Body Repatriation From UK

When deciding on the repatriation process, your first step is to inform the concerned authorities of UK about the death of the person. In this process, you are also required to inform the consulate of the specific country to where the body is being repatriated to. It will help you identify the required documents that are needed for the repatriation process. This process is considered to be one of the most critical as the requirement of the document is different for every country.

This step is about informing the coroner about the process. It will take place through a ‘‘Form of notice to a Coroner of intention to remove a body out of England or Wales”. The specified period that must proceed after the receipt of the notice provided by the coroner is around four days.

If the coroner shows satisfaction with regards to the requirements, the body of the deceased will be taken anytime after being acknowledged by the concerned person.

In some urgent cases, the process may take place earlier. However, for that, permission must be taken from the coroner. Along with the form of notice to a coroner, it is also important to provide the registrars’ ‘Certified Copy of an Entry of Death’.

The form of acknowledgement also referred to as Form 103, is issued by the coroner after acknowledging the receipt of their formal notice.

Once it has been decided to repatriate the body out of England and Wales, the next step would involve approaching the local coroner for the purpose of the ‘Out of England’ certificate. In case if a person has died in Scotland and you want them to get buried overseas, for instance in the Channel Islands, Isle of Man, Northern Island, Wales, or England, you will require the following: 

• Certificate of no Liability to Register: You can obtain it from the place of burial. It can be in England and Wales. 
• Letter from the coroner in Scotland or a Death Certificate: You need to provide it to the registrar and are also required to sign a declaration form. It can be at the office in England or Wales.  

All of the countries do not have the same regulation, and therefore it will depend as to where you prefer to bury the deceased. There are a few countries that may carry an investigation prior to repatriating the body from Scotland. In that scenario, you may need to invoice Procurator Fisca in order to issue the Furth of Scotland letter to the person who has the responsibility of moving the body. 

You may need to follow the same procedure as you did in England and Wales in case you want to carry the process of repatriation from Northern Ireland. 

It is a very important requirement for transportation to certain countries. In fact, a coroner may order an inquiry or investigation about how the person died. However, it will depend upon the post-mortem results.

To ensure that you possess everything that is required, it is recommended to get in touch with the consulate of the country where the body is being repatriated to. Following are the documents you may need: 

• Coroner’s acknowledgement- ‘Certified Copy of an Entry’ from the Registrar
• Freedom from Infection Certificate. It will show the cause of the death and the statement of the doctor
• Certificate of embalming. Not always required
• Passport of the deceased

In case you need any assistance in this regard, you should contact your local funeral services provider.

The body may need to get prepared for the transportation prior to the process of repatriation. 

It may include the following: 

• Embalming: A process to preserve the body which will ultimately delay the changes to occur
• Zinc-lined coffin: Needed for the purpose of body transportation in another country 
• The right size coffin: It is essential to check the size as it needs to be correct, especially if it is being transported by a small aircraft. 
• Appropriate packing for the coffin: Every country may have different requirement in this regard; however, it may include bubble wrapping or wrapping in hessian as well. 

There are various factors that determine the cost of repatriation. These factors may include the country or place where the body is being transported, the coffin, and whether the coffin would be hermetically sealed or not. As costs may vary, it is tough to tell how much it would cost; however, it may be in the range of £2,000 to £4,000.

Similar to the costs, the time it takes to repatriate a body abroad is also quite difficult to tell. However, on average, it may take around two weeks for the whole process to get completed.