Death Abroad Checklist UK: Every Document and Step When a British Person Dies in Greece

When a family member dies in Greece, the administrative sequence stretches across two countries, two legal systems, and at least a dozen separate agencies. Missing a single step — an unapostilled document, an unnotified bank, a missed filing deadline — creates delays that compound for months. This checklist covers the full sequence from the first phone call to the final UK probate application.

First 48 Hours — In Greece or From the UK

• Call 112 (or 999 from a UK mobile roaming in Greece — it routes to Greek emergency dispatch) if the death happened outside a hospital
• Contact the travel insurance emergency assistance desk — they appoint a local Greek funeral director and a UK receiving funeral director, and begin managing logistics
• Call the FCDO on +44 20 7008 5000 (24 hours) or the British Embassy in Athens on +30 210 7272 600 to open a consular file
• Do not sign any contract with a local Greek funeral director without written authorisation from the insurer — unauthorised contracts may leave the family liable if the insurer refuses to cover the costs
• Locate the deceased's passport — the Greek civil registry needs the original, uncancelled passport for death registration
• Gather civil status details — the Lixiarcheio requires parents' full names, marital status, and UK residential address for the death certificate

Greek Documents — First Two Weeks

• Greek Death Certificate (Ληξιαρχική Πράξη Θανάτου) from the municipal Lixiarcheio — request three to five certified copies with the blue municipal stamp
• Hague Apostille on each copy — issued by the regional Decentralised Administration office; requires physical submission of the original document
• Certified English Translation — must be done by a translator on the Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs registry, a practising Greek Bar Association lawyer, or an Ionian University translation graduate
• Medical Certificate of Cause of Death from the attending physician or forensic pathologist
• Police report (if the death was accidental or suspicious)
• Body release order from the public prosecutor (if an autopsy was ordered)
• Embalming certificate (required for repatriation — Greek health regulations mandate full embalming before international transport)

Repatriation or Local Disposition

If repatriating the body:

• Confirm the insurer has authorised the Greek funeral director
• Verify the zinc-lined transport coffin meets IATA specifications
• Greek customs apply wax seals to the casket — coordinate airport timing with the funeral director
• Arrange cargo booking on Aegean Airlines or British Airways cargo division
• Allow 8–10 working days for the standard repatriation process after body release; island deaths add 24–48 hours for mainland transfer

If choosing cremation in Greece:

• Register the death at the Lixiarcheio within 60 hours to keep the cremation option open
• Arrange transport to the Ritsona Crematorium in Evia (the only operational facility in Greece)
• Obtain a "no forensic intervention" certificate from the medical examiner
• Provide a notarised next-of-kin consent form or evidence of the deceased's cremation wish
• Ashes can be carried back to the UK in hand luggage (X-ray transparent urn required)

If choosing local burial:

• Understand the three-year exhumation rule — Greek municipal cemeteries exhume remains after three years due to space limits

UK-Side Steps — On Arrival or in Parallel

• Certificate of No Liability to Register — present the apostilled and translated Greek death certificate to the UK registrar in the sub-district where the funeral will take place; they issue this document, which the UK funeral director needs before proceeding
• Tell Us Once — if the deceased was a temporary visitor to Greece (not a permanent expat), register the death with a UK register office and use the DWP Tell Us Once service to notify HMRC, DVLA, Passport Office, and other agencies in a single transaction
• Bank notification — UK banks (NatWest, HSBC, Barclays, etc.) require the apostilled and translated death certificate or a Consular Death Registration Certificate; they will not accept an untranslated Greek document
• HMRC notification — if the deceased had UK income, ask whether a Self Assessment return is needed for the tax year of death; if the deceased was a permanent expatriate, contact HMRC individually rather than relying on Tell Us Once
• Form PA19 + Probate application — submit the apostilled Greek death certificate, certified translation, and Form PA19 to the Probate Registry (HMCTS) alongside the standard probate application
• Greek inheritance tax return — due within 12 months for non-resident heirs; coordinate with a Greek lawyer to run in parallel with UK probate

The Full Guide

The British Person Dies in Greece — Family Emergency Guide expands every item on this checklist into step-by-step instructions with document templates, a coordination timeline, and contact directories for both Greek and UK agencies. It includes printable trackers for the document chain so you can see at a glance which copies are apostilled, translated, and submitted.