The Bureau of Consular Affairs will locate and inform the next-of-kin of the U.S. citizen’s death and provides information on how to make arrangements for local burial or return of the remains to the United States. The disposition of remains is subject to U.S. law, local laws of the country where the individual died, U.S. and foreign customs requirements, and the foreign country facilities, which are often vastly different from those in the United States.
The Bureau of Consular Affairs assists the next-of-kin to convey instructions to the appropriate offices within the foreign country, and provides information to the family on how to transmit the necessary private funds to cover the costs overseas. The Department of State has no funds to assist in the return of remains or ashes of U.S. citizens who die abroad. Upon issuance of a local death certificate, the nearest embassy or consulate may prepare a Consular Report of the Death of an American Abroad. Copies of that report are provided to the next-of-kin or legal representative and may be used in U.S. courts to settle estate matters.
A U.S. consular officer overseas has statutory responsibility for the personal estate of a U.S. citizen who dies abroad if the deceased has no legal representative or next-of-kin in the country where the death occurred, subject to local law. In that situation the consular officer takes possession of personal effects, such as jewelry, personal documents and papers, and clothing.
The officer prepares an inventory of the personal effects and then carries out instructions from the legal representative or next-of-kin concerning the effects. For more information on the Consular Report of the Death of an American Abroad, and other services that a consular officer can help you with when a loved one passes away overseas, see the links below.
Local Resources
For the US consulate to prepare an official US death certificate we will need to the following documents and information:
- Death certificate of the deceased person. This form is a longer form that provides information on cause of death and it is called Death certificate of person who is 28 days or older. (Kuolintodistus 28vrk:n ikäisestä tai vanhemmasta). This form needs to be signed by a doctor. Please, do not mix this with the authorization for burial purpose or in Finnish “hautauslupa”. You do not need to have it translated into English.
- US passport and certificate of Naturalization (if naturalized) of the deceased person.
- Information where and how (urn or in casket) the person is buried.
- Information on next of kin and to whom the US death certificate are mailed to.
Mail everything to:
American Embassy
Consular section/ACS
Itäinen Puistotie 14B
00140 Helsinki
The following documents must accompany the container of the decedent’s ashes if returned back to US:
(1) An official death certificate;
(2) A cremation certificate (a document from a crematory certifying that the deceased was cremated on a specific date);
(3) A certificate from the crematory stating that the container holds only the cremated remains (“cremains”) of the deceased;
If the remains are shipped in a coffin to the US you should contact the American Citizen Service.