What to do if someone dies in Netherlands

The Netherlands has an efficient system. When a British national dies in Amsterdam, Rotterdam, or The Hague, the process moves through clear legal channels. Knowing those channels in advance makes a difficult situation more manageable.

Call 112 for police and ambulance. A doctor must certify the death. If the death is at home with a treating physician present, the process is straightforward. If the death is sudden, in a public place, or the cause is not clear, Dutch law requires the treating doctor to notify the GGD (Municipal Health Service) and the police. The police then refer the case to the public prosecutor.

Drug-related deaths in Amsterdam are automatically investigated.

This is the most important fact for families. If your family member died in Amsterdam and drugs were involved, the public prosecutor will be notified automatically, regardless of the circumstances. A judicial post-mortem may be ordered. This is not negotiable and the process cannot be shortened. Average additional time: 7 to 14 days.

Canal drownings follow the same path. Amsterdam’s canal network accounts for a number of British visitor deaths annually. These are treated as unnatural deaths pending investigation.

Call the British Embassy in The Hague at +31 70 427 0427. If the death occurred in Amsterdam, the consulate at +31 20 676 4343 can also assist. The Embassy will provide a list of Dutch funeral directors experienced with UK repatriation, and can certify the Dutch death certificate for UK registration. They cannot intervene in the public prosecutor’s proceedings or pay for costs.

Notify your travel insurer immediately. The Netherlands is not considered a high-risk destination, but deaths involving drugs or alcohol can complicate insurance claims. Review your policy’s exclusion clauses carefully.

Once the body is released

A Dutch funeral director prepares the documentation set. The Akte van Overlijden (Dutch death certificate) is the primary document. It shows cause of death and is available in English, French, and German through the local gemeente. Embalming is required under UK regulations. A zinc-lined coffin follows. The full documentation set takes two to five working days to complete after release.

Amsterdam Schiphol has KLM Cargo direct services to London Heathrow, Manchester, and Edinburgh. Flight time is approximately one hour. This makes the Netherlands one of the lower-cost freight origins in Europe.

UK coroner review on arrival is unlikely when Dutch authorities have certified cause of death with documentation. Natural causes and cases with full investigation records are typically cleared quickly by the receiving UK funeral director.

For the full process, costs and documentation checklist, see our repatriation from the Netherlands guide.