Repatriation agency

A repatriation agency is a firm that arranges for someone who has died to be brought home from abroad, or taken from the UK to the country where they will be laid to rest. In the UK this work is done by international funeral directors, who arrange the documents, the coffin and the transport, by road or by air. The FCDO does not pay for a repatriation, though travel insurance may.

Who checks them

No one does. Repatriation is not licensed in the UK, so there is no register to search and no badge to look for, and anyone can call themselves a repatriation agency. GOV.UK publishes a list of UK-based international funeral directors for families dealing with a death abroad. Beyond that, the choice comes down to what a firm tells you on the phone.

What to ask

Who will send the coroner’s notice, and when: the right answer is a named person, today. Whether your loved one will go by road or by air, and why: for most of mainland Europe the answer is road. What the destination’s consulate needs, and how many times the firm has dealt with it. Whether the quote is complete and names the receiving funeral director. Where your loved one will be cared for in the meantime, and whether you can visit them there. And how you will hear where they are, without having to ring.

What it costs and how long it takes

Every published figure is an estimate. What matters is whether the written quote is the figure on the invoice, with nothing added later except a fee from a coroner or a court, passed on at cost and explained first. A repatriation usually takes 2 to 7 days, but no firm can promise a date before the coroner, the consulate and the carrier have answered. A firm that guarantees a day is either inexperienced or setting you up for a disappointment. If you have a policy, travel insurance may decide which firm is appointed.