How to choose a repatriation company: seven questions to ask

Repatriation is not licensed in the UK. Anyone can call themselves a repatriation company, and some who do have done three of them. A family choosing one has no register to check and no badge to look for, so the choice comes down to what the company says on the phone, and there are seven questions that tell you most of what you need to know. Put them to anyone, including us.

1. Who will send the coroner’s notice, and when?

The right answer is a named person, today. Every repatriation out of England and Wales needs the coroner for the district to be notified, and the coroner has four clear days to reply. A company that knows this sends the notice on the first day, before the death is even registered. A company that says “once we have the death certificate” has just added four days to your timetable without noticing.

2. Will your loved one go by road or by air, and why?

For most of mainland Europe the right answer is road, in the company’s own vehicle, because it is cheaper, has no cargo schedule and keeps the coffin in one team’s hands. A company that quotes a flight to Poland or Romania either does not have vehicles or has not thought about it. For the rest of the world the answer is air, and the good version of that answer names the airline and whether the flight is direct. By road or by air is what a good answer sounds like.

3. What does the consulate need, and have you dealt with it before?

Every destination’s consulate in London wants something specific, on specific days, and a company that has done that country before will tell you what without checking. A company that has not will say “we’ll find out”, which is honest and also a warning: they are learning on your loved one. Ask how many times they have sent someone to that country.

4. Is the quote complete, and who receives my loved one at the other end?

A complete quote lists everything from the collection to the handover and names the receiving funeral director and what it charges. What a repatriation fee covers is the list to hold it against. A single figure with no list, or a quote that does not name the receiving firm, is where the second invoice comes from.

5. Where will my loved one be between now and then, and can I see them?

The right answer is a named chapel of rest, with an address, and yes. A company that cannot say where your loved one will be held is subcontracting the care, and a company that cannot offer a viewing before departure is subcontracting it somewhere you are not welcome.

6. How will you tell me where they are?

A good company tells you who collected your loved one and where they were taken, tells you when the vehicle leaves and when it crosses each border, and tells you when the receiving firm has signed for them, without you having to ring. Ask whether that is one person’s job and what their number is.

7. What is the price on the invoice?

Every published figure is an estimate; the question is whether the written quote is the invoice. The right answer is yes, this figure, and the only thing that could change it is a coroner or a court adding a fee that we will pass on at cost and tell you about first. How much does repatriation cost from the UK has the bands to check the figure against.

The two answers that end the conversation

“We can guarantee it will be there by Friday.” Nobody can promise a date before the coroner, the consulate and the carrier have answered, and a company that promises one is either inexperienced or intending to disappoint you. How long does a repatriation take explains why.

“The price depends on what we find.” A company that cannot itemise a quote once it knows the destination, the route and whether the coroner is involved is planning to itemise the invoice instead.

If you already have a local funeral director

Ask them the first four questions. If they name another company in their answers, that company is the one doing the repatriation, and what a UK funeral director does in a repatriation explains how to decide whether the go-between is worth their margin.

The process the seven questions are about is repatriation, step by step, and a company that has read it will recognise every one of them.

If you want to see how the companies families ask us about score on Trustpilot, ours beside them, the repatriation comparison page sets them side by side, with these questions under the table.