Procedure On Death ?

[CharlieH]

What happens when Ferang dies in Thailand, whats the procedure etc ? who needs to be notified etc ? what needs to be done ?

(this is particularly aimed at a UK National)

No wise ar*e remarks please....... not a pleasant task to have to deal with.

[billd766]

I looked into this from my own point of view as I am 67 and trying to plan ahead and I have come up with this.

a) Call the police and get them to check my body and see if it was a natural death.

B ) Get them to take a photograph and write a report.

c) Get a copy of the report then scan it into the computer.

d) Check with them if I should be taken to a hospital and be formally declared dead by a doctor.

e) Check if an autopsy is required (I don't need one done)

f) Get a death certificate. The hospital will tell you where but it is probably the amphur. The forms are in Thai. Scan them into your computer. Somebody else will be bound to want a copy.

g) The police need to tell the UK Embassy but your family should do it as well.

h) You will need a change of clothes put on the body. However, if you bring a change of clothing be sure that the items have buttons or closings that allow it to be put on a stiffening body, Sliding clothing over the head or feet may not work.

i) You will need originals of passport and birth certificate and maybe the marriage certificate to prove you are the next of kin.

j) Arrange with the wat you choose for the cremation.

k) Get the party sorted out with lots of beer and whisky and remember me. Enjoy yourselves.

Remember I will be watching you with love.

l) You will need a translation service in Bangkok to get the Thai paperwork done for the Embassy.

m) Each pension provider will need a translated copy of the death certificate and probably an English copy of the marriage certificate.

n) Probably get them certified.

o) Scan the translations into the computer and make lots of copies.

I do have a bit more information.

Should you need more please PM me.

[lopburi3]

i) You will need originals of passport and birth certificate and maybe the marriage certificate to prove you are the next of kin.

Appreciate the detailed list (obviously made for next of kin and excellent idea). But have one question on the above. This is of the deceased? Not sure many (or any) spouse could have an original birth certificate. I know I have never had one (state certified photo copy is all I have ever had or required anywhere for anything).

[lovelomsak]

I looked into this from my own point of view as I am 67 and trying to plan ahead and I have come up with this.

a) Call the police and get them to check my body and see if it was a natural death.

B ) Get them to take a photograph and write a report.

c) Get a copy of the report then scan it into the computer.

d) Check with them if I should be taken to a hospital and be formally declared dead by a doctor.

e) Check if an autopsy is required (I don't need one done)

f) Get a death certificate. The hospital will tell you where but it is probably the amphur. The forms are in Thai. Scan them into your computer. Somebody else will be bound to want a copy.

g) The police need to tell the UK Embassy but your family should do it as well.

h) You will need a change of clothes put on the body. However, if you bring a change of clothing be sure that the items have buttons or closings that allow it to be put on a stiffening body, Sliding clothing over the head or feet may not work.

i) You will need originals of passport and birth certificate and maybe the marriage certificate to prove you are the next of kin.

j) Arrange with the wat you choose for the cremation.

k) Get the party sorted out with lots of beer and whisky and remember me. Enjoy yourselves.

Remember I will be watching you with love.

l) You will need a translation service in Bangkok to get the Thai paperwork done for the Embassy.

m) Each pension provider will need a translated copy of the death certificate and probably an English copy of the marriage certificate.

n) Probably get them certified.

o) Scan the translations into the computer and make lots of copies.

I do have a bit more information.

Should you need more please PM me.

You gave lots of good info but as a reader of interest I was still lost on how to do many things. But the way you wrote it makes it appear as if the dead person will still be around to deal with his own death.

Who will copy scan and send things for the foreigner, after his death.. Not all of us are married to a Thai.

How do you arrange cremation at a wat?

For me I could care less about the pension people getting their info, my lawyers can take care of that in my home country. Probably easier to do in the home country also.I would like to get cremated and sent home.

So how difficult is it to get cremated and sent home, with a proper death certificate?

Do the people who will be taking care of everything really want to go to all this trouble? Especially if not family.

As far as scanning things into my own computer do you really think anyone will look there for instructions, or forms.

For me I still am wondering what to do and for me also it is needed to know. So please could you expand on this more please.

[evanson]

Just as soon as you've shuffled off your mortal coil the Police will be informed, so hope you have some friends/partner/spouse, one preferably Thai.

They will call at your place of passing, (if not a hospital), wrap you in a sheet hammock style and sling you on the back of a pick up for immediate transportation to local hospital morgue.

First stop after transfer of corpse to local hospital morgue is your local Police Station to issue a document confirming you are really dead. This seems to be a relatively recent thing and came about as so many Thais were taking out Life Insurance and then pretending they'd kicked the bucket in order for family to collect and the pass on to 'undead' relative.

Police document then taken to local Amphur for issuance of Death Certificate, on the spot.

Death Certificate needed to get body released from morgue.

Transfer arranged next day (usually, heat and all) to local Wat for cremation.

All of this will, of course, need to be arranged by someone other than yourself So hope you have some mates.

They don't carry out autopsies here, unless suspected murder, and even then have reservations as to whether they'd bother or not.

Your 'ashes', won't be. Ashes that is. In the West the skeletal structure is ground down for convenience, not so here. So if you really want to go to all the trouble and expense of having your bones packed up and shipped 'home'(why?!), then Up To You.

And no, they most definitely won't bother checking your computer, so better to leave instructions in hard copy with a friend/family member.

Death, if you have not already realised, taken very lightly here. Oh, and make sure you have a nice big framed photo of yourself to hand for the Wat ceremony.

[CharlieH]

Just to clarify for those who have contributed so far, a guy from the UK passed yesterday, he lived in the same village, we were acquainted but not really good friends as only know for a few months he had no family back in the UK that I know of and his Thai wife is at a loss as to what to do about Pensions etc he used to receive, money, bank accounts etc. She has never been out of the village so travelling to the UK to sort anything out is not really an option. He passed away in Hospital within an hour of arriving there and they have taking care of some formalities apparently.

I have never dealt with a death here and was looking for some guidance and info.

Edited October 1, 2011 by CharlieH

[harrry]

Just to clarify for those who have contributed so far, a guy from the UK passed yesterday, he lived in the same village, we were acquainted but not really good friends, he had no family back in the UK that I know of and his Thai wife is at a loss as to what to do about Pensions etc he used to receive, money, bank accounts etc. She has never been out of the village so travelling to the UK to sort anything out is not really an option. He passed away in Hospital within an hour of arriving there and they have taking care of some formalities apparently.

I have never dealt with a death here and was looking for some guidance and info.

First step MUST be contact the embassy. They have an after hours number.

Edited October 1, 2011 by harrry

[chiang mai]

I've given Mrs CM some instructions what to do and the very first thing is for her to get hold of my wallet containing my credit cards and ID, I've heard some shocking accounts over time of credit card and ATM abuse by the authorities in such situations - don't know how accurate such stories are but it's probably worth noting.

[billd766]

Just to clarify for those who have contributed so far, a guy from the UK passed yesterday, he lived in the same village, we were acquainted but not really good friends as only know for a few months he had no family back in the UK that I know of and his Thai wife is at a loss as to what to do about Pensions etc he used to receive, money, bank accounts etc. She has never been out of the village so travelling to the UK to sort anything out is not really an option. He passed away in Hospital within an hour of arriving there and they have taking care of some formalities apparently.

I have never dealt with a death here and was looking for some guidance and info.

I can understand what you are talking about.

My post was in relation to me.

I have a couple of farangs friends and though my wife has been out of the country and speaks English it is not to the level that bureaucrats in the UK would speak.

I have a folder in my computer about my death, who to contact and the numbers, pensions etc, where things are, passport, cards etc, family and friends in the UK.

I spent quite a while setting it and changing things but all any body needs to do is to switch on my pc, look up Bill's death and open the XL file for an idiots guide.

There have been a few posts about this and I urge all farangs to get their death plan sorted out asap.

It is never wasted and can save your Thai family lots of time, money and grief.

If you pensions are paid into an account in the UK that your wife has no access to she CANNOT get any money.

If you have children under 18 and you are a pensioner the UK government will pay towards their education

When your death is registered in the UK your widow gets a GBP 2,000 death benefit grant.

What happens to us when we are dead doesn't matter to us.

It is what we have done for our families in preparation for the event which will count for them the most.

I am not trying to be morbid but if you and I don't do something NOW then who will help our families when they need the help the most.

[cardholder]

The first thing to understand is that a Thai widow is unlikely to have a clue what to do.

Can you imagine your beloved even starting to make a Bereavement Payment claim from DWP ?

[billd766]

The first thing to understand is that a Thai widow is unlikely to have a clue what to do.

Can you imagine your beloved even starting to make a Bereavement Payment claim from DWP ?

That's why I am lucky enough to have a couple of friends to help her and why I have put it all on my laptop plus a back up elsewhere.

While your death is reported to the UK Embassy the death benefit will not be paid unless the DWP is officially informed and has a copy of the death certificate.

There is no legal requirement for the UK to be informed of your death (other than the embassy probably to get your passport back)but no other benefits will be paid unless they are told.

If you know of anyone in the OP's friends position PLEASE try to help them for their surviving families sakes.

[MikeWill]

Is it possible to donate your body to the hospital? How?

[Jebhead]

Nobody has mentioned a will?

JH

[billd766]

Nobody has mentioned a will?

JH

My apologies.

I am trying to get my wife to do one but there are times I feel like King Sisyphus rolling the rock up the hill only to have it roll back down so I have to start all over again.

She made a will a long time ago but it needs updating and she can find a million things to do rather than that and for the life of me I cannot understand why.

[sinbin]

Is it possible to donate your body to the hospital? How?

Go to your local government hospital and fill out the form. When you pop yer clogs the autopsy will be done by them. The partner of the deceased then notifies them of your donation. They then dispose of your body as they see fit. No financial outlay to the next of kin. Job done.

Here in Buriram Province the corpes goes to Khon Kaen. If that's of any interest ? Firstly they must obtain approval from your Embassy. So you should be on ice for about 5 days before your body is released.

[bina]

for those in reverse situations: after having a minor cancer scare (negative results, but a scare), i sat my kids down and explained to them what will have to be done seeing as i am still a kibbutznik and legally jewish, and hubby is a temp. resident foreigner ... who speaks little hebrew and no english, and has the thai personality of 'no knowlege is a good thing" when it comes to beuarocracy... sooo: eldest is most organized and 'official' fo my three (hubby and i have no mutual kids), so eldest is in charge of helping with visa stuff (once i am dead, he has one week to organize and get a tourist visa for a month to organize his stuff and get home to thailand i.e. until and if we ever get his citizenship); eldest also has all bank info, ... the other two kids are to help out in house/stuff organization, practical stuff. eldest is also to organize funeral (no cremations allowed in israel unless u sign up with some society for freedom to cremate and u pay lots), donation of organs, etc since hubby hasnt a clue... i have plot on the kibbutz but if we leave then i have to organize ahead of time for a condo in the ground (as hubby calls our burial sites). we have reverse problem; if hubby dies, he cant be buried almost anywhere since he isnt jewish, and non jewish grave yards are expensive, and he is buddhist and wants to be cremated, so would have to ship him back to thailand i suppose, to family in korat. thai consulate here only helps out when its to do with thai foreign labourers, not someone like hubby who is now temp. resident here.

all pertinent info is scanned in computer in a file... nowadays most next of kin know enough to check out personal files for info...

if i die, and hubby is old and decrepted, then my kids are to take care of him however they can, and if he wants to return to thailand, they are to facilitate that. hubby is worried that since we two dont have mutual kids, there will be no one to take care of him (or us) .... it sincerely worries him.

we own no houses, land, have nothing of value, no stocks, etc; and welfare is a monthly thng , a will is not relavant for us apart from who gets the pots and pans, and who takes care of the dogs.

i made these arrangements thinking that at some point i might be incapacitated and therefore would need eldest to help organize for hubby. hubby doesnt even know what or whom to turn to , and israeli buearucracy is not easy, nor friendly, and hubby's thai dislike of beuarocracy is very strong and his language and arguementation skills are very weak.skills highly needed here to survive.

we should all live to be 100 like 20...

bina

[MikeWill]

Is it possible to donate your body to the hospital? How?

Filling a form in a government hospital.

Is it the same for the organ donation?

Edited October 3, 2011 by Condo_bk

[cardholder]

Nobody has mentioned a will?

JH

My apologies.

I am trying to get my wife to do one but there are times I feel like King Sisyphus rolling the rock up the hill only to have it roll back down so I have to start all over again.

She made a will a long time ago but it needs updating and she can find a million things to do rather than that and for the life of me I cannot understand why.

I imagine that when you know there is a 'next life' there is little point in making provision for leaving the current one.