**Executive Summary**
This document is a response to Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 2456, answered on February 13, 2026, regarding a Single Window System for death cases of Indians abroad. The Ministry of External Affairs outlines the mechanisms in place to assist Indian families in the event of a citizen's death abroad, including coordination by Indian Missions/Posts, transportation of mortal remains, and available support. There is no proposed single window system described in this document.
**Key Points / Main Content**
* **Coordination and Assistance:**
* The Government prioritizes addressing issues affecting Indian nationals abroad, including death cases.
* Missions/Posts abroad have SOPs to coordinate assistance in cases of death or transportation of mortal remains.
* Proactive action is taken by Missions/Posts upon learning of an Indian national's death, including seeking reports from local authorities.
* Missions/Posts inform the next of kin and facilitate transportation or local burial in accordance with the family's wishes.
* **Requirements for Transportation of Mortal Remains:**
* Liaison with foreign authorities is required for: medical report/death certificate, police report (if applicable), consent letter from next of kin, NOC from the Mission/Post, and clearance for embalming.
* Clearance from local immigration/customs is also necessary.
* **Prioritization and Support:**
* Registration of death and issuance of NOC for transportation are prioritized, even on holidays.
* 24x7 helplines are available at Missions/Posts.
* The Indian Community Welfare Fund (ICWF) assists overseas Indian nationals in distress, including with transportation costs.
* Consular wings at Missions/Posts address grievances and monitor cases for timely documentation.
* **Inter-Ministerial Coordination:**
* Various ministries coordinate to ensure time-bound transportation.
* The eCARE Clearance Portal facilitates clearance for transportation of mortal remains to India within 48 hours. The portal aims to integrate all stakeholders to improve coordination.
* **Compensation and Insurance:**
* Missions/Posts assist with death compensation and insurance claims, pursuing cases with employers or courts.
* Missions/Posts liaise with foreign governments to ensure the release of death compensation.
* **Lack of Challenges in Telangana:**
* No challenges accessing support and compensation due to lack of coordination have been reported from the Nalgonda district of Telangana.
**Impact Analysis**
**Stakeholder: Indian Missions/Posts Abroad**
* **Impact:** Required to follow established SOPs for handling death cases of Indian nationals. Responsible for coordinating with local authorities, assisting families, facilitating transportation, and providing support.
* **Action Required:** Continue to adhere to SOPs, provide necessary assistance, and maintain contact with families.
**Stakeholder: Families of Deceased Indian Nationals**
* **Impact:** Provided with assistance in the event of a death abroad, including help with documentation, transportation, and compensation claims.
* **Action Required:** Contact the relevant Indian Mission/Post abroad for assistance and provide necessary documents.
**Stakeholder: Ministry of External Affairs**
* **Impact:** Responsible for overseeing the handling of death cases of Indian nationals abroad.
* **Action Required:** Ensure Missions/Posts adhere to SOPs and continue to provide necessary support.
**Stakeholder: Other Ministries (Ministry of Health and Family Welfare)**
* **Impact:** Need to coordinate with MEA to ensure time-bound transportation of mortal remains
* **Action Required:** Ensure eCARE Portal facilitates clearance for transportation of mortal remains to India within 48 hours.
Key Entities Referenced
Ministry of External Affairs: The primary ministry responsible for the policy regarding assistance to Indian families in case of death of a citizen abroad.
Indian Missions/Posts abroad: The entities through which the Ministry of External Affairs provides assistance to Indian families in case of death of a citizen abroad.
eCARe Clearance Portal: An online platform of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare for providing clearance for transportation of mortal remains to India.
Indian Community Welfare Fund (ICWF): A fund set up in Indian Missions/Posts abroad for assisting overseas Indian nationals in distress situations, including transportation of mortal remains.
Single Window System: Proposed system to assist Indian families in case of death of a citizen abroad.
GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
MINISTRY OF EXTERNAL AFFAIRS
LOK SABHA
UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2456
ANSWERED ON 13/02/2026
SINGLE WINDOW SYSTEM FOR DEATH CASES OF INDIANS ABROAD
2456. SHRI SHRI KUNDURU RAGHUVEER
Will the Minister of EXTERNAL AFFAIRS be pleased to state :-
(a) whether the Government has established or proposes to establish a
Single Window System to assist Indian families in case of death of a
citizen abroad, including documentation, repatriation of mortal remains,
insurance claims, legal procedures and financial support, if so, the
details thereof;
(b) the details of the current mechanism followed by Indian missions
abroad to coordinate such cases;
(c) whether there is a centralized portal or dashboard to track the
status of death-related assistance, if so, the details thereof;
(d) whether the Government has developed inter-ministerial protocols
involving MEA, Ministry of Home Affairs, Civil Aviation and State
Governments to ensure time-bound redressal and dignified handling of
such deaths, if so, the details thereof; and
1(e) whether families have faced challenges in accessing support and
compensation due to lack of coordination, specially Nalgonda district of
Telangana and if so, the details of corrective steps being taken by the
Government?
ANSWER
THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF EXTERNAL AFFAIRS
(SHRI KIRTI VARDHAN SINGH)
(a) to (c) The Government attaches high priority to addressing and
resolving issues affecting Indian nationals abroad, including cases of
deaths, local cremation/burial and transportation of mortal remains to
their home towns in India.
The Ministry has a well-established mechanism/SOPs to coordinate with
all Missions /Posts abroad to provide help to Indian nationals abroad in
cases of death or transportation of mortal remains to their home towns
in India. Transportation of mortal remains of Indians who die abroad,
involves completion of certain formalities as per the local laws before
local authorities allow such body/bodies to be transported to India. In
case the death is unnatural, police investigations will have to be
completed. There exists a well established mechanism in all Indian
Missions/Posts to handle such cases with utmost priority. As soon as
2the information about the death of an Indian national comes to the
knowledge of the concerned Indian Mission/Post abroad, they take
proactive action by seeking a report from the local Foreign Office and
other concerned local authorities regarding the cause of the death of
the Indian national. Our Missions/Posts abroad inform the next of kin of
the deceased Indian national, and facilitate the transportation of mortal
remains to India or the local burial of mortal remains in accordance
with the wishes of the family of the deceased.
For transportation of mortal remains, Indian Missions/Posts usually
liaise with different authorities in the foreign country, viz., on the
following aspects:
i. Medical report / death certificate issued from the hospital concerned;
ii. Police report (with English translation, if the report is in any other
language), in case of accidental or unnatural death;
iii. Consent letter from the next of kin of the deceased for local
cremation / burial / transportation of mortal remains;
iv. Issuing of No Objection Certificate (NOC) by the Mission / Post for
transportation or local cremation / burial as required;
v. Clearance and arrangements for embalming of mortal remains from
the authorities concerned in the foreign country;
3vi. Clearance from local immigration/ customs department.
As soon as the authorised person provides relevant documents as per
host country’s requirement to Missions/Posts abroad, the death of the
deceased person is registered and NOC for transportation of mortal
remains to India is issued on priority basis, including on holidays.
Additionally, 24x7 helpline in Missions/Posts abroad support death
registration and transportation of mortal remains to India.
Missions/Posts accord high priority to the issues pertaining to
transportation of mortal remains including completion of local
documentation work. Issues related to delays in issuance of police
report, medical certificate, death certificate etc. by authorities of the
host country are taken up during bilateral meetings including Consular
Dialogues and High Level Visits. Moreover, the Indian Community
Welfare Fund (ICWF) has also been set up in Indian Missions/Posts
abroad for assisting overseas Indian nationals in distress situations on
a means-tested basis which also includes transportation of mortal
remains of Indian nationals at Government expenditure.
Every Indian Mission/Post abroad has a dedicated consular wing
equipped with adequate staff to address grievances of distressed
Indian nationals abroad. Missions/Posts monitor the cases for timely
and smooth documentation for transportation of mortal remains
4including guidance to the family and coordination between different
agencies. Missions/Posts also have 24x7 Emergency helpline number so
that the families can contact them.
(d) Various Ministries of the Government of India coordinate to ensure
time-bound transportation of mortal remains. The eCARe Clearance
Portal (https://ecare.mohfw.gov.in) of the Ministry of Health and Family
Welfare is an online platform for providing clearance within 48 hours for
transportation of mortal remains to India.
The Portal is aimed at integrating all stakeholders on a single all-in-one
interface, including the Consignee, Airport Health Organizations
(APHOs) and Airlines. The portal facilitates smooth and timely
clearance of documents with automated periodic alerts and live status
tracking.
(e) No such instances of challenges in accessing support and
compensation due to lack of coordination has been brought to the
attention of this Ministry from the families of Nalgonda district of
Telangana. Indian Missions/Posts abroad support and provide
assistance to family members of deceased Indian nationals in
preparation of requisite documentation in death compensation cases.
These include documents such as Legal Heirship Certificate (LHC) and
5Power of Attorney (POA) which are required for submission in courts in
foreign countries on behalf of the legal heirs of the deceased.
Indian Missions/Posts abroad render all necessary assistance to
facilitate early settlement of death compensation and insurance claims
from local authorities/companies. Missions/Posts abroad have standard
operating procedures for the disbursement of compensation of
deceased Indian nationals. All death compensation cases are pursued
with the employer/ concerned court till the family of the deceased
receive the compensation. Missions/Posts abroad also liaise with the
concerned foreign governments to ensure early release of the death
compensation in case the employer is not cooperating.
*****
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