Repatriation to and from Morocco

Repatriation from Morocco to the United Kingdom

Morocco is one of the closest countries outside Europe, and many British families know it through holidays, second homes and relatives there. When someone dies in Morocco, bringing them home brings together the Moroccan authorities, the arrangements at home in England, Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland, and the transport itself. We coordinate all three, so the family does not have to travel to Morocco or deal with offices that work in Arabic and French. If you are at the very start of this, our repatriation hub explains the process in plain terms.

The process in Morocco: registration and release

The death is registered with the local authorities, who issue a civil death certificate in Arabic, French or both on presentation of the medical certificate. The certificate records your loved one's parents' names, including the mother's maiden name, so it helps to have those details ready. It does not give a cause of death. The Moroccan authorities normally tell the British Embassy in Rabat, and its consular team can give the family lists of local lawyers and liaise with the authorities.

For a foreign national, or where a death was not from natural causes, the King's Prosecutor orders a post-mortem. It does not stop a repatriation, and your loved one can come home before any test results are back. The authorities then give permission for your loved one to leave, and moving between regions within Morocco needs its own authorisation. Cremation is not allowed in Morocco, so the choice is a burial there or a repatriation.

Preparation and transport

Your loved one receives hygienic treatment (embalming) and is placed in a sealed coffin with a soldered metal lining, which Morocco requires before anyone can leave the country, with a certificate of hygienic treatment. Morocco is across the Strait of Gibraltar, so most repatriations from there come by air to a UK airport, roughly 2,100 km. For the north of the country a road route through Spain and France is sometimes possible, and we tell you on the first call which fits your case. From the airport or the ferry port we drive on to the funeral director you have chosen.

Bringing your loved one into the UK

The death does not need registering again in the UK. You take the Moroccan death certificate, with its certified English translation, to the register office where the funeral will be, and the registrar issues a certificate of no liability to register, which the funeral director needs. A coroner in England or Wales must be told if the death was violent, unnatural or of unknown cause, and for a cremation the coroner's authority is needed too. If your loved one is cremated abroad and only the ashes come home, there is no inquest. We arrange each of these steps.

Timelines and what affects them

A repatriation from Morocco usually takes 2 to 7 days from first contact. The timing depends on how quickly the certificate and the permission to leave are issued, whether the prosecutor has asked for a post-mortem, and the flight. We start the paperwork the same day.

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 city your loved one is in, the route home and local fees. Check any travel insurance first: where a policy covers the death, the insurer usually appoints the funeral directors, and we can work with them or help you make the claim.

Authorities involved

• Attending doctor: issues the medical certificate on which registration is based.
• Local civil registry: registers the death and issues the death certificate in Arabic and/or French.
• King's Prosecutor: orders a post-mortem for a foreign national or an unnatural death.
• Local authorities: give permission for your loved one to leave, and to move between regions.
• British Embassy in Rabat: is notified of the death and can help the family with information.
• 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

• Moroccan death certificate: from the civil registry, with a certified English translation.
• Permission to remove your loved one: from the Moroccan authorities.
• Hygienic treatment certificate: confirming preparation for international transport.
• Sealed coffin with a metal lining: required before your loved one can leave Morocco.
• Certificate of no liability to register: from the UK registrar, before the funeral.

Repatriation from the United Kingdom to Morocco

For many Moroccan families in the UK, a burial at home, close to family, is what matters most. Taking your loved one home brings together the UK coroner's formalities, the authorisation the Moroccan consulate issues, and the transport. We prepare the whole file and coordinate with the family in Morocco, so nobody there has to deal with UK offices in English. 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

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, and can release your loved one sooner where no further enquiries are needed. We complete this notification on the family's behalf. In Scotland the equivalent authority is the procurator fiscal, and in Northern Ireland the coroner.

The Moroccan consulate's authorisation

Morocco only accepts your loved one with an autorisation de transfert de corps, the transfer authorisation the Moroccan consulate issues, sometimes called the laissez-passer mortuaire. The consulate asks for the UK death certificate, your loved one's Moroccan passport or national identity card, a certificate that the coffin has been hermetically sealed, a certificate that there is no risk of infection, and the permission to leave, which in England is the coroner's notice. It also asks for the parents' names, the family's address in Morocco, the place of burial, the arrival date and airport, and who is paying.

One copy of the whole file travels with the coffin, and the passport and identity card are handed to the consulate to be cancelled. We prepare and lodge the file, so no one in the family has to attend the consulate.

Preparation and transport

Your loved one receives hygienic treatment (embalming) and is placed in a double coffin, wood outside with a metal lining soldered shut inside, which Morocco requires. Most repatriations to Morocco go by air, roughly 2,100 km to Casablanca, with Marrakech, Rabat, Tangier and other airports for the home town. Where the family is in the north, a road route through France and Spain with the crossing to Tangier is sometimes possible, and we tell you which suits your case.

Arriving in Morocco

At the airport, the health and customs officers check the file and release your loved one to the family member named on the authorisation, who needs to be there. The burial then follows according to Islamic rites, usually without delay. Afterwards the family registers the death at the court of first instance for the place of burial, which gives them a Moroccan death certificate for inheritance.

Timelines and what affects them

A repatriation from the UK to Morocco usually takes 2 to 7 days from first contact. The main factors are the four clear days' notice to the coroner, the consulate's authorisation 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, bank insurance or a community fund may cover part of the cost, and we help you check what it covers. The Moroccan state pays only in a narrow case, for a Moroccan who lived abroad for at least six months without insurance and whose family cannot pay, and it must approve the request before anything is booked.

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.
• Embalmer / UK funeral director: carries out hygienic treatment and seals the lined coffin.
• Moroccan consulate in the UK: issues the transfer authorisation and cancels the passport and identity card.
• Airport health and customs in Morocco: check the file and release your loved one to the named family member.
• Court of first instance: registers the death in Morocco after the burial.

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.
• Moroccan passport or national identity card: or another ID with a close relative's card.
• Hermetic sealing certificate: from the funeral director, for the sealed coffin.
• Freedom from infection certificate: confirming no public-health risk in transit.
• Consular transfer authorisation: issued by the Moroccan consulate, one copy travelling with the coffin.