Repatriation to and from Ghana

Repatriation from Ghana to the United Kingdom

There is a large and long-established Ghanaian community in the UK. A death in Ghana brings together the registration of the death, the export licence needed to release your loved one, the preparation for a long-haul flight, and the receiving arrangements in the UK. We coordinate all of it directly with the registry, the funeral director and the authorities in Ghana, so the family does not have to travel or deal with offices there. Our repatriation hub explains the process in plain terms if you are at the start.

Ghana is an English-speaking country and its official documents are issued in English, so a translation is not normally needed for the UK. Where a document has to be formally recognised, it is legalised through the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office and the Ghana High Commission.

The process in Ghana

The death is registered with the local Births and Deaths Registry, which issues the Ghanaian death certificate: it is worth obtaining extra certified copies, as several parties will need one. A funeral director in Ghana usually handles the registration and arranges the export licence for the coffin along with the rest of the repatriation paperwork. Where a death occurred outside a hospital, a government pathologist or the police may carry out a post-mortem first, and a post-mortem report then forms part of the file.

Your loved one travels with the certified Ghanaian death certificate, the export licence for the coffin, your loved one's passport, and, where the death occurred outside a hospital, the post-mortem report. The funeral director prepares your loved one and arranges the hygienic treatment (embalming) and coffin that a long-haul flight requires.

Preparation and transport

For international carriage your loved one receives hygienic treatment and is placed in a sealed coffin, with a certificate confirming the preparation. The transport is by a scheduled flight from Accra to a UK airport. Our team works with the Ghanaian funeral director to collect your loved one, complete the airline documentation, and stay with them 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 Ghanaian death certificate is generally sufficient. For a cremation in England and Wales, the coroner must give authority first: this is 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 when your loved one arrives.

Timelines and what affects them

A repatriation from Ghana usually takes 2 to 7 days from first contact. The timing depends on how quickly the Births and Deaths Registry issues the certificate, the export licence is granted, the hygienic treatment and preparation are completed, and a suitable long-haul flight from Accra is available. Where a sudden death involves the police or a government pathologist, 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 region of Ghana, the mortuary and local fees, and the flight routing from Accra. Families are often unaware that a UK estate, a life-insurance policy or a community or church fund may cover part of the cost, and we help you check what the policy covers.

Authorities involved

• Births and Deaths Registry: registers the death and issues the Ghanaian death certificate.
• Funeral director in Ghana: registers the death, arranges the export licence for the coffin and the repatriation paperwork, and prepares your loved one.
• Government pathologist / police: carry out a post-mortem where a death occurred outside a hospital.
• 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 Ghanaian death certificate: issued by the Births and Deaths Registry; obtain extra certified copies.
• Export licence for the coffin: authorising your loved one to leave Ghana.
• Your loved one's passport: identity document required for carriage.
• Post-mortem report: where the death occurred outside a hospital.
• Hygienic treatment certificate and sealed coffin: as required for international air transport.
• Coroner's authority (Cremation Form 6): only where a cremation is planned in England and Wales.

Repatriation from the United Kingdom to Ghana

When someone dies in the UK and is to be returned home to Ghana for the funeral, the process brings together the UK coroner's formalities, the recognition of the documents by the Ghanaian authorities, and a long-haul flight to Accra. We manage the transport and the paperwork on both sides so the family in Ghana does not have to deal with UK offices in English. Our repatriation hub sets out the essentials if you are at the start.

Ghana is outside the European Union, so its own import requirements set the standard for the documents that accompany your loved one. UK public documents are legalised through the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office and the Ghana High Commission so they are recognised on arrival.

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 Ghana: the receiving formalities

Your loved one travels after hygienic treatment (embalming), placed in a sealed coffin suitable for air transport, accompanied by the UK death certificate, the coroner's out-of-England acknowledgement, and confirmation of hygienic treatment and free from infection. Before travel, the UK documents are legalised through the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office and the Ghana High Commission so they are recognised on arrival. In Ghana, a receiving funeral director takes your loved one into care and arranges the funeral in the home region. We prepare the document file and coordinate directly with the funeral director.

Preparation and transport

Your loved one receives hygienic treatment to international transport standard and placed in a sealed coffin suitable for air carriage. The transport is by a scheduled flight to Accra, with any onward transfer to the home region arranged at the Ghanaian end. Our team collects your loved one from the UK hospital, mortuary or funeral director, manages the airline documentation, and coordinates with the receiving funeral director through to arrival.

Timelines and what affects them

A repatriation from the UK to Ghana usually takes 2 to 7 days from first contact, your loved one travelling roughly 5,100 km by air. The main factors are the four clear days' notice to the coroner, the time to have the documents legalised for recognition in Ghana, and airline scheduling. 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 region in Ghana, the airline and route, any onward transfer beyond Accra, and any UK funeral-home and mortuary fees. A UK estate, a life-insurance policy, or a church or community fund 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.
• Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office and the Ghana High Commission: legalise the UK documents so they are recognised in Ghana.
• Embalmer / UK funeral director: carries out hygienic treatment to international standard and provides the sealed transport coffin.
• Receiving funeral director in Ghana: takes your loved one into care and arranges the funeral in the home region.

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.
• Legalised UK documents: legalised through the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office and the Ghana High Commission.
• Hygienic treatment certificate: confirming preparation to international transport standard.
• Free from infection certificate: confirming no public-health risk in transit.
• Sealed coffin: as required for international air carriage to Ghana.