Death Certificate may no longer be issued by British Embassy Bangkok

[UniqueWord]

Hi,
Had some interesting news today.  Heard that our wonderful (British) Embassy in BKK is no longer issuing Death Certificates for its Citizens who've had the bad luck to expire in LoS.  Even more unfortunate are the widows who quite possibly may need such Certificates to obtain Benefits world-wide.  Tried searching Home Country Forum for 'Death Certificates from Embassy Bangkok' but no joy.
So I called the Embassy and inquired.  The lady I spoke with, (English-speaking, neutral accent, but not comfortable with it and not native language) confirmed the Embassy does not issue Death Certificates and explained that the procedure is for the Certificate issued by the Hospital or Police in Thai script be used to obtain a certified translation which is then used for any follow-on purposes.  Additionally the Death may be registered with the General Registry Office in UK by using the UK.Gov website (not through the Embassy).  Very specific about the last part, it's all an on-line procedure.  Quite what advantage this bestows wasn't addressed.
The disturbing part is that I have been under the impression for the last 10 years or so that the Embassy did in fact issue such Certificates.  I recall the demise of a Brit in Hua Hin prior to 2010 who was married to one of my wife's many cousins, wherein the cousin had to report the death to BE to get paperwork to have the body released from the Hospital for the Funeral.  At the time I assumed this was a Death Certificate.  Is this another facet of the retreating role the BE is playing in the continued health & welfare of its Citizens in LoS?
Does anyone have information to either corroborate or otherwise?  BTW, tried searching for 'death certificate' on uk.gov website but again no joy.
Cheers, UW.

[swampdonkey]

They  don't issue you a marriage certificate if you get married in Thailand

Why should they issue death certificate.

 

Register a death is on the website gives you all the options you need 

looks very straight forward     

 

No need to panic 

[Fithman]

48 minutes ago, UniqueWord said:

Heard that our wonderful (British) Embassy in BKK is no longer issuing Death Certificates for its Citizens who've had the bad luck to expire in LoS

 

Has the BE ever issued death certificates relating to British Citizens who die in Thailand or anywhere else in the world ? 

Do you also expect the Embassy to conduct post-mortems and determine a cause of death ? 

 

Are you aware of any other countries Embassy issuing death certificates? 

 

The USA Embassy does not seem to provide this service .....................

 

https://th.usembassy.gov/u-s-citizen-services/death-of-a-u-s-citizen/

 

Here is the Gov.UK advice which should be followed in the case of the death abroad of a UK citizen 

 

https://www.gov.uk/after-a-death/death-abroad

[poohy]

BE !

They do bugger all you cant expect them to vaguely  help or be of assistance  to you

[Liquorice]

As far as I am aware, any death of a foreign national or Thai citizen must be reported to the Police within 24 hours.

In the case of a foreign national the Police notify his Embassy.

 

In most cases it is the hospital that will notify the Police

If the cause of death is not suspicious, the body will be released after 2/3 days.

If foul play is suspected this could delay the release of a body.

When a body is released both a civil registry death certificate and a doctors death certificate stating cause of death will be issued.

 

They are issued in Thai, so may require an approved translation if required in their home Country.

In cases of repatriation, Embassies can only assist with appointing an international funeral director and assisting with the required paperwork.

They will also trace and notify your next of kin back in your homeland.

[UniqueWord]

41 minutes ago, swampdonkey said:

They  don't issue you a marriage certificate if you get married in Thailand

Why should they issue death certificate.

 

Register a death is on the website gives you all the options you need 

looks very straight forward     

 

No need to panic 

Yep, thanks for that.  The lady did say that after the death is registered, the General Registry Office in UK could then issue some sort of Certificate for the Death, but I imagine this would be beyond the capabilities of a widow already inundated with tasks associated with the event.

I've had the experience of dealing with GRO and it's not easy!

Can you give a link to the website to which you're referring?  My purpose in pursuing this is to provide my wife with a clear and simple picture of what needs to be done to obtain unimpeachable certification of my death to be provided to the administrators of my Retirement Plan in USA.  This Plan provides for a Survivor Benefit to be paid to my wife in the event of my death.  I know they would definitely accept a document issued by the BE; I'm not so sanguine about a certified translation of a document in Thai Script!   Certified by whom?

Looking at the other replies, it appears that I may have been under a mistaken impression in assuming they (the BE) have issued Death Certificates in the past. Mea Culpa!  But this is what is widely believed among Thai wives I've had the pleasure of knowing...

Cheers, UW.

[samsensam]

 

the procedures currently in place sound workable and fit for purpose. apart from expecting to get what you want on a plate what is your problem?

[Kwasaki]

2 hours ago, swampdonkey said:

They  don't issue you a marriage certificate if you get married in Thailand

Why should they issue death certificate.

 

No need to panic 

 

I got Married in Thailand and have a Marriage Certificate so I have no idea what your quote is based on. 

 

OP a Thai doctor will issue a death certificate. 

[Oxx]

5 hours ago, UniqueWord said:

The lady did say that after the death is registered, the General Registry Office in UK could then issue some sort of Certificate for the Death

 

Indeed it can:  https://www.gov.uk/register-a-death/y/overseas/thailand/same_country

 

However, it costs a pretty outrageous GBP 225.  (Die in the UK and it's free.)

[NanLaew]

8 hours ago, UniqueWord said:

Yep, thanks for that.  The lady did say that after the death is registered, the General Registry Office in UK could then issue some sort of Certificate for the Death, but I imagine this would be beyond the capabilities of a widow already inundated with tasks associated with the event.

I've had the experience of dealing with GRO and it's not easy!

Can you give a link to the website to which you're referring?  My purpose in pursuing this is to provide my wife with a clear and simple picture of what needs to be done to obtain unimpeachable certification of my death to be provided to the administrators of my Retirement Plan in USA.  This Plan provides for a Survivor Benefit to be paid to my wife in the event of my death.  I know they would definitely accept a document issued by the BE; I'm not so sanguine about a certified translation of a document in Thai Script!   Certified by whom?

Looking at the other replies, it appears that I may have been under a mistaken impression in assuming they (the BE) have issued Death Certificates in the past. Mea Culpa!  But this is what is widely believed among Thai wives I've had the pleasure of knowing...

Cheers, UW.

Brit friend of mine expired in a local hospital on a Tuesday, local death certificate obtained the following day and submitted to the British Embassy who issued some type of formal 'release' document on the Friday so the weekend cremation could proceed as planned. This release also enables arrangements for a body to be sent home for interment or cremation if so desired.

 

Since you are a Brit but your retirement plan appears to be issued by a US company probably working to US laws and regulations, you had best direct your request for exactly what is needed to that US company. Chances are whatever the local coroner issues, the British Embassy formalizes and the GRO ultimately registers may be adequate but better make sure. 

[NanLaew]

6 hours ago, Kwasaki said:

 

I got Married in Thailand and have a Marriage Certificate so I have no idea what your quote is based on. 

 

OP a Thai doctor will issue a death certificate. 

But your marriage certificate, like your eventual death certificate, will not have been issued by the embassy of your country. That's the point being made.

[lopburi3]

11 hours ago, Fithman said:

 

Has the BE ever issued death certificates relating to British Citizens who die in Thailand or anywhere else in the world ? 

Do you also expect the Embassy to conduct post-mortems and determine a cause of death ? 

 

Are you aware of any other countries Embassy issuing death certificates? 

 

The USA Embassy does not seem to provide this service .....................

 

https://th.usembassy.gov/u-s-citizen-services/death-of-a-u-s-citizen/

 

Here is the Gov.UK advice which should be followed in the case of the death abroad of a UK citizen 

 

https://www.gov.uk/after-a-death/death-abroad

You seem to have missed a bit on the US Embassy link you provided - the Embassy has always provided a report of death (multi copies) and this is used for US matters.

• Quote

  Send the Consular Report of Death Abroad to the next-of-kin or legal representative for use in settling estate matters in the United States.

   

[evadgib]

1. Next of kin receive a full explanation of current trends as soon as the embassy are notified of a death.

 

2. The OP should note the difference between Govt Dept's, particularly FCO and Home Office. 

 

3. His later scenario is the responsability of will executors who only need apply to GRO if a certified translation is not accepted.

 

HTH

[Fithman]

35 minutes ago, lopburi3 said:

You seem to have missed a bit on the US Embassy link you provided - the Embassy has always provided a report of death (multi copies) and this is used for US matters.

•  

 

You seem to have missed the bit about a Thai Death Certificate being required before that admin document(which is not a "death certificate" can be issued.

[evadgib]

12 hours ago, poohy said:

BE !

They do bugger all you cant expect them to vaguely  help or be of assistance  to you

An oft-peddled myth uttered by the sort that end up @  wireless road on a Monday morning because they failed to read any warnings until 10 mins after their 'Bear trap' snapped shut and then expect miracles...

 

A second category are the ones who hear the above from 'a bloke in a pub'.

[lopburi3]

1 minute ago, Fithman said:

 

You seem to have missed the bit about a Thai Death Certificate being required before that admin document(which is not a "death certificate" can be issued.

Obviously if the death is in Thailand; Thailand issues a death certificate.  I said this document is used for all matters of death in the US - it acts as a death certificate - you do not have to go through any special process with your home government or Embassy to obtain - it will be issued to next of kin automatically.  Use outside of Thailand seems to be what the OP was talking about.

[Kwasaki]

14 hours ago, NanLaew said:

But your marriage certificate, like your eventual death certificate, will not have been issued by the embassy of your country. That's the point being made.

 

I don't see as it matters they still recognized & valid by the UK.

[swampdonkey]

15 minutes ago, Kwasaki said:

 

I don't see as it matters they still recognized & valid by the UK.

 

Yes that is the point.

The British embassy do not need to issue  certificates  you already have 

[al007]

Good stuff, I obviously need to put this in my file read when I am gone

[billd766]

On 06/10/2016 at 0:31 PM, evadgib said:

An oft-peddled myth uttered by the sort that end up @  wireless road on a Monday morning because they failed to read any warnings until 10 mins after their 'Bear trap' snapped shut and then expect miracles...

 

A second category are the ones who hear the above from 'a bloke in a pub'.

 

So what DOES the embassy actually do for British citizens who are living in Thailand.

 

One of the things that they want from the widow is the deceased persons passport but they don't want to issue a UK death certificate.

 

Without a UK death certificate pension authorities will carry on paying the pension.

 

I do understand that is is not the UK embassy which lays down the rules as that is done by the FCO in the UK but the services offered by the embassy are getting fewer year by year and more expensive too.

[steve187]

 

On 10/6/2016 at 7:07 AM, Oxx said:

However, it costs a pretty outrageous GBP 225.  (Die in the UK and it's free.)

 

The British government/embassy rip us off when we are alive, so why change when we are dead

[OJAS]

On 12/5/2016 at 9:06 PM, billd766 said:

Without a UK death certificate pension authorities will carry on paying the pension.

 

Until such time as we State Pensioners living in LOS fail to respond to a DWP request for a Life Certificate, of course - a request which might not be made for several years after we have popped our clogs. Clearly shows the complete barminess and pointlessness of the Life Certificate rigmarole to which we are subject these days, I think!

 

[OJAS]

On 12/5/2016 at 9:08 PM, steve187 said:

 

 

The British government/embassy rip us off when we are alive, so why change when we are dead

 

The dreaded "With-It Tower Passport Renewal Experience" being another classic case in point, of course!

 

However, in fairness to the Embassy here, they are just doing the bidding of their FCO mandarin masters sitting in some ivory tower in Whitehall. That is where the source of all our ills lies, I think.