Travel insurance

Travel insurance can pay for bringing your loved one home after a death abroad, through a clause usually headed repatriation of remains. Not every policy has one, and the policies that do set a limit and some exclusions. Whether the policy pays decides who arranges the repatriation and who meets the cost.

What the cover pays for

The clause usually sits with the medical and emergency cover, and pays up to a limit that is often £5,000 to £10,000 and on some policies unlimited. It normally covers the funeral director abroad, the embalming and a sealed coffin, the death certificate and its translation, the consular papers and the transport home, by road or by air. Many policies will pay for a cremation abroad and the return of the ashes instead, and a small sum toward one relative’s travel. The funeral in the UK is not covered. Nor is the Global Health Insurance Card any substitute: it does not cover repatriation at all.

The exclusions to check

Three catch families most often: a medical condition that was not declared, a death where alcohol or drugs played a part, and some sports, or a destination the Foreign Office advised against. A refusal can be challenged, and the Financial Ombudsman Service takes travel insurance complaints.

What to do first

Ring the assistance line on the policy, not the sales number, before anything is signed, and within the notification period, usually 24 to 48 hours. The assistance company opens a case, asks for the death certificate and any police report, and appoints the firm that will carry out the repatriation. A family that pays a firm of its own first may find the claim reduced or refused. Some insurers accept a firm the family nominates, so ask on that first call. Without cover, the family or the estate pays; a repatriation agency can give a written quote.