After an accident or due to illness, a foreigner may unfortunately die in a hospital. When Foreigner’s death in Phuket? What to do after this tragic event? Who shall be contacted and what are the documents needed? We will answer these points below and try to help you when this time arrives.

Who to contact in Thailand?

Acknowledge that you are the person in charge of the De Cujus, after informing your family you shall contact.

Insurance

We never think about this immediately, but if the DeCujus get an Insurance, all the procedures can be simplified and taken in charge, as they might  also help with any medical, legal, interpretation and translation fees.

Your Embassy

Even if your Embassy will contact you after being informed by the Thai Administration, you should contact them and prepare the specific documentation.

Your embassy or consulate will get the exact requirements and documentation needed.

But generally the same process applies for all nationalities and

Your Embassy will issue an official document that is needed for procedure in Thailand or abroad notably for the execution of the inheritage.

An official certified translator.

Some documents need to be translated in Thai and others in the national language of the De Cujus. Moreover, sometimes it needs to be legalized, depending on what is the purpose of the document.

A Thai lawyer

About the inheritance, we can assist you during all the process, in presence of Last Will, or not. Kindly this our article about the said procedure.

Documentation.

The original passport of the De Cujus must be kept by the family member in charge of the procedure.  Several copies of the photo page to get all the details clearly lisible.

The City Morgue will issue a document to declare the death of the foreigner. This is NOT the final certificate of death.The final certificate is issued by the City Hall who provides an Official Death Certificate in the Thai language. This certificate recognizes the death of a foreign national while in Thailand.

The Embassy often required the Passport of the deceased,copies of the final Certificate of Death issued by the City Hall in Thailand ,copies of the official translation of the Official Certificate of Death and the passport or Id card of the person who has authority to make a decision.

The translation by certified translator, the certification by your Embassy, the legalization by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Sometimes, the  Thai administration or the relevant embassy will want to see some documents, like a birth certificate, evidence of family relations, so prepare it.

Procedure

If the hospital, the place of death, is not the morgue of the city, the body will be transported to this place.Morgue authority will contact the relevant embassy to get the compulsory documents to prepare the funerals.

The body will be released from the morgue for the funeral after the relative of the De Cujus is contacted by the relevant embassy.

The relative would advise the responsible embassy to release the body for the funeral into the custody of a local ‘person’ who will organize the funeral. This ‘person’ can be anybody, designated by Last will or not,  who will take the necessary steps for the funeral.

For Cremation, it can take place once the Thai authorities are content that the cause of death has been established or no further examinations on the body need to take place.

If arrangements have not been made within a specific timeframe, usually 30 days, the person who died will be cremated and buried in a ‘paupers’ mass funeral.

After the funeral, the transportation of the body or the ashes to the home country after approval and authorization of your Embassy.

To avoid stress and complications for your relatives, our succession lawyers advise you to organise prevently your will and to write your last wills and testament. Our Notary can afford this service. Your legacy will be advised and assisted when the inevitable time will occur.