Repatriation to and from Eritrea

Repatriation from Eritrea to the United Kingdom

When someone dies in Eritrea, whether on a visit to family or while living there, bringing them home to the UK means certificates from several local offices, permission from the police and the airport, and a flight through another country. We coordinate it from the UK, with whoever is with your loved one in Eritrea, so the family here does not have to deal with each office in turn. If you are at the very start of this, our repatriation hub explains the process in plain terms.

The process in Eritrea: registration and the certificates

The death is registered at the local Public Registration Office. The family, or someone acting for them, also reports it to the Zoba Administration, which issues the death certificate and a witness of death certificate, and to the sub-Zoba, which confirms the report in a letter. These are in the local language, and the Zoba provides an English translation of the certificate. The hospital issues its own death certificate form, or a dead body certificate for a death elsewhere, in the local language and in English.

Where the cause of death is unknown, sudden, unnatural or violent, there may be a post-mortem in Eritrea. The British Embassy in Asmara can help liaise with the Eritrean authorities, but it cannot translate documents or pay costs, and Eritrea treats a British-Eritrean dual national as Eritrean, which means the embassy cannot give them consular help.

Preparation and permission to leave

Before your loved one can leave Eritrea, the police issue a clearance letter and the airport immigration police an approval letter, and a hygienic treatment (embalming) certificate is required. Your loved one is placed in a sealed coffin with a metal lining. There are no direct flights, so the route home is by air through a hub, roughly 5,300 km, and from the UK airport we drive on to the funeral director you have chosen.

Bringing your loved one into the UK

The death does not need registering again here. You take the Eritrean certificate, with an authenticated English translation, to the register office where the funeral will be, and the registrar issues a certificate of no liability to register. A coroner in England or Wales must be told if the death was violent, unnatural or of unknown cause, and a cremation needs the coroner's or the Home Office's authority. If your loved one were cremated in Eritrea instead, there could be no inquest in England and Wales, so tell us early if there are questions about the death.

Timelines and what affects them

A repatriation from Eritrea usually takes 2 to 7 days from first contact. The timing depends on how quickly the Zoba, the police and the airport issue their papers, whether there is a post-mortem, and the flight connections.

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 where in Eritrea your loved one is and on the airline route. Check any travel insurance first: the government advises against travel near Eritrea's land borders, and travelling against its advice can invalidate a policy. We help you with the claim where there is one.

Authorities involved

• Hospital: issues the death certificate form, or a dead body certificate for a death elsewhere.
• Public Registration Office: registers the death.
• Zoba and sub-Zoba Administration: issue the death certificate, the witness of death certificate and the acknowledgement letter.
• Police and airport immigration police: issue the clearance and approval letters for leaving Eritrea.
• British Embassy in Asmara: can help the family liaise with the authorities, with limited consular help.
• UK registrar and coroner: the registrar issues the certificate of no liability to register; the coroner is told where the death was violent, unnatural or unexplained.

Documents required

• Zoba death certificate: with its English translation, and the hospital's certificate or form.
• Police clearance letter: required before leaving Eritrea.
• Airport immigration police approval letter: required before the flight.
• Hygienic treatment certificate: confirming preparation for international transport.
• Passport: of the person who has died.
• Certificate of no liability to register: from the UK registrar, before the funeral.

Repatriation from the United Kingdom to Eritrea

Many Eritrean families in the UK want their loved one buried at home, in the town or village the family comes from, with the prayers of their own church or mosque. Taking them home brings together the UK coroner's formalities, the Eritrean Embassy's requirements and the flight. We prepare the whole file and keep the family in Eritrea informed. Our repatriation hub sets out the essentials if you are at the start.

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

The law requires that the coroner for the district be given at least four clear days' notice before a loved one is taken out of England and Wales (the Removal of Bodies Regulations 1954). In practice the coroner signs the out of England form on a written notice, both passports and the registrar's death certificate, and where the coroner is not investigating, that usually takes one to two working days. We complete it on the family's behalf. In Scotland the equivalent authority is the procurator fiscal.

The Eritrean Embassy's requirements

The Embassy of Eritrea in London asks for the UK death certificate, legalised by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, a doctor's letter that there is no communicable disease, a hygienic treatment certificate, the coroner's permission where the death was not natural, the passport if there is one, and your loved one's Eritrean national ID card. If the ID card cannot be found, three Eritrean nationals holding their own ID cards can go to the embassy and sign a witness form confirming the nationality. The embassy deals with the funeral director rather than the family, by appointment, so we lodge the file.

Preparation and transport

Your loved one receives hygienic treatment (embalming) and is placed in a sealed coffin with a metal lining, in an outer wooden case, as Eritrea asks. There are no direct flights, so the route is by air through a hub to Asmara, roughly 5,300 km. The family, or the person they name, receives your loved one at the airport.

Faith and the family at home

In an Orthodox Tewahedo family, the fitihat prayers are said soon after the death and again on set days, and the family keeps a week of mourning; a Muslim family keeps three days and asks for a prompt burial. Tell us on the first call when the family at home hopes to hold the burial, and we say what date is realistic.

Timelines and what affects them

A repatriation from the UK to Eritrea usually takes 2 to 7 days from first contact. The main factors are the coroner's notice, the legalisation of the death certificate, the embassy appointment and the flight. 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 destination and any UK funeral-home and mortuary fees. A life-insurance policy, a funeral plan or a church or community fund may cover part of the cost, and we help you check what it 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 signs the out of England form.
• UK registrar: registers the death and issues the death certificate.
• Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office: legalises the death certificate for Eritrea.
• Embassy of Eritrea, London: checks the file and the proof of nationality before your loved one travels.
• Embalmer / UK funeral director: carries out hygienic treatment and seals the coffin.

Documents required

• UK death certificate: legalised by the FCDO.
• Coroner's out of England form: after at least four clear days' notice.
• Doctor's letter: confirming there is no communicable disease.
• Hygienic treatment certificate: confirming preparation for international transport.
• Eritrean national ID card: or a witness form signed at the embassy by three Eritrean nationals.
• Passport: where there is one.