Family members or representatives handling post-death affairs for a foreign national in Shanghai may need to complete several procedures.

In China, remains are generally handled in one of two ways: direct repatriation to the home country, or cremation followed by the transport of ashes.

Here is a basic overview of the process:

• Registering the death
• Cremation or embalming
• Repatriation of remains

Registering the death

- Natural death: A death certificate will be issued by a hospital at or above the county level.

- Unnatural death: A forensic death certificate will be issued by a forensic medical examiner from the public security authorities. For a natural death that occurs while a case is under legal review, the forensic examiner from the authority handling the case will issue the certificate.

If a foreign national dies in a village, town, or citizen's home, a hospital at or above the county level cannot issue a death certificate, or the deceased's home country or its embassy or consulate in China requires notarized documents, a notarized death certificate should be obtained.

Notarization must be carried out at the notary office in the deceased's residence area.  The documents must then be authenticated by the relevant foreign affairs authority and the deceased's home country's embassy or consulate in China.

If the remains need to be transported overseas, the deceased's family members or relevant organization must report the death to the Exit-Entry Administration of the Shanghai Municipal Public Security Bureau and obtain a Foreigner's Death Certificate (外国人死亡证). 

Contact:

Exit-Entry Administration of the Shanghai Municipal Bureau of Public Security

Tel: 021-6854-1199

Address: No 1500 Minsheng Road, Pudong New Area

Cremation or preparation for repatriation

Generally, there are two options for handling the remains: cremation or repatriation after the required preparation.

Cremation: The local funeral home will perform cremation upon a written request signed by the deceased's family or the embassy/consulate of the deceased's home country in China. The ashes may then be transported back home by the family or the embassy/consulate.

Repatriation of remains: If the remains need to be transported overseas, family members or the relevant organization should contact the Shanghai Office of the China Funeral Association International Repatriation Network Service Center (中国殡葬协会国际运尸网络服务中心上海办事处), the designated body for handling the international transport of remains for foreign nationals.

Burial in China

According to Chinese regulations, requests to bury or scatter a foreign national's ashes on Chinese soil are generally declined, except in cases involving well-known foreign friends who have made special contributions to China. In such cases, approval must be obtained from provincial or central civil affairs authorities. 

Online services

One can also access post-death services through the Government Online-Offline Shanghai website by entering "个人身后一件事" (one-stop services for post-death affairs).

Related article: Mortuary services and fees

Note: According to the China Funeral Association, only three funeral homes in Shanghai are authorized to handle the repatriation of expats' remains:

• Shanghai Longhua Funeral Home (Tel: 021-64647444; Address: No 210 Caoxi Road, Tianlin Subdistrict, Xuhui district)
• Shanghai Baoxing Funeral Home (Tel: 021-56629007; Address: No 833 Xibaoxing Road, Guangzhong Road Subdistrict, Hongkou district)
• Shanghai Yishan Funeral Home (Tel: 021-54821444; Address: No 1500 Old Humin Road, Xuhui district)

Additional information:

Shanghai Mortuary Service Hotline: 021-962840

China Funeral Association 010-63539422

Sources: Shanghai Municipal Bureau of Civil Affairs, China Funeral Association