Dealing with the Body
When your parent or other relative dies in Thailand, it is a sad and difficult time. This is made even harder if you are not in Thailand at the time of death. TFL can help make this process easy. When someone dies in Thailand, there must be someone come to identify and claim the body. As we discussed in our page on TFL serving as funeral director in Thailand, our lawyers and staff can assist with dealing with the body.
Many people who die in Thailand will pass away in their homes, condos, or apartments. In this case, TFL will need to go to the residence of the deceased and clear all matters with the landlord or building management. In addition, we will need to go to the hospital and medical forensic centre that will perform the autopsy. We must pay for the fees there and claim the body. At that stage, we can arrange the funeral for the person who recently died. Funerals are covered in a separate page on the TFL website.
The work of dealing with the body should be done as soon as possible, in order to preserve the body and have as many options for the funeral as possible. If your family member has died in Thailand, contact TFL to manage dealing with the body.
We have provided some frequently asked questions (FAQ) below along with our answers. Please read these and if you have any further questions, please contact TFL by email, phone, or one of the many other ways to get in touch.
A: Contact us for more details, but the first step is to contact the local police so that they can make a police report. Then, we will need to claim the body within a certain amount of time (usually 30 days, but it can be different), have the autopsy done, process paperwork, and have a funeral or cremation ceremony.
A: If your father was a foreigner (not a Thai citizen) then it is likely the body was sent to Bangkok for the post-mortem / autopsy to be done. We can make a quick call to confirm this as a free service to help.
A: We have seen some instances of people trying to claim benefits from a foreigner who has died in Thailand. It is important to make your rightful and legal claim as next of kin / family member for all processes. Contact TFL and we can make sure this happens.
A: First, we will check where in the process this has gotten. Next, we will follow the steps as funeral director for your uncle, claim the body, have the post-mortem or autopsy done, and then schedule the cremation ceremony in Bangkok.
A: We will follow the duties as funeral director and then schedule a cremation in Koh Samui. Then, we will arrange for the ashes to be flown back to the UK in an urn of your choosing.
A: Yes, TFL is more than happy to speak with you during this sad time. Don’t worry – there is no charge for this. Please contact us by using the information on the contact page of our website.
