Problems during the administration

Death abroad

Where an individual has died on a service vessel offshore or among service personnel or their families overseas, the death should be registered by the relevant service department and then with the relevant local authorities.

Otherwise, where a death has occurred abroad:

1. •

   the death must be registered in the country and area concerned

2. •

   the doctor’s medical certificate of the cause of death obtained, and

3. •

   a legal death certificate must be obtained

There are also various specific requirements where the deceased’s body is to be repatriated.

For more information, see Practice Note: Death abroad.

Checking the validity of a Will

There are some common scenarios where a practitioner will be asked to check the validity of a Will after the testator’s death: often when instructed by the executors to prepare the application for probate and act in the estate administration, when acting for an individual who may seek to challenge the validity of the Will or when acting for a beneficiary who simply seeks confirmation as to the Will’s effect (assuming they have access to a copy). Even where the