Urgent Request for Information re Death of British Citizen in Thailand

[Tippaporn]

This is a rather complex situation but I'll try to keep it as simple as possible.  So I'll begin with a brief backstory.

 

My daughter's British biological father passed away this past Saturday.  I've raised the girl, now 12 years old, since birth with her mother.  The father more or less abandoned her but reconnected with us about two months ago.  He was 73 years old with five brain tumors along with another tumor in his shoulder.  He knew his time was short and wanted to make a will leaving his assets to his daughter (she was the only child he had ever had) and his 40ish nephew who resides in Hong Kong.  He passed away before making out his will.  That obviously creates a host of complications.  I'll add, importantly, that in May of last year we were able to get our daughter her first UK passport, so she is a British citizen and her biological father has been recognized.

 

The major complication we face now is that it appears that a long time friend of the deceased has placed himself in a position of confidence with the deceased shortly before he passed on and was given the deceased final requests verbally along with his bank books and ATM cards.  The deceased entrusted this friend to be the executor of his estate.  Again, this was strictly verbal so the friend does not have any legal authority.  My wife had gone to the police today to obtain the official Thai death certificate and also to one of the deceased's banks to alert them and have the current ATM card canceled.  Now, I believe this is mandatory for a bank to do if, as in our case, the ATM cards are in the possession of another who has no legal authority to be in possession of them to protect against potential fraud.  Any confirmation or correction of this would be appreciated.

 

Another complication is that the deceased is currently in a hospital morgue.  In order for the hospital to release the body for the funeral service, given that it's a British citizen, they must first receive documented permission from the British embassy.  Since the deceased's next of kin is a minor then my daughter is not able to do this.  So, the information I'm looking for is what the procedure would be.  And whether or not the mother, who was never married to the deceased, would be able to do this.  And where we would have to go.

 

I've kept the facts to a minimum but if there is other information I need to give in order for someone to guide us properly I will be up quite late tonight to provide it promptly.

 

Thanks in advance and cheers,

 

Tippers

[hotandsticky]

The good news for your 'daughter' is that her father never married his partner.

 

A lot depends what assets there were, and where they are located. For example if there is house in his home country it is a different kettle of fish than having a few thousand Baht in a Thai bank and a 15 year old Honda Click.

 

Google 'Rules of intestacy' in Thailand (and anywhere else there is assets) as a start point. It is likely that any assets in Thailand will require Probate from a local court.

Edited October 7 by hotandsticky

[Tippaporn]

1 minute ago, hotandsticky said:

The good news for your 'daughter' is that her father never married his partner.

 

A lot depends what assets there were, and where they are located. For example if there is house in his home country it is a different kettle of fish than having a few thousand Baht in a Thai bank and a 15 year old Honda Click.

 

Google 'Rules of intestacy' in Thailand (and anywhere else there is assets) as a start point.

 

Thanks.  Will do.  Yes, there certainly is the issue of what assets her father had and where they are located.  I do know he has been in Thailand for 33 and in that time only returned to the UK perhaps once or twice so I doubt he had a house in the UK.

[phetphet]

As far as thje assets in the UK go, if the father never left a will, you might have to contact the Probate Court. 

Sorry that I can't offer any more than that.

[Spamhead]

Hire a solicitor and let them do all the chasing around and asking of questions for you. It's what they are trained and paid for after all.

 

Good luck 

[Gaccha]

I'm an ex English Law lawyer. Your case definitely requires a Thai Probate Lawyer. 

 

I don't know Thai law but there are multiple issues you need to resolve in rapid succession. 

 

Notify the banks of the death and they should automatically freeze the accounts. 

 

Obtain probate for your daughter. 

 

Uncover any details on financial assets. Gain physical control where you can. Look for finance statements,  and search for other evidence on his computer.

 

The daughter is too young to be appointed estate administrator. The biological father's trusted party might dispute your attempt to appoint, for example, yourself, as the estate administrator.

 

Do you know if they intend to act as friendly to your cause? What position has the Hong Kong relative taken? If there is a dispute it will severely delay the court granting probate. But anyone your daughter favours is likely to be granted this power.

 

Without a legitimate will this case may drag out. I don't believe the Hong Kong relative has any right to any of the money. The most distant relatives recognised in Thai Law seem to be grandparents and aunts and uncles, not nephews.

 

Go to a lawyer. This week.

Edited October 7 by Gaccha

[Tippaporn]

I'll continue with some of the other complications we have to deal with and a number of other open questions.

000

We do know that our daughter's father has a UK pension which, I've been told by the suspected fraudster friend, is valued at approximately £11,000.  Now here's where it gets a bit interesting.  The father, whom I'll call George, was fond of his nephew, whom I'll call Charles, who resides in Hong Kong and works in the finance industry.  George, though, had a not so good relationship with Charles' mother.  I believe George had only one sister.  But George was fond enough of his nephew, Charles, that he wanted his assets divided between Charles and his daughter, whom I'll  call Alice.

 

Now there are a number of peculiarities here.  Charles was immediately notified of his uncle's passing yet has declined to fly into Bangkok for the funeral or to help in sorting out his uncle's affairs.  Now George had a quite many friends, some of whom were intimately involved with him in his final months.  Some of them are familiar with Charles and may have even met him.  Yet when any of these friends attempt to contact Charles by phone their calls are not answered.  Similarly, I've received no replies to my emails to Charles the last two days.  The only friend who has been able to have contact with Charles happens to be the suspected fraudster, whom I'll call Edward.  I know this for fact as I've heard from George's other friends about their inability to contact Charles and I happened to be at Edward's house yesterday afternoon whilst he was on a call with Edward.  In fact, Edward passed the phone to Alice and I clearly heard the short conversation which amounted to, "Hello, how are you?"  "Fine."  "Well, I hope to see you sometime soon.  Goodbye."  Of course Charles knew I was present, knew that I had emailed him, but didn't bother to ask to talk with me.

 

Now Edward is promising me that he will be getting power of attorney from Charles and his mother to be the executor of George's estate.  Once he has that authority he will then dole out the funds and cautioned Alice incessantly not to expect any funds from the trust account he would be setting up until she was 21.  Edward has repeated stated to my wife and I that George did not have a lot of money.  Not much more than £10,000 or perhaps a bit more.  In other words, he continually stressed, again and again, that we were not dealing with any large sum of money.  I do, however, know for fact from George's other friends that one of George's Thai bank accounts had a balance of ฿700,000.  Which, granted, is not an overly large sum but neither is it as insignificant as Edward purports it to be.

 

Now is anyone else getting the feeling here that something stinks in Denmark or is it just my fanciful imagination working overtime?  Of course the above details aren't the whole of all of the details.

 

Give all of that, my next question would be what Alice, or her mother, would need to do to be able to recover her father's £11,000 pension.  I'm not a British citizen so I haven't a clue.

[JimTripper]

The embassy may handle who is next of kin to release the body, not you.

 

You don't know anything about the verbal agreement, but that's interesting if someone contacted you. The third party could have stolen the cards for all you know. Does not matter, cards get cancelled/frozen per procedure.

 

Let the system work and don't try to control things. It usually works on it's own in death cases, so you don't need to do much other then inform the relevant agencies.

Edited October 7 by JimTripper

[Tippaporn]

38 minutes ago, phetphet said:

As far as thje assets in the UK go, if the father never left a will, you might have to contact the Probate Court. 

Sorry that I can't offer any more than that.

 

Every bit of information is useful to me so much appreciated.

[mancub]

Have just applied for UK probate (via power of attorney ) on behalf of the Thai widow.

The only remaining UK asset being a bank account, which holding over gbp5000 required it.

If applying from overseas, you can't do it on-line but have to post the application. There is a separate form PA1A for intestacy. If still married at the time of passing, the widow is legally 100% entitled.

Be prepared for a long wait for the probate office to answer your call !

Good luck

[Tippaporn]

19 minutes ago, Spamhead said:

Hire a solicitor and let them do all the chasing around and asking of questions for you. It's what they are trained and paid for after all.

 

Good luck 

 

Do they have them in Thailand and would you have any recommendations or know how to find one?  Any ballpark figure on how much their services cost?

[Tippaporn]

15 minutes ago, Gaccha said:

I'm an ex English Law lawyer. Your case definitely requires a Thai Probate Lawyer. 

 

I don't know Thai law but there are multiple issues you need to resolve in rapid succession. 

 

Notify the banks of the death and they should automatically freeze the accounts. 

 

Obtain probate for your daughter. 

 

Uncover any details on financial assets. Gain physical control where you can. Look for finance statements,  and search for other evidence on his computer.

 

The daughter is too young to be appointed estate administrator. The biological father's trusted party might dispute your attempt to appoint, for example, yourself, as the estate administrator.

 

Do you know if they intend to act as friendly to your cause? What position has the Hong Kong relative taken? If there is a dispute it will severely delay the court granting probate. But anyone your daughter favours is likely to be granted this power.

 

Without a legitimate will this case may drag out. I don't believe the Hong Kong relative has any right to any of the money. The most distant relatives recognised in Thai Law seem to be grandparents and aunts and uncles, not nephews.

 

Go to a lawyer. This week.

 

Your advice to retain a lawyer sounds prudent to me.  Do you have a figure that would be reasonable for a lawyer here?  I'm only asking for a figure because i understand that there are unscrupulous lawyers out there who drastically overcharge.

Our suspected fraudster, Edward, made off with George's computer and mobile phone.  Those devices might prove to be difficult to recover if they are useful to the fraudster or if they contain information the fraudster does not want me to have.  I am certain that all of George's assets are to be found on that laptop as George was known to be meticulously organized ala German fashion.     Does Edward have any legal right to be in possession of these devices if Alice demands that they be given her?

[Foxx]

10 minutes ago, mancub said:

Have just applied for UK probate (via power of attorney ) on behalf of the Thai widow.

The only remaining UK asset being a bank account, which holding over gbp5000 required it.

 

For such a small amount, probate is probably not required.  For example, Nationwide will release up to GBP 50,000 without Grant of Probate or Letters of Administration.

 

https://www.nationwide.co.uk/about-us/information-for-lawyers/deceased-customers/#:~:text=a new window)-,Closure of deceased customers' accounts,-Where the balance

[mancub]

3 minutes ago, Foxx said:

 

For such a small amount, probate is probably not required.  For example, Nationwide will release up to GBP 50,000 without Grant of Probate or Letters of Administration.

 

https://www.nationwide.co.uk/about-us/information-for-lawyers/deceased-customers/#:~:text=a new window)-,Closure of deceased customers' accounts,-Where the balance

HSBC most definitely require it over 5K.

[Tropicalevo]

6 minutes ago, Tippaporn said:

 

Do they have them in Thailand and would you have any recommendations or know how to find one?  Any ballpark figure on how much their services cost?

My wife died suddenly, without a will. She was British.

The law in Thailand is simple - my wife's direct family and I all share any assets.

I do cannot remember if it is equal shares or 50% to her family and 50% to me.

I had her mother and all siblings write letters to the court saying that they wanted nothing from my wife's estate.

They were on call in case the judge wanted to video call them. That would have been interesting as only two of them had smart phones and/or a computer.

Six months later and 35,000 baht bill and I was given judgement for all of my wife's assets. (Everything was in her name - she was ten years younger than me and I was supposed to die first.)

The case was uncontested.

Pick a lawyer in the area where you man died.

I would be concerned if his 'friend' had the pin number, phone and ATM cards.

Get a copy of the death certificate as soon as possible and contact the British embassy. They were brilliant in the case of my wife's death. They will advise you. The daughter may need to be involved.

If said 'friend' has access to the bank - tell the bank about the death and to freeze the accounts. Otherwise do not bother.

Get the cards etc and transfer the money out. That is what I did with my wife's account.

I had access to her on-line banking and phone.

 

Good luck.

The process is slow but straight forward with a good lawyer.

[Tippaporn]

 

26 minutes ago, JimTripper said:

The embassy may handle who is next of kin to release the body, not you.

 

You don't know anything about the verbal agreement, but that's interesting if someone contacted you. The third party could have stolen the cards for all you know. Does not matter, cards get cancelled/frozen per procedure.

 

Yes, freezing the bank accounts is a first critical step.

[Tippaporn]

25 minutes ago, mancub said:

Have just applied for UK probate (via power of attorney ) on behalf of the Thai widow.

The only remaining UK asset being a bank account, which holding over gbp5000 required it.

If applying from overseas, you can't do it on-line but have to post the application. There is a separate form PA1A for intestacy. If still married at the time of passing, the widow is legally 100% entitled.

Be prepared for a long wait for the probate office to answer your call !

Good luck

 

Thanks.  The father, George, has never been married to the mother.  As George has resided in Thailand for 33 years with only one or two return visits back to the UK I would say it's safe to assume that all of his assets, other than his £11,000 pension, are located in Thailand.  Which then, I assume, can be handled here according to Thai law.  I'm only making educated assumptions at this point but I'll soon find out.

[Tippaporn]

49 minutes ago, Gaccha said:

Do you know if they intend to act as friendly to your cause? What position has the Hong Kong relative taken? If there is a dispute it will severely delay the court granting probate. But anyone your daughter favours is likely to be granted this power.

 

Since I assume both George's friend, Edward, and his nephew, Charles, to be suspect then I would have to assume they would not be friendly in relinquishing the control they seek.  As I've said, the Hong Kong nephew, Charles, has not replied to my emails nor does he answer his phone when other of George's friends call him.  He's incommunicado to all but Edward.  The last of your quote I find heartening, though, the fact that any appointment of power would follow the desire of my daughter, Alice.  As, I believe. it should be since she is her father's closest kin.

[mancub]

24 minutes ago, Tippaporn said:

Which then, I assume, can be handled here according to Thai law.  I'm only making educated assumptions at this point but I'll soon find out

Yes that's correct and the court can appoint a lawyer which can be a cheaper option.

My experience, approx 8 weeks to obtain letters of administration and a further 5 weeks for the Thai bank to act on them. 

[Dan O]

22 minutes ago, Tippaporn said:

 

Thanks.  The father, George, has never been married to the mother.  As George has resided in Thailand for 33 years with only one or two return visits back to the UK I would say it's safe to assume that all of his assets, other than his £11,000 pension, are located in Thailand.  Which then, I assume, can be handled here according to Thai law.  I'm only making educated assumptions at this point but I'll soon find out.

You may have a more tagged web than you may realize. If the mother never married to George she has very little standing other than she can stand in as the guardian to the underage daughter. If no one has a will or power of attorney then no one has legal right to direct anything, fraudster or nephew included. If the fraudster friend has the cards, phone and computer the funds may already be gone from the bank so that should be your immediate contact to freeze the accounts. You may need to take the daughter and mother as her guardian to the bank. I would be asking to get a copy of the bank statement to see if money has been withdrawn after death and if it has contact the police and make a report. Same for the UK pension. I don't know how those work but I would contact them and provide the same info about the daughter. The UK embassy may be able to provide info on that. I believe the nephew will also have little standing and can't just appoint himself the executor. A lawyer will advice but I believe the court can\will appoint an executor to oversee the disbursement of funds based on relevance of relationship. Good luck on this

[Tippaporn]

40 minutes ago, Tropicalevo said:

My wife died suddenly, without a will. She was British.

The law in Thailand is simple - my wife's direct family and I all share any assets.

I do cannot remember if it is equal shares or 50% to her family and 50% to me.

I had her mother and all siblings write letters to the court saying that they wanted nothing from my wife's estate.

They were on call in case the judge wanted to video call them. That would have been interesting as only two of them had smart phones and/or a computer.

Six months later and 35,000 baht bill and I was given judgement for all of my wife's assets. (Everything was in her name - she was ten years younger than me and I was supposed to die first.)

The case was uncontested.

Pick a lawyer in the area where you man died.

I would be concerned if his 'friend' had the pin number, phone and ATM cards.

Get a copy of the death certificate as soon as possible and contact the British embassy. They were brilliant in the case of my wife's death. They will advise you. The daughter may need to be involved.

If said 'friend' has access to the bank - tell the bank about the death and to freeze the accounts. Otherwise do not bother.

Get the cards etc and transfer the money out. That is what I did with my wife's account.

I had access to her on-line banking and phone.

 

Good luck.

The process is slow but straight forward with a good lawyer.

 

Yes, my wife has told me the same as far as the division of assets.  50% to the spouse and the remainder to be divided amongst the children.

 

35 ,000 baht for a lawyer seems reasonable and fair.  Can you recommend him?  We are in Samut Prakan and the father was residing in Phra Khanong.

 

We went to the police station today and received the Thai death certificate.  What was the procedure to have your wife's body released from the hospital?  This is our next task which we will try to accomplish tomorrow.  The British embassy must provide the legal document for the hospital's release, correct?  I would imagine that this would be done by the embassy rather quickly as the body cannot remain long term in the morgue.  Do we need to make an appointment to notify the British embassy of his death or can we simply walk in unannounced?

 

We've already notified one bank today and had the account frozen.  We need to do the same for his other bank account tomorrow.

[Gaccha]

55 minutes ago, Tippaporn said:

Do you have a figure that would be reasonable for a lawyer here?  I'm only asking for a figure because i understand that there are unscrupulous lawyers out there who drastically overcharge.

 

I don't know any prices. But you should be prepared for what could be quite a costly matter as the other parties may try to disrupt your daughter's claim. The case could drag on for a long time and involve several different actions by the lawyers. I think you'll just have to accept that this will not go smoothly.

 

Go to 3 law firms and ask them each for their costs and how they think the case will proceed. They should offer this initial interview for free.

 

In regard to possession of the items, this again is very challenging, so it might be wise right now to report the matter to the Thai police. Then it is on record.

 

Have you specifically asked for the computer back? Have you specifically asked for the information on the location of the bank cards etc? Have you asked why he has kept these and has not given them to you?

 

It might be that he really is acting in good faith and believes that means ensuring the Hong Kong relative receives some money before you try to stop it. Or possibly he thinks the oral will-- which I'm sure is invalid-- must be carried out. But it is important to figure out his motives.

 

If he is acting in good faith then he should be prepared to work with you to get the probate done. If he isn't, you must be ruthless to ensure he does not dissipate the funds.

[Tippaporn]

12 minutes ago, mancub said:

42 minutes ago, Tippaporn said:

Which then, I assume, can be handled here according to Thai law.  I'm only making educated assumptions at this point but I'll soon find out

Yes that's correct and the court can appoint a lawyer which can be a cheaper option.

My experience, approx 8 weeks to obtain letters of administration and a further 5 weeks for the Thai bank to act on them. 

 

Why that's cheerful news.  An appointed lawyer would seem a good route to go since I doubt there would be any objection by the father's friend or his nephew in Hong Kong.  His nephew has no interest in attending the funeral so I doubt he would make the trip to try and contest the daughter's sole right to her father's assets.

[Tippaporn]

18 minutes ago, Dan O said:

51 minutes ago, Tippaporn said:

 

Thanks.  The father, George, has never been married to the mother.  As George has resided in Thailand for 33 years with only one or two return visits back to the UK I would say it's safe to assume that all of his assets, other than his £11,000 pension, are located in Thailand.  Which then, I assume, can be handled here according to Thai law.  I'm only making educated assumptions at this point but I'll soon find out.

You may have a more tagged web than you may realize. If the mother never married to George she has very little standing other than she can stand in as the guardian to the underage daughter. If no one has a will or power of attorney then no one has legal right to direct anything, fraudster or nephew included. If the fraudster friend has the cards, phone and computer the funds may already be gone from the bank so that should be your immediate contact to freeze the accounts. You may need to take the daughter and mother as her guardian to the bank. I would be asking to get a copy of the bank statement to see if money has been withdrawn after death and if it has contact the police and make a report. Same for the UK pension. I don't know how those work but I would contact them and provide the same info about the daughter. The UK embassy may be able to provide info on that. I believe the nephew will also have little standing and can't just appoint himself the executor. A lawyer will advice but I believe the court can\will appoint an executor to oversee the disbursement of funds based on relevance of relationship. Good luck on this

 

Another cheery post, thanks.  I take it that the nephew cannot divert the father's pension as he has no legal standing.  That has been a concern so to hear that is a relief.  The fraudster friend has possession of the father's ATM cards, the pin numbers, his laptop, and his mobile.  Can he refuse to turn these over to the daughter?  I would think not for neither does he have any standing.

 

When we get to the UK embassy then I will certainly enquire about how to proceed with the father's pension.

[Tippaporn]

23 minutes ago, Gaccha said:

I don't know any prices. But you should be prepared for what could be quite a costly matter as the other parties may try to disrupt your daughter's claim. The case could drag on for a long time and involve several different actions by the lawyers. I think you'll just have to accept that this will not go smoothly.

 

I'm an incurable optimist.    Granted there's a great deal of effort involved but I fully expect calm seas.  If the father's assets are all in Thailand and therefore this case would be resolved according to Thai law then it appears that the fraudster friend and nephew have zero standing upon which to make claims.  And certainly not without either of them having to retain lawyers in order to contest the daughter's claim.  Personally I doubt they would attempt to go to those lengths if the father's assets are not great enough to offset their risks, costs and efforts.  That's simply my educated assessment given the entirety of the facts that are available to me.  The nephew would have to be willing to travel as well.  Economically speaking, I doubt he would have much to gain.

 

34 minutes ago, Gaccha said:

Go to 3 law firms and ask them each for their costs and how they think the case will proceed. They should offer this initial interview for free.

 

Excellent advi ce.  Thank you.

 

37 minutes ago, Gaccha said:

In regard to possession of the items, this again is very challenging, so it might be wise right now to report the matter to the Thai police. Then it is on record.

 

Asking him first might prove to be the easiest solution.  If he has no legal right to possess them and they are otherwise valueless to him then he may simply willingly give them up to avoid a hassle for paltry items which gain him next to nothing.  It usually comes down to simple economics.  If he refuses to relinquish them then certainly we'll be straight on our way to the police station.

 

43 minutes ago, Gaccha said:

Have you specifically asked for the computer back? Have you specifically asked for the information on the location of the bank cards etc? Have you asked why he has kept these and has not given them to you?

 

Not as yet.  It's only been a few days since the father's passing, everyone involved was new to me, and I knew not whom to trust initially.  Call it the fog of war.  I had to do a lot of listening to many unknown facts given by many people before I could put even the slightest picture together.  But I fully intend to ask for the return of the items in his possession.  I do know that he wasted no time in attempting to clear the father's apartment of it's contents and bring them to his house.  He attempted this yesterday but failed as the building owner required legal documentation which he did not possess.

 

52 minutes ago, Gaccha said:

It might be that he really is acting in good faith and believes that means ensuring the Hong Kong relative receives some money before you try to stop it. Or possibly he thinks the oral will-- which I'm sure is invalid-- must be carried out. But it is important to figure out his motives.

 

I've had a great deal of contact with him over the last two days and he exhibits all the telltales of a con artist.  Everything from the constant repetition of everything to gain my trust, his incessant claims that he wants nothing out of this and is only acting on the requests made to him by the father to the swiftness by which he attempts to gain control over the entirety of his friend's estate.  I am loathe to accuse someone of being nefarious without strong confirmation but given the evidences thus far  it appears unmistakable.  I've experience with too many people in my life who lust for money.

 

1 hour ago, Gaccha said:

If he is acting in good faith then he should be prepared to work with you to get the probate done. If he isn't, you must be ruthless to ensure he does not dissipate the funds.

 

I agree with you wholeheartedly.  He is most definitely trying to work with me and he has let me know in no uncertain terms how he would manage the estate.  No one gets anything without his approval.  He repeated ad nauseum the fact that we are not to expect much at all as the father's estate was paltry.  The repetition was a tell as it was obvious that he was attempting to condition our expectation.  When asked what the father's assets amounted to he would say that it's no one's business as the money is intended only for the daughter and nephew.  If that's not a red flag I don't know what is.

Yes, it's a race now to safeguard the assets.  An ATM allows a maximum 50,000 baht withdrawal per day and he does not have the proper documents to withdraw directly from the bank.  He has the bank books so we are unable to know the balances.  Though we've frozen the main account today we need to present more documentation to the bank to access the account information to view any withdrawals made in the last few days.   And if he has made unauthorized withdrawals then I will hold him to account.

[Tropicalevo]

1 hour ago, Tippaporn said:

 

Yes, my wife has told me the same as far as the division of assets.  50% to the spouse and the remainder to be divided amongst the children.

 

35 ,000 baht for a lawyer seems reasonable and fair.  Can you recommend him?  We are in Samut Prakan and the father was residing in Phra Khanong.

I live on Koh Samui.

This lawyer cannot help. You need a local one. The embassy can provide details of suggested lawyers.

 

1 hour ago, Tippaporn said:

 

We went to the police station today and received the Thai death certificate.  What was the procedure to have your wife's body released from the hospital? 

 

You need to send a copy to the embassy asking the to authorise the release the body to the temple for the cremation.

As a side note - it is cheaper to repatriate the ashes than to bring the body to the UK.

 

The embassy will instruct the hospital to release the body

 

 

This is our next task which we will try to accomplish tomorrow.  The British embassy must provide the legal document for the hospital's release, correct?  I would imagine that this would be done by the embassy rather quickly as the body cannot remain long term in the morgue. 

 

The hospital will be happy to retain the body as long as possible. You pay for the morgue!

 

Do we need to make an appointment to notify the British embassy of his death or can we simply walk in unannounced?

 

I did it all by email. You do not need to go to the embassy unless you want to. As I said, they were very helpful and quick.

My problem was the hospital on a money grab, They hung on to the the body as long as possible. I had to call in a couple of 'influential' people to get them to release the body.

This is on Samui. Where your friend died may b more foreigner friendly.

 

1 hour ago, Tippaporn said:

 

We've already notified one bank today and had the account frozen.  We need to do the same for his other bank account tomorrow.

 

Good luck.

Stressful times

Edited October 7 by Tropicalevo

[Tippaporn]

24 minutes ago, Tropicalevo said:

I live on Koh Samui.

This lawyer cannot help. You need a local one. The embassy can provide details of suggested lawyers.

 

 

I did it all by email. You do not need to go to the embassy unless you want to. As I said, they were very helpful and quick.

My problem was the hospital on a money grab, They hung on to the the body as long as possible. I had to call in a couple of 'influential' people to get them to release the body.

This is on Samui. Where your friend died may b more foreigner friendly.

 

 

Good luck.

Stressful times

 

Thanks for all of the info.  Very helpful.  We're not far from the embassy so we may just go in person.  Only because I'd like to enquire about the father's pension and perhaps they can give us guidance.

 

In any case, I will keep updating this thread to let all know how it works out.  And I may have other questions.  Thanks all for your help thus far.

[norfolkandchance]

I wonder if he's a member on AN.

[Tippaporn]

7 hours ago, norfolkandchance said:

I wonder if he's a member on AN.

 

Always possible but I doubt it's probable.  He doesn't seem the type to spend his time on social media.

[mancub]

Verifying the entitled person's identity, before the bank (HSBC uk) would provide any info re the account, was a real headache. Requiring certified translations etc and a photo ID (essentially a passport), uploaded via an e-mail link on a smartphone. 

HMRC also need to be informed of the passing, otherwise there will be the added complication of overpayments needing to be accounted for after probate is granted.