Death Planning for expats
For those living thousands of miles from family and their home country, planning for death or incapacitation isn't just responsible—it's an act of profound love and foresight. This month, we're diving deep into creating your ultimate expat death plan.
The Expat End-of-Life Checklist: Why Your Old Plan Won't Cut It
Your will from back home, your U.S. Power of Attorney (POA)—they might not hold up in your new country. French laws, for example, are very different from American ones.
Review Your Home Country Plan: Before you even leave, ensure your U.S. will and POAs are up-to-date and name trusted individuals. These will primarily cover assets and decisions in the U.S.
Create a Local Plan: Once you're settled, it's highly advisable to consult with a local lawyer to draft:
A Local Will: This covers assets you acquire in your new country (bank accounts, property, vehicles). It ensures your wishes are respected under local law and avoids complex, lengthy, and expensive foreign probate.
Local Powers of Attorney (POA): Designate someone to make financial and medical decisions for you if you become incapacitated. This local POA will be legally recognized where you live, unlike a U.S. one.
Action Item: Don't assume. Get legal advice in your new country to understand what's required.
Your "On-the-Ground" Team: The Local Emergency Contact
Your family is far away. In a crisis, someone needs to be there immediately. This person is your "local executor" (not a legal term, but a practical one!).
Who to Choose: A trusted friend, a reliable colleague, or even your landlord. They don't need to be a lawyer, just someone capable and willing to act as your first point of contact.
What to Tell Them:
Your primary emergency contact's name and number back home.
Where your important documents (passport, visa, local will, POA) are stored.
The location of a spare key to your home.
Any critical medical information (allergies, medications).
Their Role: Their job is to notify your family, guide first responders, and give your family back home critical information until they can arrive or make arrangements.
Action Item: Ask someone you trust, share essential info, and thank them profoundly!
The Digital Afterlife: Managing Your Online Legacy
In our hyper-connected world, your digital footprint needs a plan, especially when your digital life is split between two countries.
Inventory Your Digital Life: List all online accounts: email, social media, banking, streaming services, cryptocurrency, cloud storage, utilities, phone contracts, etc.
Password Management: Use a secure password manager. This is non-negotiable. Crucially, have a plan for how your designated executor (local or at home) can safely and legally access the master password or relevant accounts upon your death or incapacitation. Many services offer "legacy contact" features—use them!
Instructions for Each Account: Do you want your social media memorialized, deleted, or handed over? What about precious digital photos?
Cancel Subscriptions: Provide instructions on how to cancel recurring payments and local services to prevent ongoing charges.
Action Item: Don't leave your digital life as a complex puzzle for your loved ones. Create a Digital Will or clear instructions.
Repatriation Insurance: A Non-Negotiable for Expats
This is perhaps the most overlooked, yet critical, piece of expat planning.
What is it? Repatriation insurance (often part of a comprehensive international travel or health insurance policy) covers the immense cost and logistics of transporting your body back to your home country if you die abroad.
Why You Need It: Without it, the cost of bringing a body from Europe back to the U.S. can range from $10,000 to $20,000+, or even more, depending on the country, embalming, special containers, and air freight. This bill falls entirely on your grieving family.
What it Entails: The insurance company typically coordinates with specialized funeral homes, manages legal paperwork in both countries, and handles the intricate logistics of international body transport.
The Alternative: Without repatriation insurance, your family might have to choose local disposition (burial or cremation in your new country), even if that wasn't your wish, simply due to the prohibitive cost.
Action Item: Review your international health/travel insurance today. Confirm it explicitly covers repatriation of remains, and understand the limits and procedures.
Your Final Wishes: Repatriation vs. Local Disposition
This is a profoundly personal decision, but for expats, it's one that carries significant logistical weight.
Document Your Choice: Clearly state whether you wish for your body to be:
Repatriated: Returned to your home country for burial or cremation. (Remember the cost and insurance implications!)
Locally Disposed: Buried or cremated in your new country of residence. Understand local laws regarding cemetery concessions (often rentals, not perpetual ownership) or ash scattering.
Communicate, Communicate, Communicate: This is not a decision to keep secret. Share your wishes clearly with your next of kin back home AND your local emergency contact.
Action Item: Reflect on what feels right for you and discuss it with your loved ones.
The Ultimate Gift: Sharing Your Death Plan with Your Family
This is the culmination of all your planning efforts. A plan, unshared, is a plan half-done.
Schedule a Conversation: Initiate a call or video chat with your designated next of kin (parents, siblings, spouse).
"The Talk" Strategy:
Start with Love: Frame it as an act of love and responsibility. "I've been thinking about what would happen if something happened to me here, and I've put a plan in place to make things easier for you."
Explain the "Why": Briefly touch on the unique expat challenges (distance, laws, costs).
Outline the "What": Go over your key decisions: local will/POA, local contact, digital plan, repatriation wishes/insurance.
Provide Access: Tell them where your key documents (or digital access information) are located, both in the U.S. and abroad.
Empower Them: Reassure them that you've given them a roadmap, so they won't have to guess or navigate alone during a painful time.
Action Item: Don't delay this conversation. It will bring peace of mind to everyone involved.
Living abroad is an enriching experience, and planning for life's certainties while doing so doesn't detract from that. Instead, it empowers you to live fully, knowing you've created a safety net that protects your legacy and eases the burden on those you love.
