What To Do After Passing Away in South Korea?

The following procedures should be followed in order to have a person repatriated to their home country:

In the event of a death in South Korea, the local hospital should be contacted to get a Death Certificate (Sa Mang Jin Dan Seo) from the doctors. If the death is related to an accident or crime, the local police station should be contacted to get an Autopsy Certificate (Si Chae Geom An Seo). The certificates are issued only to the family or relatives of the deceased. One of these certificates should be provided when registering the death.

1. Registering a Death

For foreigners in possession of a registration card, the family or relatives should contact their national embassy immediately and report the death to their district or local office (Gu office or Dong Sa Mu So) within one month. For those who are not registered as residents in South Korea, their family members should contact their national embassy immediately. The embassy assists with all the relevant legal paperwork on registering the death and repatriation of the body.

2. Repatriation of a Foreigner

The following documents are needed for repatriation of a body:

    Death certificate or autopsy certificate
    Confirmation of death issued by the deceased's national embassy
    Certificate of embalming
    Certificate of quarantine issued in Incheon National Airport Quarantine Office
    Passport of the deceased

For transporting ashes, the following documents are needed:

    Certificate of cremation
    Death certificate or autopsy certificate
    Confirmation of death issued by the deceased's national embassy
    Certificate of quarantine issued in Incheon National Airport Quarantine Office
    Passport of deceased

All relevant documents must be translated into English or into the language of the country of repatriation. Also, one copy of all documents must be provided in Korean.

Family or friends of the deceased should contact airlines to get information on how to prepare for the repatriation.