What to do
When someone dies abroad, it can be a bewildering time - from the legal formalities to the physical distance. We're here to ease that burden. As your UK funeral director, we will work with you and an overseas funeral director as we bring your loved one home with dignity, respect and compassion.
What to do if someone dies abroad
If you're with them abroad
- Contact the local authorities or talk to the hospital staff - they'll confirm the death and issue the necessary paperwork
- Let the British Embassy, High Commission, or Consulate know - they can help with documentation and liaise with the UK authorities.
- Check the travel insurance policy - they may cover repatriation costs and support.
- Contact a local funeral director.
If you're in the UK
- You may hear of the death from family or friends, or you might be infomed through official channels - often via the Embassy or Consulate.
- Contact the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) if you need guidance.
Understanding repatriation: bringing your loved one home
Repatriation is the process of getting your loved one home - whether that's into the UK or elsewhere. The journey and the cost will depend on factors like where the death happened, airline rules, the documentation that's required, and embalming amongst others.
- If there's travel insurance that includes cover: the provider typically arranges and pays for repatriation through specialist partners.
- Without insurance: the family will have to cover the complete cost. We can introduce you to trusted local contacts abroad and we'll manage every detail- from liaising with an Embassy and booking a flight.
- These costs can vary significantly depending on the country - they typically range from a few thousand pounds upwards, with remote destinations sometimes costing considerably more.
The local funeral director will arrange for everything that needs to be done in their country, and they will book the flight to the UK. You’ll have to settle their bill if there’s no travel insurance.
We will deal with everything from collecting your loved one from the airport onwards.
We will provide a clear, itemised quotation from the start to help guide your decisions.
What you can do
- Tell us immediately - we can begin liaison with overseas partners and the embassy, so call us on 020 7387 6075.
- Let us have the name and contact details of the local funeral director if one's already involved.
- Send us any documents you have such as a Death Certificate and its English translation (if needed), passport, or local permits.
- Lean on us - we'll manage the logistics, translation, scheduling, and unexpected complexity.
- Keep receiving our support as we bring your loved one home and prepare for the funeral.
What we'll do
- Keep in touch with you and let you know what's happening at every step.
- Make contact with the local funeral director.
- Get the necessary permission from our local Coroner for the funeral to take place.
Useful links and documents
Here are a couple of useful links from the Government:
- Coping with death abroad
- Country-specific bereavement information from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office
Financial help and advice
Some organisations that can help with financial advice are:
- JackTheLad Foundation (UK) – UK-wide advice and financial assistance for the repatriation of young people (aged 16 to 30) who have died as a result of an accident overseas.
- Kevin Bell Repatriation Trust (Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland) – advice and financial assistance for repatriation to Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland of those who have died suddenly abroad.
- Repatriation Services Trust (Wales) – advice, support and financial aid for bereaved families from Wales.
What to do when you want to send someone from the UK
We can help you to get someone who has died in the UK to another country so that their burial or cremation can take place there.
We’ll arrange everything up to their arrival at the airport in the chosen country, at which point a local funeral director will collect them and take over from then on.
What you can do
- Register the death as usual, but let the Registrar know that you plan to repatriate the person to another country instead of having them buried or cremated in the UK.
- Find a funeral director in the chosen country, and give us their name, address and contact details. You’ll have to settle their bill separately from ours.
- Talk to us about what you want – to which country do you want to go; to which airport; which coffin should we provide?
- Bring in the Death Certificate and the person’s passport, plus any government ID that was issued in another country.
What we'll do
- Tell you the cost of a flight and any other costs.
- Check the rules for taking someone to the chosen country.
- Tell you if there’s anything that you will have to arrange locally in the chosen country.
- Arrange for any paperwork that the country requires (including visiting their Embassy or Consulate in London if necessary).
- Liaise with the local funeral director.
- Get permission from the Coroner in this country for the person to leave the UK.
- Book the flight and give you the details so that you can book your own travel on the same aircraft if you wish.
- Take the person in their coffin to the airport and complete the process there for them to leave on their flight.
