I want to find out more about the death of my partner, relative or friend abroad
If your partner, relative or friend has died in a foreign country, you may have questions about what happened. Depending on your situation the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ 24/7 Contact Centre can advise you or help you get more information.
In the event of an accident, crime or doubt about the cause of death
If your partner, relative or friend has died in a foreign country as the result of an accident or crime, or if there are doubts about the cause of death, the local authorities will investigate what happened.
The Dutch embassy or consulate is not allowed to investigate the cause of death. However, they can request information from the investigation for you, such as a copy of the medical report, autopsy report or police report. Whether this costs money depends on the country and situation. You will be informed in advance.
Death as a result of illness or a medical condition
If your partner, relative or friend has died in a foreign country as the result of illness or a medical condition, the local authorities will not usually conduct an investigation. So there will not be an autopsy report or police report.
In this case there is not much the Dutch embassy or consulate can do to help you. You can try to get more information in the following ways:
- If your partner, relative or friend has died abroad in a hospital or under the supervision of a doctor, try to get more information via the doctor in question. Bear in mind that doctors have a duty of confidentiality and can’t simply share a patient’s medical details, including after their death.
- If the deceased person’s body has been returned to the Netherlands, try to get more information from the international funeral director that arranged this.
- If the deceased person has been buried or cremated abroad, try to get more information from the local funeral director that arranged the funeral.
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