A death abroad: the documents, and then the estate

The sequence after a death in another country is unfamiliar to everybody who needs it, and it has to be followed in order. Knowing the order in advance is the only useful preparation.

The immediate steps

1. A local death certificate, issued by the local authority — the document everything else rests on.
2. Notify the consulate of the deceased's country of citizenship. They register the death, can issue their own certificate, and can advise on repatriation.
3. Decide repatriation or local burial. Repatriation is a regulated process with its own documents, and it is expensive; insurance frequently covers it and is frequently not checked.
4. Legalise the death certificate for use in every country where the deceased held assets — the same apostille or consular chain as any other document.

Then the estate

• Which law applies to succession, which may differ for immovable property and for everything else, and may be decided by nationality, domicile or habitual residence.
• Whether a will exists and where, including any locally registered will covering local property.
• A local process in each country where assets sit. Foreign grants of probate are frequently not recognised directly and must be resealed or a local process begun.
• Frozen accounts. Sole-name accounts are typically blocked pending the process, which is the immediate practical crisis for a surviving family.
• Tax. Inheritance or estate tax may be due in a country the deceased had left years earlier, through domicile or long residence rules.

What makes it manageable

• A registered local will covering local property, made while alive.
• An account in the surviving spouse's name, funded.
• A written record of what exists and where — accounts, policies, property, advisers.
• Contact details for a lawyer in each country where assets are held.

Every item on that list takes an afternoon to arrange and removes months from the worst period of a family's life.