What to do if someone dies in Grenada

When Someone Dies in Grenada

Grenada has an Honorary British Consul in St George’s but no resident British diplomatic post. The British High Commission in Bridgetown, Barbados, has formal accreditation. Documentation is in English throughout. The key distinctions from other Eastern Caribbean islands are the St George’s University student population and the three-island structure of the Grenadian state.

Step 1: Immediate Notifications

1. Honorary British Consul St George’s — first consular contact.
2. FCDO Emergency Travel Line: 020 7008 5000 (available 24 hours).
3. British High Commission Bridgetown (Barbados) — formal diplomatic contact.
4. Appoint a specialist UK repatriation company.

Step 2: Which Island?

The state of Grenada comprises three inhabited islands.

Grenada (main island): St George’s is the capital and the location of General Hospital, Maurice Bishop International Airport, and the Honorary Consul. Deaths on the main island can proceed through the documentation process without inter-island transfer.

Carriacou: Approximately 30 km north-east of Grenada. Reached by high-speed ferry from St George’s (1.5 hours) or by small aircraft (15 minutes). Deaths on Carriacou that require full forensic post-mortem must be transferred to General Hospital on Grenada. Hillsborough Hospital on Carriacou has very limited capacity.

Petite Martinique: A very small island adjacent to Carriacou. No hospital or clinic. Any serious medical event requires immediate emergency evacuation.

Step 3: St George’s University Deaths

St George’s University School of Medicine is one of the largest offshore medical schools in the world, with approximately 5,000 students on the Grenada campus. British nationals are a subset of the student body. When a student dies, the university’s Office of Student Services and emergency protocols are activated alongside the consular process. The Honorary Consul and university administration have established working relationships. This does not change the legal process but does mean communication chains are more practised.

Notify the university’s emergency line as well as the Honorary Consul if the deceased is a student.

Step 4: General Hospital St George’s

General Hospital is the main national hospital and the site for forensic post-mortems. The coroner inquest for unnatural deaths is mandatory. Forensic pathology capacity is limited — complex cases may require extended waiting times.

Step 5: Bianca C Diving Deaths

The Bianca C, sunk in 1961, lies at 30 to 50 metres depth off Grenada’s south-west coast. It is considered one of the Caribbean’s great wreck dives. Diving-related deaths at Grenada require specialist forensic examination. Any reported diving death at any Grenada site should be flagged to the Honorary Consul immediately.

Step 6: Documentation

1. Death certificate from the Grenada Registry.
2. Police report.
3. Coroner’s release order (unnatural deaths).
4. Post-mortem report from General Hospital.
5. Ministry of Health export permit.
6. Embalming to IATA standards with certificate.

All documentation is in English.

Step 7: Cargo Routing

Cargo departs from Maurice Bishop International Airport (GND) and transits via Barbados, Antigua, or Trinidad to UK connections.

Further Information

• Repatriation from Grenada overview
• Consular assistance for British nationals in Grenada