When someone dies in Sierra Leone
Source: gov.uk (2025-07-02)

The process when a British national dies in Sierra Leone, including registering the death, funerals and cremations, and bringing the person’s body to the UK.

Contacting the insurance company

If the person who died had insurance, contact their insurance company as soon as possible. Read the general guidance on what to do when someone dies abroad (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/what-to-do-after-a-british-national-dies-abroad) if you’re not sure if they had insurance.

The insurance company should appoint a funeral director in Sierra Leone and the UK. They may also cover the cost of bringing the person’s body to the UK (repatriation) and help with any medical, legal, interpretation and translation fees.

Registering the death

Once a death has been confirmed, a doctor in Sierra Leone issues a ‘Medical Certificate of Cause of Death’ - this is not the same as a death certificate. The death must be registered at the local Sierra Leone registry office to obtain a death certificate. Your funeral director can normally do this for you.

You will need information and documents about the person who has died, including their:
- birth certificate, showing their place of birth and parents’ names
- religion
- nationality (and local tribe, if of Sierra Leonean ancestry)
- official identity document (for example their British passport)
Getting a death certificate

After registering the death, you will get a death certificate. All official documents in Sierra Leone are issued in English. Death certificates do not give the cause of death.

The authorities in Sierra Leone frequently make errors on death certificates, particularly in the spelling of names. You should carefully check any Sierra Leone death certificate to ensure that all information is spelt correctly.

Post-mortems in Sierra Leone

A post-mortem is a medical examination of the body. There might be a post-mortem in Sierra Leone where the police believe a death is suspicious, or when the doctor, or family, wish to find the cause of death, in which case a written request must be made to the mortuary. In all cases, families can receive a copy of the autopsy results, although these may take several months to be issued.

If organs are removed, they will normally be returned before the person’s body is released for burial. Sierra Leone does not retain organs of the deceased. Sierra Leone’s medical facilities are not equipped to perform organ transplants.

Sierra Leone’s main mortuary is located at Connaught Government Hospital in central Freetown. There is currently only one pathologist in Sierra Leone who is based at Connaught Hospital mortuary.

Medical and mortuary facilities in Sierra Leone are very poor. Overcrowding as well as erratic electricity supply tend to hinder preservation. Embalming is possible in the capital, Freetown, but standards are lower than that in the UK.

Hospital facilities outside of Freetown do not have regular electricity supply and facilities are extremely limited. If a death has occurred outside of Freetown, it is important to move the remains to the mortuary in Freetown as soon as possible.

There is no standard price for a post-mortem. The price for foreign nationals is far higher than for Sierra Leonean nationals. We recommend you ask the funeral home/undertaker to help you liaise with the mortuary and agree the costs. Funeral homes report that the average cost of a post-mortem for a foreign national is around 2,500 USD although some individuals have been known to pay more than this.

Burying or cremating the body in Sierra Leone

You need a local funeral director (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/sierra-leone-list-of-funeral-directors) to arrange a burial or cremation in Sierra Leone. Sierra Leone is a predominantly Muslim country, but Christian funerals can be arranged in accordance with local laws - your funeral director can give you advice on this.

Cremation is also an option in Sierra Leone, but official government authority must be granted. Cremations take place in an open area in a cemetery upon a funeral pyre, rather than in enclosed facilities as you might find in the UK.

There is only one crematorium in Freetown, which is connected to a Hindu temple. There is no official fee for the service, but the temple requests that you make some form of donation.

To arrange a cremation, family members, or the funeral home on their behalf, must submit an application to the Ministry of Health marked for the attention of the Director General of Medical Services, and provide a copy to the office of the City Council.

You should not have the person cremated abroad if you want a coroner in England and Wales to conduct an inquest into their death.

Bringing the body to the UK

According to Sierra Leone law, all repatriations must be carried out by a funeral home. Ask your funeral director about options for bringing the person’s body to the UK from Seirra Leone. The funeral home will deal with all the administration and arrangements in partnership with a UK-based or international funeral director, or travel insurance company.

You should be aware that currently only one commercial airline operating from Sierra Leone (Brussels Airlines) repatriates human remains. Their limited flight schedule means that repatriation can take several weeks.

When taking the person’s body to the UK from Sierra Leone you will need to:
- show the death certificate
- get permission to remove the person’s body, issued by a coroner
- show the passport of the person who has died
- a ‘Letter of No Objection’ provided by the British High Commission
Bringing the ashes to the UK

Ask your funeral director about the rules for bringing ashes to the UK.

Bringing the ashes to the UK yourself

If you are taking the ashes with you when you leave Sierra Leone, you will need to:
- show the death certificate
- show the cremation certificate
- follow local Sierra Leonean regulations about leaving Sierra Leone with ashes - your funeral director can give you more information
- tell the airline in advance
Arranging for the ashes to be taken to the UK

Ask your funeral director for advice if you cannot take the ashes yourself. You may not be able to send them by post or courier. Ashes can be shipped by air freight, although this can be expensive.

Getting the person’s belongings back

Belongings the person had with them when they died are normally given to you or to the Sierra Leone Police (SLP). Belongings may be kept as evidence if there is an investigation into the death. This will only be returned when the court case is over.

Finding a Sierra Leone lawyer

You may need a lawyer to help you understand the Sierra Leone legal system when someone has died. Check English-speaking lawyers in Sierra Leone (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/sierra-leone-list-of-lawyers). The British High Commission in Sierra Leone cannot give you legal advice or pay for legal costs.

Telling the UK authorities

Although you do not have to register the death in the UK, when someone dies abroad you still need to tell the UK authorities. Read general guidance on what to do when someone dies abroad (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/what-to-do-after-a-british-national-dies-abroad) to find out what to do.

Contacting the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO)

You can contact the FCDO if you still need advice:
- in the UK call xx-xxxx-xxxx
- see how to get help from the UK government abroad (https://www.contact.service.csd.fcdo.gov.uk/posts/ghana/british-high-commission-accra)