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“Reliable, professional, a reasonable price, and most important of all, my brother arrived exactly on time.”
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By air, arranged end to end

Routes this far go by air. We book the flight, prepare the papers the airline asks for, and our partners receive your loved one at the other end.

Everything in the estimate

  • The paperwork at both ends
  • Collection
  • Hygienic treatment
  • A sealed coffin
  • Transport, by road or by air
  • One specialist, start to finish
A written quote on a desk

One price, in writing, before anything moves

Before anything is booked you have an itemised quote in writing, and nothing is added to it afterwards, so you can plan without surprises.

In the families’ own words

“We were so worried about the process of getting my mum safely back home to Slovakia, but every detail was handled with care, compassion and professionalism.”
Sofia BartkovaUK to Slovakia
“Our loved one died on holiday in Egypt and what felt impossible was made possible. They kept us informed every step, translated everything, and their reps in Egypt worked so hard for us.”
NatEgypt to UK
“Their pricing was competitive and the process was incredibly fast. What stood out most was the attentive and caring staff who spoke Italian fluently.”
GenovesiUK to Italy
Two of our team at the front desk of our office

One specialist, from the first call to the last

The same person holds your case, deals with the offices at both ends and tells you when each step is done, so you never have to explain it twice.

Rated excellent, 4.8 out of 5

See reviews

Repatriation to and from Canada

£6,500£4,000

Estimated, all inclusive

Enquire now, no obligation
  • Usually 2 to 7 days
  • Agreed in writing
  • We answer any hour

  • Our fees, and one specialist from the first call to the last
  • Collection from the hospital or mortuary
  • Hygienic treatment, and care until your loved one travels
  • A sealed coffin that meets the route’s requirements
  • All the paperwork required
  • Transport by road in our own refrigerated funeral ambulances, or by air where the road is not possible

When your loved one needs an urgent collection, usually from a home: the estimate covers collection from a hospital or mortuary. Tell us where they are on the first call and the written quote includes it, with any of the costs specific to Canada that apply.

The estimate for any country, in either direction, and what it covers.

Work out an estimate for another countryWork out an estimate for another country

How body repatriation works, step by step

Four steps between Canada and the UK, and we do all of them. You hear from us at each one, not only at the end.

  1. The first call

    You tell us where your loved one is, in Canada or in the UK. We tell you the cost and what happens next, at any hour.

  2. The paperwork

    The death certificate, the permit to travel and the papers the carrier needs. We obtain them in Canada and here.

  3. Care and transport

    Hygienic treatment and a sealed coffin. Most routes travel by road in our own vehicles, by air only where the distance calls for it.

  4. Arrival

    By road, we drive on to the funeral director you have chosen, or to ours. By air, collection at the destination is an optional extra.

The papers we obtain for you

This is the set most routes need. Where a country asks for something else, we tell you before we quote, and we obtain that too.

  • Out of England permission

    From the coroner, when the death happened in England.

  • Free from infection certificate

    Confirms there is no infectious disease, for the carrier and the receiving country.

  • Funeral director’s declaration

    Our signed declaration for the transport.

  • Embalming certificate

    Where the route or the receiving country requires one.

  • Apostille

    Where the receiving country asks for one.

  • Translations

    Certified, where a document is not in the receiving country’s language.

Procedures change from time to time, so this list may lag behind them. We keep up with every change and confirm what your case needs on the first call.

What we need from you

  • The death certificate

    Or the coroner’s interim certificate, where there is an inquest.

  • Their passport

    Or a copy to begin with. We tell you if the original is needed.

  • Your permission for us to act

    A short form we send you to sign, so we can deal with the offices for your family.

What we need from you

  • Their passport, or a copy

    Whatever you have to hand. We tell you what else is needed.

  • Any papers you already hold from Canada

    A death certificate or a hospital letter, if you have one. If not, we obtain it.

  • Your permission for us to act

    A short form we send you to sign, so we can deal with the offices for your family.

Repatriation between Canada and the United Kingdom

The whole route in plain terms, in both directions, written for someone reading it for the first time.

Repatriation from Canada to the United Kingdom

Canada is home to a large community of British expatriates and dual nationals, from long-settled families in Ontario and British Columbia to retirees who moved to be near children and grandchildren. When a death occurs in Canada, bringing your loved one home to the UK brings together the provincial authorities, the documents needed for the flight, and the receiving arrangements in England, Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland. We coordinate all three across the time difference, so the family does not have to deal with Canadian offices or funeral directors directly. If you are at the very start of this, our repatriation hub explains the process in plain terms.

Canadian documents are issued in English (and, in Quebec, in French), so translation is rarely needed for the UK. Canada is a member of the Hague Apostille Convention, so where a Canadian public document must be legalised for use in the UK it can be apostilled rather than going through a longer legalisation chain.

The process in Canada

Death registration in Canada is handled at provincial level. The provincial or territorial Vital Statistics agency registers the death and issues the certified Canadian death certificate. Where the death was sudden, violent or unattended, the medical examiner or coroner becomes involved and must release your loved one before travel. An international funeral director then arranges the repatriation and the paperwork. Your loved one travels with the certified provincial death certificate, an hygienic treatment certificate, and your loved one's passport, which is retained for the repatriation process. We obtain these on the family's behalf while your loved one is prepared for the transport.

Preparation and transport

Your loved one receives hygienic treatment (embalming) and is placed in a sealed, transport-standard coffin suitable for international air transport. The transport home is made by air from the nearest international airport to a UK airport, with the documents accompanying your loved one. Our team coordinates collection from the Canadian funeral director, the airline booking and the customs formalities, through to the receiving funeral director in the UK.

Bringing your loved one into the UK

Once in the UK, the family can arrange the funeral. For a burial, the Canadian death certificate is generally sufficient. For a cremation, the coroner in England and Wales must give authority first: this is the Cremation Form 6, issued once the coroner is satisfied there is no need for further investigation (in Scotland this role falls to the procurator fiscal; in Northern Ireland, the coroner). You can read more about the coroner's role in England in our resource centre. We liaise with the coroner's office so this is in place without delay.

Timelines and what affects them

A repatriation from Canada usually takes 2 to 7 days from first contact to arrival in the UK, over a distance of roughly 5,400 km. The timing depends on how quickly the provincial Vital Statistics agency issues the death certificate, the hygienic treatment and preparation, and the availability of a suitable transatlantic flight from the province of departure. Where the death was sudden or unexplained and a medical examiner or coroner is involved, release can take longer.

This estimate is counted from when the death is registered, and our team does everything possible to complete the repatriation sooner.

Costs and financial support

We confirm a firm, fixed quote at first contact. The figure depends on the province and city of departure, the airport routing and local funeral-home fees. Families are often unaware that a UK estate, a life-insurance policy or travel insurance held by your loved one may cover part of the cost, and we help you check what the policy covers.

Authorities involved

  • Provincial or territorial Vital Statistics agency: registers the death and issues the certified Canadian death certificate.
  • Medical examiner or coroner: where the death is sudden, violent or unattended, examines your loved one and authorises release.
  • International funeral director: arranges the repatriation and the accompanying paperwork.
  • UK coroner / procurator fiscal: where a cremation is planned in England and Wales, authorises it via Cremation Form 6 (in Scotland, the procurator fiscal; in Northern Ireland, the coroner).

Documents required

  • Certified Canadian death certificate: issued by the provincial or territorial Vital Statistics agency.
  • Hygienic treatment certificate: confirming preparation to international transport standard.
  • Your loved one's passport: retained for the repatriation process.
  • Free from infection certificate: confirming no public-health risk in transit.
  • Coroner's authority (Cremation Form 6): only where a cremation is planned in England and Wales.

Repatriation from the United Kingdom to Canada

When someone dies in the UK and is to be returned to Canada for the funeral, the process brings together the UK coroner's formalities, the requirements set by the Canadian authorities, and the transatlantic flight itself. We manage the transport and the paperwork on both sides, so the family in Canada does not have to deal with UK offices from across the Atlantic. Our repatriation hub sets out the essentials if you are at the start.

Taking a loved one out of England and Wales follows a set UK procedure; the receiving province's requirements then set the standard for the documents that must accompany your loved one and for the way the coffin is prepared. Because both countries issue documents in English, the paperwork is comparatively straightforward.

Telling the coroner: taking a loved one out of England and Wales

Before a loved one can be taken out of England and Wales, the law requires that the coroner for the district be given at least four clear days' notice (the Removal of Bodies Regulations 1954). The coroner then issues an acknowledgement, the "out of England" notice, confirming there is no objection to removal, and can release your loved one sooner where satisfied that no further enquiries are needed. We complete this notification and obtain the acknowledgement on the family's behalf. In Scotland the equivalent authority is the procurator fiscal; in Northern Ireland, the coroner.

Arriving in Canada: the receiving formalities

Your loved one travels after hygienic treatment (embalming), placed in a sealed, transport-standard coffin, accompanied by the UK death certificate, the coroner's out-of-England acknowledgement, and certificates of hygienic treatment and freedom from infection. In the destination province, the receiving international funeral director handles the local formalities and the provincial requirements. We prepare the document file and coordinate directly with the funeral director in Canada, who takes your loved one into their care for the funeral.

Preparation and transport

Your loved one receives hygienic treatment and is placed in a sealed transport coffin suitable for international air transport. For Canada the transport is made by air, with the documents accompanying your loved one to the destination airport. Our team collects your loved one from the UK hospital, mortuary or funeral director, manages the flight and the customs formalities, and coordinates handover to the receiving funeral director in Canada.

Timelines and what affects them

A repatriation from the UK to Canada usually takes 2 to 7 days from first contact, your loved one travelling roughly 5,400 km by air. The main factors are the four clear days' notice to the coroner (which can sometimes be shortened at the coroner's discretion), the destination province's requirements, and flight availability. Where the death has been referred to the coroner for investigation, the timeline can be longer.

This estimate is counted from when the death is registered, and our team does everything possible to complete the repatriation sooner.

Costs and financial support

We confirm a firm, fixed quote at first contact. The figure depends on the destination province, flight charges to the arrival airport, and any UK funeral-home and mortuary fees. A UK estate, a life-insurance policy or your loved one's own arrangements may cover part of the cost, and we help you check what the policy covers.

Authorities involved

  • UK coroner (or procurator fiscal in Scotland): must be given at least four clear days' notice before your loved one is taken out of England and Wales, and issues the "out of England" acknowledgement.
  • UK registrar: registers the death and issues the death certificate that accompanies your loved one.
  • Embalmer / UK funeral director: carries out hygienic treatment and preparation to international transport standard and provides the sealed transport coffin.
  • Provincial Vital Statistics agency in Canada: the provincial authority for death records in the destination province.
  • Receiving international funeral director in Canada: takes charge of your loved one on arrival and arranges the funeral in the destination province.

Documents required

  • UK death certificate: issued by the registrar once the death is registered.
  • Coroner's "out of England" acknowledgement: after at least four clear days' notice.
  • Hygienic treatment certificate: confirming preparation to international transport standard.
  • Free from infection certificate: confirming no public-health risk in transit.
  • Sealed transport coffin: as required for international carriage to Canada.

Questions families ask us about bringing someone home from Canada

Your loved one travels with a certified Canadian death certificate from the provincial or territorial Vital Statistics agency, an hygienic treatment certificate, and your loved one's passport, which is retained for the repatriation. A freedom-from-infection certificate accompanies the carriage.

Canadian documents are in English (and French in Quebec), so translation is rarely needed. We obtain everything on your behalf.

Usually 2 to 7 days from first contact to arrival in the UK, over a distance of roughly 5,400 km. The timing depends on how quickly the provincial Vital Statistics agency issues the death certificate, the hygienic treatment and preparation, and the availability of a suitable transatlantic flight.

Where the death was sudden or unexplained and a medical examiner or coroner is involved, release can take longer.

No. Length of residence or Canadian citizenship does not change the route home. The provincial authorities register the death and release your loved one, and we bring them to the UK.

We can also help the family register the death in the UK and with any estate matters that follow.

The core process is the same across Canada, though each province or territory's Vital Statistics agency runs its own registration, and Quebec issues documents in French.

Distance and local fees vary by province, but we coordinate with the local funeral director and arrange the flight home wherever your loved one was.

The quoted price covers the Canadian documentation, hygienic treatment, a transport coffin suitable for the UK funeral, the repatriation paperwork, a flight to a UK airport and handover to your funeral director. We confirm a firm, fixed quote at first contact.

Questions families ask us about repatriation to Canada

Before removal, the coroner must be given at least four clear days' notice and issues an "out of England" acknowledgement. Your loved one then travels after hygienic treatment, in a sealed, transport-standard coffin, accompanied by the UK death certificate and certificates of hygienic treatment and freedom from infection.

In the destination province, the receiving funeral director handles the local formalities. We prepare the file and coordinate both sides.

Usually 2 to 7 days, your loved one travelling roughly 5,400 km by air. The main factor is the four clear days' notice to the coroner, which can occasionally be shortened at the coroner's discretion.

Flight availability and the destination province's requirements also affect timing, and where the death has been referred to the coroner for investigation the timeline can be longer.

Canada is a member of the Hague Apostille Convention, so where a UK public document must be legalised it can be apostilled in the UK rather than going through a longer chain.

The receiving funeral director in the destination province advises exactly which documents are required, and we prepare the file accordingly.

Yes. We complete the UK coroner's formalities and registration, prepare your loved one and arrange the flight, and hand over to a funeral director in the destination province.

The family in Canada only needs to give a written authorisation and choose the receiving funeral director; we coordinate both sides remotely.

The quoted price covers the coroner notification, hygienic treatment, a sealed transport coffin, the transport certificates, a flight to Canada and handover to the receiving funeral director. We confirm a firm, fixed quote at first contact.

Every other country, in both directions

We bring loved ones home to the UK from anywhere, and from the UK to anywhere in the world. Three more routes written up in the same detail: repatriation to and from Chile, Colombia and Grenada.

Talk to a specialistRepatriation routes for every country

“We were so worried about the process of getting my mum safely back home to Slovakia, but every detail was handled with care, compassion and professionalism.”

Sofia Bartkova
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