How To Plan a Funeral Abroad

If someone you know has died in the UK and you would like their funeral to take place elsewhere, then you will have to have their body repatriated. There are a number of rules that govern what can happen to deceased people that are designed to prevent fraud and safeguard public health. However, many people are repatriated to an overseas country from the UK each year. Indeed, plenty of British subjects are flown back to the UK having died abroad, too. 

Before looking further into the regulations surrounding international body repatriation, however, it will be worth considering the other, often less costly, option. This is to have the deceased’s body cremated in the UK. You can then transport the cremated remains much more straightforwardly.

Nevertheless, this simply isn’t an option for some people, so what is involved in a full repatriation service today? Read on to find out.

Get Local Help

To begin with, if you are overseas but arranging the funeral of someone who has died in the UK, then you may need a local agent in Britain to assist you. According to Newrest Funerals, a funeral planning service provider, local knowledge is essential because rules differ depending on where the body is being stored until it can be moved. For example, slightly different regulations apply in Scotland and Northern Ireland compared to England and Wales. There again, some local coroner’s offices may interpret the rules differently from others so a bit of help on the ground can be useful. This is certainly so if you are in another time zone.

Obtain the Required Documentation

You will need a death certificate before the body of the deceased will be released to you. Under UK law, this can only be issued by an approved coroner. The office to contact will be the one that is located most closely to where the body is, usually a hospital mortuary. With the death certificate, you can then appoint funeral directors to prepare the body for its final journey. Please note that you will need two forms of identification for the deceased, such as a passport, to receive the death certificate. In addition, ask the coroner to provide you with a written declaration that you have permission to take the body out of the UK, something that will not be allowed if, for example, an inquest is to be staged or there is an ongoing police investigation.

Arrange Transportation

To repatriate a body these days almost always means flying it out of the country. Some airlines have rules about the sort of coffin or casket that may be used. It may be a condition of the coroner’s permission to repatriate the body that certain medical seals are used with the coffin. Your funeral director should dress the body appropriately and seal it into a suitable coffin. They’ll then take it to the airport on your behalf. This is where border control officers will want to see all of the relevant paperwork. Note that onward transportation once the flight touches down usually has to be arranged locally.