Dying in the DR

planner

.............. ?
Sep 23, 2002
4,409
26
0
What happens when a foreigner dies here?

Due to the serious illness of a friend recently I was forced into doing some research. Here is what I found out:

If a patient dies at home:

Call the police. Immediately. Don?t wait regardless of the time. They will contact a doctor and do the pronouncing. Once that is done and their paperwork is done they contact the funeral home. I had contacted two of them and my recommendation is Baldino the woman in Santo Domingo was incredibly helpful and spoke excellent English. the number there is 809-533-3232. We wanted to make sure we knew what to expect ahead of time.

They will arrange to pick up the body. All foreigners who die here must undergo an autopsy. This is done in Santo Domingo and occasionally is done in Santiago.

Depending on your choices:

- cremation is done in Santo Domingo. You can go pick up the remains or they will ship them to you in country.
- Burial ? a casket is chosen and then you arrange either burial here or shipment to another country. They will arrange all of that for you.

I was quoted $1,850 US for services including cremation. Other prices will vary depending on casket, shipping etc.

If the patient dies in hospital, the police are called once the person is pronounced and then the funeral home is contacted.

I hope this is helpful to others! Fortunately we did not have to use their services!
 

Bronxboy

Well-known member
Jul 11, 2007
14,107
595
113
What happens when a foreigner dies here?

Due to the serious illness of a friend recently I was forced into doing some research. Here is what I found out:

If a patient dies at home:

Call the police. Immediately. Don’t wait regardless of the time. They will contact a doctor and do the pronouncing. Once that is done and their paperwork is done they contact the funeral home. I had contacted two of them and my recommendation is Baldino the woman in Santo Domingo was incredibly helpful and spoke excellent English. the number there is 809-533-3232. We wanted to make sure we knew what to expect ahead of time.

They will arrange to pick up the body. All foreigners who die here must undergo an autopsy. This is done in Santo Domingo and occasionally is done in Santiago.

Depending on your choices:

- cremation is done in Santo Domingo. You can go pick up the remains or they will ship them to you in country.
- Burial – a casket is chosen and then you arrange either burial here or shipment to another country. They will arrange all of that for you.

I was quoted $1,850 US for services including cremation. Other prices will vary depending on casket, shipping etc.

If the patient dies in hospital, the police are called once the person is pronounced and then the funeral home is contacted.

I hope this is helpful to others! Fortunately we did not have to use their services!

This is valuable info.

I just had two deaths in my family.

My father and stepdad died two weeks apart in March.

I had my dad cremated because that is what he wanted. The whole thing came out to $1,400 USD including service, cremation and urn.

Wow $1,850 USD in DR seems alot compared to NY.

My stepdad was buried. Everything including casket, service, and lot came out to almost 8K USD.
 

DOMINCAN BOY

On Vacation!
Jun 6, 2006
780
0
0
What happens when a foreigner dies here?

Burial ? a casket is chosen and then you arrange shipment to another country. They will arrange all of that for you.


I hope this is helpful to others! Fortunately we did not have to use their services!
Would your travel insurance pay for this
 

planner

.............. ?
Sep 23, 2002
4,409
26
0
Sometimes it will be covered and sometimes it is not. You always need to check your coverage!
 
J

John Evans

Guest
I think they do them in most countries to establish the cause of death- very useful information as most of us are planning on dying at some point
 

Nikki Simon

New member
Nov 10, 2002
199
6
0
53
I have been told that if they know what you died of - ie obvious causes - you don't have an autopsy. I also heard that if you die on the north coast and don't have to have an autopsy, you HAVE to be buried as there is nowhere on the north coast that does cremations. This worries me a little as I would like to be cremated! Can anyone confirm this?
 

DrChrisHE

On Probation!
Jul 23, 2006
599
0
0
Why is this?

Matilda

This isn't uncommon. Even in cases where there are religious objections, people may have to have their remains autopsied in some places. For a comparison, many states in the US require an automatic autopsy under certain conditions: for the elderly; children; for head injuries when the person wasn't alone; people in institutional care; for obvious fire arms or lacerations, etc. These are based on previous and statistical information of abuse, public health & injury records, as well as death records of "vulnerable populations."

It wouldn't surprise me at all if another country tried to hold the DR accountable and the DR is practicing some "defensive law."
 

J D Sauser

Silver
Nov 20, 2004
2,940
390
83
www.hispanosuizainvest.com
I would call the deceased person's consulate first.
Then, try to find that person's doctor, legal representative and family.
The police, unless it's a crime scene, can wait. There have been too many reports of looting BY the police.

As an expat, it would aslo be advisable to leave an information sheet of whom to call FIRST and other contact persons (family abroad, local friends, legal representative, insurances and so forth) with people like your maid, partner, friends and your legal representation. I personally even have such a list in my vehicle.
Not everybody expects to die, but it does happen, eventually.

... J-D.
 

Bryanell

Bronze
Aug 9, 2005
694
83
48
Why is this?

Matilda

I think it has to do with the preservation of evidence if it later transpires that the death was not "natural" i.e., a homicide.

The rule is if the person hasn't seen a doctor in the last 24 hours the corpse gets a slice and dice.

Same goes for cadavers to be cremated - unless there's a very recent physician's report which can be related to the cause of death, the cadaver gets autopsied.

If anyone needs extra information, my good friend and sometime poster -the "Voo-doo-Man" is the official "carver-upper" - he is the guy to ask.

And BTW the mortician in Santo Domingo is "Blandino" not "Baldino" as misnomed in another post on this thread.
 

Matilda

RIP Lindsay
Sep 13, 2006
5,485
338
63
In the UK you only have an autopsy if there is any question as to the cause of death. In this country EVERY foreigner, whether in possession of a cedula or not has an autopsy. Question number one is why? Number two is who pays for this? Number three is what happens to the organs? Dominicans do not have autopsies. I have personally been to 3 funerals in the last few weeks of young men who died through drowning or motorcycle accidents. No autopsies. Just foreigners. I do not want to be sliced and diced when I have esnuffed it. I don't want anyone nicking my bits for experiments or whatever. Why only foreigners?????

Matilda
 

Lambada

Gold
Mar 4, 2004
9,478
410
0
80
www.ginniebedggood.com
I don't want anyone nicking my bits for experiments or whatever. Why only foreigners?????

Just a guess............maybe they are the only people who would pay for this? I think it's the next of kin who foot the bill.

If a patient dies at home:

Call the police. Immediately. Don’t wait regardless of the time.

I don't think people should be too trusting about this. That might be the advice on paper but..................

I would call the deceased person's consulate first.
Then, try to find that person's doctor, legal representative and family.
The police, unless it's a crime scene, can wait. There have been too many reports of looting BY the police. ... J-D.

Yes the police can wait. Not only has looting happened but worse - holding the next of kin at the police jail while they 'investigate' to see if next of kin is involved.............$$$ has been known to speed up the investigation...............

I hope that when I die here I'll do the 'convenient' thing for BushBaby & die in a hospital or outside the home. It has been known that about-to-die foreigners have been bundled into a car and taken to the hospital even if they are dead by the time they get there, in order to avoid police 'complications' for the spouse. I would say Consular representative, doctor, lawyer & influential friend who can protect spouse/next of kin from being accused of complicity in the death. Having just lost a loved one, the last thing you want is being accused of manslaughter.
 
Last edited:

SKY

Gold
Apr 11, 2004
13,470
3,604
113
If you have a good lawyer that you trust he should be called immediately. He can take care of this a lot better than you can.
 

BostonMary

New member
May 18, 2002
247
4
0
My brother in law dies in POP and it was a nightmare. We were called early on a Thurday morning. Two day later on Saturday a Domincan friend inquired at Hospital Ricardo Limardo for his reamains. Hos body had been left in a corridor to rot so she made arrangement with Blandino for us. We arrived on Sunday and on Monday we recieved a subpeona to appear in court. It seems when a foriegner dies the Fiscal send someone to do an autopsy and we hadn't paid the $500US. Our lawyer took care of that problem for us. His house ahd been ramsacked by who knows and everyone said he owed them money. He had a gun which was confiscated by the Fiscal who wouldb't return it even with a lawyers assistance. We went to the US Counsel and the courts. We even had to apy to have hos will translated into Spanish. . Language was not a problem because Spanish is my husband's and his brother's native language so er understoop what was happening. It was a nightmare, the only saving grace was a lawyer who helped us through everything
 

Lambada

Gold
Mar 4, 2004
9,478
410
0
80
www.ginniebedggood.com

jalencastro

Bronze
Dec 15, 2004
1,938
104
63
www.myspace.com
thank you for this INFORMATIVE post, it is good to know in the event something happens as I travel to DR often....I hope this isnt as nightmarish as it seems....sigh
 

dv8

Gold
Sep 27, 2006
31,266
363
0
if you are polish...

i checked out my burial during one of the worse parasite attacks. first, made miesposo SWEAR i will be sent home. preferably cremated, for poland is quite far (and as lambada mentioned because off all parasitos and bacterias my body is officially considered "biological weapon";)).

i don't care about my mother's in law jolly statement: "we already have a space in cemetery for you" - i am going home.

in order to ship my remains home the urn/coffin has to be sealed by polish consul, one in PR, USA or Venezuela, no matter. all costs regarding his travel and stay have in DR are to be covered next of kin - miviudo. plus bureaucratic costs.
i calculated and i came up with about 5k dollars. plus having me buried at home, about 2k.

so check with your consulate - maybe you'll need their services too.

as for the autopsy and organs - i do not care, if there is anything usable i am not mean enough to take the useful stuff to the gave with me.