Funeral Industry News

Repatriation: Possible Fatal Accident Inquiry

June 13, 2023 by No Comments | Category Uncategorized

Where someone who is ordinarily resident in Scotland dies abroad and their body is to be repatriated to Scotland the death must be registered first in the country where it occurred.  The Death Certification Review Service (DCRS) deals with applications for repatriation. DCRS will review the paperwork from the country where the death occurred, the application for repatriation and then authorise the burial or cremation in Scotland.

You may not be aware that if the death abroad meets certain criteria, DCRS has a duty to report the death to the Scottish Fatalities Investigation Unit (SFIU). Reporting a death abroad to SFIU can happen if the death was sudden, suspicious, unexplained or occurred in circumstances giving rise to serious public concern. The Lord Advocate may decide to instruct a Fatal Accident Inquiry (FAI).

If it is necessary to report a death abroad to SFIU, you should be aware that there might be a delay to the repatriation application being approved.

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