Search British nationals died overseas 1818-2005
useful links & resources
About the British nationals died overseas records
These records provide details of deaths of British citizens that have taken place abroad between 1818 and 2005.
If you have a relative or ancestor who died overseas, but was still classed as a British citizen at the time of the death, then it is quite possible that the British Consul or the UK High Commission in the relevant jurisdiction would have been notified of the death, allowing you to find their record within the GRO's Consular indices.
There are some caveats to this.
When you search these records, the results will be listed by individual names. This means you should be able to tell if your ancestor is in the list just by viewing their name - although we always advise you to double check the original image, especially the volume and page numbers, before you order any certificates.
When you view the record you will see any combination of the following information: name, consulate, country, year, volume, page, age at death and record source. Please note that the amount of information in each record varies; not all of these fields will be completed for every death record.
Find out more about these records in our knowledge base.
Can't find who you're looking for? Click the 'search tips' link above for helpful advice on searching these records.
How to search the death records
We only need the last name of an ancestor to start searching these records for you. This is the only required piece of information, everything else is optional.
It's always best to start searching with basic information, like your ancestor's first and last name. If there are too many results, you can refine your search and add more detail.
You can click the 'refine search' button on the search results page to return to this search box and add more information.
What a death record will tell you
- Your ancestor's name
- The place and year (or year range) in which the death was registered
- Most will include your ancestor's age at death
- General Register Office reference number that can be used to order a copy of your ancestor's death certificate
Can't find who you're looking for?
- Try leaving the 'region' field blank. Your ancestor may not have died in the place you would expect, so you could be excluding relevant results.
- Don't select a year range, or make the year range wider. The year you think your ancestor died may not be accurate, so you could be excluding relevant results.
- Keep the 'include variants' boxes underneath the name fields ticked. This means your search results will include spelling variations of the names you've entered.
- If your ancestor's name could be easily misspelled, try using a wildcard search. Just use a * symbol in place of a letter or multiple letters. For example, instead of searching for Jennings you could search for Je*ngs or *enning*.