Bereavement Checklist: UK to India — Every Step After a Death

When you are managing the death of an Indian national in the UK — especially from India — the sheer number of tasks across two countries can feel paralysing. This checklist breaks it into three phases so you can work through it methodically: the first 72 hours, the first two weeks, and the first three months.

Phase 1: The First 72 Hours

These tasks are time-sensitive and must happen in roughly this order:

• [ ] Identify the legal pathway — Was the death in a hospital (bereavement office leads) or sudden/unexplained (coroner investigates)? Scotland uses the Procurator Fiscal instead of a coroner.
• [ ] Call the Indian High Commission emergency line — +44 7768 765035. They advise on consular death registration.
• [ ] Notify the travel insurer or employer — Get a case number assigned. If there is a death-in-service benefit, the employer's HR department triggers it.
• [ ] Appoint a repatriation funeral director — Choose one experienced with UK-to-India transfers. They handle embalming, the zinc-lined coffin, and the cargo booking.
• [ ] Register the death — Within 5 days (England/Wales/NI) or 8 days (Scotland) of the registrar receiving the MCCD. Order 8–12 certified copies.
• [ ] Use the Tell Us Once service — Reports the death to HMRC, DWP, Passport Office, DVLA, and the council in one step. Not available in Northern Ireland.
• [ ] Decide: repatriation or local cremation — Full coffin repatriation costs £3,000–£6,000 and takes 5–10 days. UK cremation plus ashes costs £1,000–£3,000 and takes 3–5 days.

Phase 2: The First Two Weeks

These tasks often run in parallel. The funeral director handles most of the physical logistics while you manage the paperwork:

• [ ] Obtain the Out of England Order — The funeral director gives 4 working days' notice to the coroner and receives Form 103.
• [ ] Submit the death certificate for FCDO apostille — Use an express agent for next-day turnaround (£80–£130). Do NOT use the e-Apostille — it is prohibited for death certificates.
• [ ] Register on the eSewa portal — Upload documents for the HCI consular death registration. Book an in-person appointment.
• [ ] Attend the HCI appointment — Bring all originals. Cancel the deceased's passport. Collect the NOC for mortal remains.
• [ ] Submit the eCARe portal application — Upload the death certificate, embalming certificate, NOC, and cancelled passport at least 48 hours before the cargo arrives at the Indian airport.
• [ ] Book the cargo flight — The funeral director handles this through the airline cargo desk. Confirm the document pouch is complete.
• [ ] Prepare the Indian consignee — The consignee in India signs a notarised affidavit taking responsibility for collecting the remains at the airport.

Phase 3: The First Three Months

Once the immediate crisis is resolved, the estate settlement phase begins. These tasks happen in India:

• [ ] Freeze UK bank accounts — Contact each bank's bereavement team. Request date-of-death valuations.
• [ ] Claim UK small estates — For balances below the bank's threshold (typically £15,000–£25,000), submit a statutory declaration to close accounts without probate.
• [ ] Apply for UK probate (if needed) — For UK assets above the small estate thresholds. Form PA1P (with a will) or PA1A (intestacy). Fee: £300 for estates over £5,000.
• [ ] Claim Indian bank accounts — Nominated accounts: present the apostilled death certificate and nominee ID. For unnominated movable assets within the bank's applicable threshold, provide a Legal Heir or Surviving Member Certificate and indemnity documents. Above that threshold: obtain a Succession Certificate from an Indian court.
• [ ] File EPFO claims — Form 20 (PF balance), Form 10D (family pension), Form 5IF (EDLI insurance). Online via the EPFO portal if Aadhaar is linked.
• [ ] Claim life insurance — File with each Indian insurer's death claims department. IRDAI mandates settlement within 15 days for straightforward claims after the required documents are received.
• [ ] Deactivate Aadhaar — Report through the myAadhaar portal.
• [ ] File the deceased's final tax return — Under Section 159, for the partial year up to the date of death.
• [ ] Surrender the PAN card — Only after the final return is processed. Submit to the jurisdictional Assessing Officer.
• [ ] Execute a new Power of Attorney (if needed) — For a UK-based executor to manage Indian property. Must be notarised, solicitor-certified, and FCDO-apostilled.
• [ ] Mutate property records — File mutation petitions with the local municipal corporation or sub-registrar.

A Printable Version With More Detail

This post covers the high-level sequence. The Indian Dies in the UK guide includes a downloadable, printable checklist with the full document requirements for each step, the exact forms, portal URLs, and the phone numbers you will need along the way.