case is heard. 

Undertakers in Nepal who have experience of repatriating bodies to the UK: 

Legal aid 

Legal aid is not available in Nepal. 

The information contained in this document is not meant to be a definitive statement of the law, nor is it to be taken as a substitute for independent legal advice. August 2026