Repatriation to and from China

Repatriation from China to the United Kingdom

China is a long-haul route, and bringing a loved one home involves more steps than a European one. There is a settled British community across China, including many teachers and their families in the larger cities, and when a death occurs the transport home brings together the Chinese authorities who register the death and release your loved one, the documents needed for the flight, and the receiving arrangements in England, Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland. We coordinate all of this across the time difference, so the family does not have to deal directly with Chinese hospitals or offices. If you are at the very start of this, our repatriation hub explains the process in plain terms.

Because the Chinese death certificate is issued in Chinese, it travels with a notarised (certified) English translation, and the documents are legalised for use in the UK. China has been a member of the Hague Apostille Convention since it came into force there in November 2023, so that legalisation is now done by apostille rather than a longer consular chain.

The process in China

Where the death occurs in hospital, the hospital issues the death certificate; for a death outside hospital, the local Public Security Bureau issues a police death certificate. The local authorities then issue permission to remove your loved one, and a local funeral director prepares your loved one and arranges the transfer. We appoint and instruct that funeral director on the family's behalf and gather the paperwork as it is issued.

The documents that travel with your loved one are the Chinese death certificate with a notarised (certified) English translation, the permission to remove your loved one issued by the local authorities, and an hygienic treatment certificate together with your loved one's passport.

Preparation and transport

Your loved one receives hygienic treatment (embalming) and is placed in a sealed, transport-standard coffin by the local funeral director. Because of the distance, the transport home is made by air, with the documents accompanying your loved one on a scheduled flight from the nearest international airport to a UK airport. Our team manages the collection, the airline booking and the documentation, so that nothing is missing when the flight is confirmed.

Bringing your loved one into the UK

Once your loved one is in the UK, the family can arrange the funeral. For a burial, the Chinese death certificate, once legalised and translated, 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 China usually takes 2 to 7 days from first contact, over a distance of roughly 8,150 km. The timing depends on how quickly the hospital or Public Security Bureau issues the certificate, the local permission to remove your loved one, the translation and legalisation of the documents, and the availability of a suitable long-haul flight. Where a death is sudden or unexplained and the police are 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 put a firm price in writing on the first call, and that is the figure on the invoice. The figure depends on the Chinese city of departure, the airport routing, and local funeral and administrative fees, which vary across the country. 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

• Hospital or Public Security Bureau: the hospital issues the death certificate; for a death outside hospital, the local Public Security Bureau issues a police death certificate.
• Local authorities: issue permission to remove your loved one from China.
• Local funeral director: prepares your loved one, including hygienic treatment, and arranges the transfer.
• Airline: carries your loved one by air, with the documents accompanying them, under international regulations.
• 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

• Chinese death certificate: issued by the hospital, or a police death certificate from the local Public Security Bureau for a death outside hospital, with a notarised (certified) English translation.
• Apostille: legalising the Chinese documents for use in the UK, in place of consular legalisation.
• Permission to remove your loved one: issued by the local authorities.
• Hygienic treatment certificate and your loved one's passport.
• Coroner's authority (Cremation Form 6): only where a cremation is planned in England and Wales.

Repatriation from the United Kingdom to China

When someone dies in the UK and is to be returned to China for the funeral, the process brings together the UK coroner's formalities, the documents the Chinese authorities require, and a long-haul flight of roughly 8,150 km. Your loved one travels by air, and we manage the transport and the paperwork on both sides so the family in China does not have to deal with UK offices in English. 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 documents that accompany your loved one are then prepared for use in China. China has been a member of the Hague Apostille Convention since November 2023, so UK public documents can be legalised for China by apostille.

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 China: 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. Where the Chinese authorities require the UK documents to be legalised, this is done by apostille and, as they will be read in China, with a certified Chinese translation. The receiving funeral director in China takes your loved one into their care and handles the local formalities. We prepare the document file and coordinate directly with them.

Preparation and transport

Your loved one receives hygienic treatment and is placed in a transport-standard sealed coffin. We book the flight from a UK airport to the nearest receiving Chinese airport, collecting your loved one from the UK hospital, mortuary or funeral director and staying with them to the destination airport, coordinating with the receiving funeral director in China, who takes your loved one into their care for the funeral.

Timelines and what affects them

A repatriation from the UK to China usually takes 2 to 7 days from first contact, your loved one travelling roughly 8,150 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 legalisation and translation of the UK documents, 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 put a firm price in writing on the first call, and that is the figure on the invoice. The figure depends on the receiving city in China, the airline and routing, 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 to international transport standard and provides the sealed transport coffin.
• Receiving funeral director in China: takes your loved one on arrival and arranges the funeral in the family's home city.

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.
• Apostille and certified Chinese translation: where the Chinese authorities require the UK documents to be legalised.
• 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 China.