Reporting the death

First and foremost, those closest to the loved ones have to immediately report the death to authorities. There are two scenarios that may play out here:

Death outside hospital: In this case, one must immediately call the police on 999 to inform them about the death, after which the authorities will file an initial death report and move the body to the government morgue.

Death inside hospital: If a person dies inside the hospital, the authorities file an initial death report and move the deceased to a government morgue.

Officials at the morgue then issue a death certificate declaration. This document needs to be stamped by the police, after which they issue a no objection certificate (NOC). Loved ones of the deceased can get the official death certificate only after the NOC is produced.

In cases of releasing the body, embalming at the mortuary or taking the deceased back to his/her home country, separate NOCs might be needed.

Getting the death certificate

After the NOC has been issued by the police, one must apply for an official death certificate. The channels may differ depending on the emirate where the deceased resided. Those from Dubai can do this through the Dubai Health Authority. Abu Dhabi does this through its Department of Health portal. The Ministry of Health and Prevention is another option that offers online services to people residing in any emirate. Here is what the process looks like for each authority:

Ministry of Health and Prevention

• Register on the website, at a public health centre or the hospital
• Submit the original passport, visa and Emirates ID of the deceased; original family book is required to be submitted by UAE citizens
• Provide an electronic death notification from the hospital according to the approved form
• Acquire a statement from the hospital police office or from district police station if the death occurred at home
• Submit a forensic medical report in the case of criminal suspicion

A fee of Dh60 is charged to get the certificate. It takes up to a day for the document to be issued.

Burial, cremation in UAE/home country

If an expat has died, close ones should contact the embassy or consulate of their home country and inform of their demise. The deceased may be cremated or buried in the UAE or their bodies may be sent to their home countries, on showing the required documents.