18 min read · R1
What to do when a foreign national dies in China
Immediate steps after a foreign national dies in China: emergency calls, proof, family authority, consular contact, funeral transfer and disposition.
Read the guideDeath, bereavement & repatriation
Keep every authority, document and transport decision separate
A medical death certificate, police investigation, funeral-home transfer, cremation decision, immigration cancellation, consular contact, international operator, Customs inspection, airline acceptance and destination-country permission are different steps. Start with the place and circumstances of death, then build one verified case file.
14practical source-linked guides
Immediate help
If death has not been confirmed, call emergency services now.
If the person may still be alive or death has not been formally confirmed, call 120. For a suspected crime, unexplained or non-natural death, call 110 and avoid moving the person or disturbing the scene unless emergency responders direct you.
Use this collection to prepare
Start from the place and circumstances
A death in a treating hospital, a normal death at home and a police-handled non-natural death use different issuing and investigation routes.
Use authorized providers
An official funeral home handles domestic transfer and cremation functions; international remains transport requires the recognized operator and current border process.
Work backward from the destination
The operating carrier, every transit point and the destination authority can impose separate document, packaging, booking and acceptance requirements.
Complete collection
14 focused guides
Each guide states its source scope, review date and next scheduled check. Local examples are not presented as nationwide promises.
All healthcare guidesRespond and establish the official route
Confirm whether emergency, hospital, community-health or police handling applies before arranging documents or moving remains.
18 min read · R1
When a foreign national dies in a hospital in China
What families should do after a foreign national dies in a China hospital, from certification and authority to funeral transfer and cancellations.
Read the guide19 min read · R1
When a foreign national dies at home or outside a hospital in China
What to do when a foreign national dies at home or outside a China hospital: 120, 110, medical investigation, police boundaries and transfer.
Read the guide20 min read · R1
Unexpected or apparently non-natural death in China: police and autopsy
How families should handle an unexpected or apparently non-natural death in China, including police proof, autopsy boundaries and body release.
Read the guideBuild the document and administrative-closure file
Obtain the current death certificate, close immigration and employment records through their own routes, and prepare documents for the named overseas recipient.
19 min read · R1
Death certificates in China for foreign nationals
How China's Resident Medical Certificate of Death works for foreign nationals after 1 July 2026, from applicant and issuer to corrections and overseas use.
Read the guide17 min read · R1
Cancel residence and work documents after a foreigner dies in China
Close immigration and employment records without confusing them with consular notice, hospital files, insurance claims or estate and property administration.
Read the guide18 min read · R1
Use a Chinese death certificate abroad: translation, notarization and Apostille
Ask the overseas recipient what document it needs, then build only the translation, notarization, Apostille or consular-legalisation chain that applies.
Read the guideArrange funeral services, cremation or transport abroad
Use the official funeral-home and authorized international routes, then confirm Customs, carrier, transit and destination requirements separately.
16 min read · R1
Cremation and funeral-home arrangements in China for foreigners
Choose the lawful funeral-home route, preserve the family's decision between local cremation and repatriation, and keep every authority's document separate.
Read the guide18 min read · R1
How to repatriate a foreign national's remains from China
Coordinate an approved operator, Customs quarantine, air cargo, transit and destination authorities without treating one approval as universal.
Read the guide17 min read · R1
How to take cremated ashes out of China
Prepare death and cremation records, then verify the port, carrier, transit and destination because China has no single public ashes checklist.
Read the guideFollow current city implementation
Use local hotlines, funeral homes, appointment and foreign-national procedures without treating one municipality's forms, benefits or service points as national rules.
22 min read · R1
When a foreign national dies in Shanghai: certificates, cremation and repatriation
A Shanghai route for the current death certificate, official funeral-home transfer, cremation or repatriation, immigration closure and Customs handoff.
Read the guide18 min read · R1
When a foreign national dies in Guangzhou: funeral, cremation and repatriation
A Guangzhou route for the unified death certificate, official funeral-home pickup, cremation or overseas transfer, immigration closure and Customs coordination.
Read the guide19 min read · R1
When a foreign national dies in Shenzhen: funeral, cremation and repatriation
A Shenzhen route through death certification, police reporting, official funeral-home transfer, cremation or repatriation, immigration closure and Customs.
Read the guide17 min read · R1
When a foreign national dies in Beijing: a verified service-entry route
A cautious Beijing route using 96101, current national death-certificate rules and verified funeral, immigration, repatriation and Customs handoffs.
Read the guideScope boundary
This collection provides administrative navigation for deaths involving foreign nationals in mainland China. It does not confirm death, interpret cause of death, advise whether an autopsy can be avoided, decide criminal or civil liability, determine inheritance or ownership of belongings, choose burial or cremation for a family, guarantee consular or insurance payment, or promise that a document, coffin, remains shipment or ashes container will be accepted. Current national rules, the case-handling police or medical institution, local civil-affairs and funeral authorities, exit-entry administration, the deceased person's embassy or consulate, the insurer, an authorized international remains operator, Customs, the actual carrier and the destination or transit authorities retain their own roles. Obtain case-specific legal advice for estates, disputes or authority to act.