Bereavement in Dubai | ExpatWoman.com
 

Bereavement in Dubai

Here is the very useful information given by Dubai Government to follow in the sad event of the death of a family member or friend

Posted on

4 September 2012

Last updated on 31 March 2019
Bereavement in Dubai

If the death of a friend or family member occurs outside of the hospital, you must immediately call the police by dialing 999. When the police arrive, they will fill out an initial death report and transfer the deceased to the Rashid Hospital Mortuary.

If the death occurs in a hospital, that hospital will take the responsibility of filling out the initial death report and transferring the deceased to the Rashid Hospital Mortuary. From this point forward, the process for registering a death varies depending on the deceased’s religion and whether he or she was an expatriate or not.

Burial customs for Emiratis follow Islamic tradition and include ritualistic washing of the body and immediate burial, followed by group prayer. Since Islam requires that the body be buried immediately, the death certificate and registration procedures can be performed after the burial.

For expatriates, it is best to contact the deceased’s embassy or consulate so they can tell you what steps you will need to take in addition to those required by the UAE.

Obtaining a Death Certificate

After the deceased has been transferred to the Rashid Hospital Mortuary, either by the police or by another hospital, Rashid Hospital will determine the cause of death and issue a report, confirming the death. You will need to submit the initial death report (either from the police or the original hospital), the deceased’s passport and visa (original and copy) and a fee of Dhs.60. The Rashid Mortuary will then issue a death certificate declaration. Have the police stamp the declaration at the hospital.

Take the death certificate declaration to the local district police station. Submit the death certificate declaration and the deceased’s passport and visa page. The police will issue a no objection certificate (NOC) addressed to Al Baraha Hospital. You should also request NOCs addressed to the airport for the transportation of the body, the mortuary for embalming, and the hospital for release of the body. The attending officer should help inform you of the NOCs you will need.

Take all of the documents to Al Baraha Hospital, Preventive Medicine Department, where the staff will issue the official death certificate. If you plan on returning the deceased to their country of origin, you will need to have the death certificate translated.

For expatriates, the local embassy or consulate must cancel the passport and register the death in the home country. The embassy must also produce an NOC if you wish to have the body flown back to the country of origin.

Registering a death
Once the official UAE and embassy death certificates have been issued, you must then register the death with the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Department of Naturalisation and Residency. You will need to take all of the previously collected documents, including the cancelled passport, to each government office. The Ministry of Health will register the death for a fee of Dhs.20, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will attest the death certificate and translation for a fee of Dhs.50, and the Department of Naturalisation and Residency will cancel the visa for a fee of Dhs.100.

Transportation of deceased to another country
If you choose to transport the deceased back to his or her own country, you will need to make arrangements through both DNATA and whichever airline you choose to transport the body. DNATA will handle the body at Cargo Village as well as process the required documentation, but reserving cargo space on an airline is the responsibility of the person making the arrangements. When preparing the required documentation, remember that DNATA will require seven photocopies of each document and translation.

Along with the original police NOC, you will need to obtain an NOC from the Cargo Village police station. If you haven’t already done so, get an NOC from the embassy to allow the deceased to leave the country. Submit these documents and all previously obtained documents to the DNATA export office in Cargo Village.

Before the body can leave the country, it must be embalmed at Al Maktoum Hospital Mortuary. You will need a police NOC to have this performed. The process takes around three hours and the body must be identified both before and after the embalming. The hospital will then arrange transportation to Cargo Village, where the body will be weighed and the paperwork will be processed. Be sure to confirm the required documents needed by DNATA. If nobody is accompanying the deceased, someone must confirm by fax with DNATA that they will receive the body from the airport.

Dealing with burial or cremation in Dubai
The procedures for cremation or burial differ depending on the religion and nationality of the deceased. For all cremation and burials, you will need proper documentation, including the original passport (cancelled from the embassy or consulate), proof that the residence visa has been cancelled from the DNRD, the death certificate, and an NOC from the sponsor stating that all financial obligations have been settled. In the case of a Hindu cremation, you will also need to provide written permission from the next of kin or local sponsor, and the next of kin’s passport. Muslim burials must be performed quickly, so the formalities of getting a death certificate and registering the death can be done afterwards.

Any person can be cremated, regardless of religion or nationality, but all cremations follow Hindu tradition and are carried out by the Hindu Temple in Bur Dubai (04 353 5334). Collect and fill out a cremation application form from the Hindu Temple in Bur Dubai and pay the Dhs.2,500 fee. You will then need to obtain an NOC for the cremation from the deceased’s embassy, the Dubai Police and the Dubai Municipality Cemetery Office. Once the documentation is complete and all of the NOCs have been obtained, the cremation will be performed within one day at the Hindu cremation ground in New Sonapur. The website for the Indian consulate in Dubai has more specific information about the cremation process for Indian citizens.

The Christian cemetery (04 337 0247) is located at Jebel Ali on land provided by the Dubai Government. To organise a Christian burial, you’ll first need to obtain an NOC from the Dubai Police Headquarters requesting that the Dubai Municipality clear the burial. Take that NOC, along with the required documents and a Dhs.1,010 fee to the Municipality Cemetery Office to collect a clearance letter. You can contact the Christian cemetery caretaker to help with the rest of the process, including having a coffin and gravestone prepared and arranging the funeral. Burial fees for the Christian cemetery are Dhs.1,100 for adults and Dhs.350 for children.

Muslim burials are more straightforward. The guarantor or next of kin of the deceased should go to the Dubai Police Headquarters with his or her passport. The police will issue a letter requesting Dubai Municipality to clear the burial. They will also keep the guarantor’s passport until all of the necessary documentation has been completed, including obtaining the death certificate and registering the death. You should then take the police letter to the Dubai Municipality Cemetery Office where they will make arrangements for the rest of the burial.

Understanding of inheritance and debt settlement
Dubai’s inheritance laws follow Shari’a law, in which the deceased’s estate is proportionally divided among family members. The UAE Personal Affairs Law of 2005 clarifies that for foreigners, the inheritance laws of the home country should apply. For UAE citizens, a scholar will be assigned to each case. He will determine the number of heirs and divide the estate according to Shari’a. When it comes to UAE real estate owned by foreigners, the written will of the deceased will be adhered to, provided it follows the laws and regulations of the country in which it was drafted. Keep in mind that this is not always the case and it is important to seek legal advice.

If the deceased had any outstanding debts at the time of death, those debts will be taken from his or her estate.


Find out more on the Dubai Government Portal www.dubai.ae

Useful Links


Public Health Services Department

Request for Permit for burial/ cremation for non-Muslims>>

Muslim Burial Permit>>

Indian Embassy

Death Of An Indian National Procedure>>

Churches

Christian Burials St Mary's Catholic Church>>

Christian Burials Holy Trinity Church>>

Funeral Arrangers

Middle East Funeral Services>>

GRAFCO Funeral Services>>




 
 

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