Repatriation to and from New Zealand

Repatriation from New Zealand to the United Kingdom

New Zealand is one of the most distant countries we serve, roughly 18,800 km from the UK, on the far side of the world, and with a large British-New Zealand population, bringing a loved one home from there is a route we know well, if one of the longer routes in both distance and paperwork. The process draws together the formalities where the death occurred, the certificates needed for a long-haul flight, and the receiving arrangements in the UK. We coordinate all of it across a twelve-hour time difference, so the family does not have to deal with New Zealand funeral directors, government offices or airlines directly. If you are at the very start of this, our repatriation hub explains the process in plain terms.

New Zealand is a party to the Hague Apostille Convention, so the death certificate is legalised for use in the UK with an apostille rather than a longer consular chain. New Zealand documents are issued in English, so no translation is needed here.

The process in New Zealand

A local funeral director, most of whom are equipped to handle repatriation, registers the death with the Department of Internal Affairs (Births, Deaths & Marriages), which issues the death certificate, and arranges the hygienic treatment (embalming) and preparation for air transport. The New Zealand Customs Service clears the coffin at the border. The airline documentation, the air waybill and arrival notice, together with importer identification, the hygienic treatment certificate and your loved one's passport, make up the file that travels with the coffin. We work with the exporting funeral director so the paperwork is consistent before a flight is booked.

Preparation and transport

Your loved one receives hygienic treatment and is placed in a sealed, transport-standard coffin for the flight. Repatriation from New Zealand is by air, on a long-haul routing that usually connects through Asia or the Middle East, over a distance of roughly 18,800 km. Our team manages the airline documentation, the airline booking and the transport through to the receiving funeral director in the UK.

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 New Zealand 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 our resource centre. We liaise with the coroner's office so this is in place without delay.

Where the family observes Māori custom, a tangihanga (tangi) may be held in New Zealand before your loved one is brought home, or the family may wish to bring your loved one back without delay for a service in the UK. We arrange the transport and reception to fit the funeral your family intends to hold.

Timelines and what affects them

A repatriation from New Zealand usually takes 2 to 7 days from first contact. The timing depends on how quickly Births, Deaths & Marriages issues the death certificate, the apostille turnaround, the hygienic treatment and preparation, and the availability of a suitable long-haul flight, which is usually a distance of some 2 to 7 days door to door.

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 of departure in New Zealand, the flight routing back to the UK, and local funeral-director fees. A UK estate, a life-insurance policy or travel insurance may cover part of the cost, and we help you check what the policy covers.

Authorities involved

• Local funeral director (New Zealand): registers the death, arranges hygienic treatment and prepares your loved one for air transport; most are equipped to handle repatriation.
• Department of Internal Affairs (Births, Deaths & Marriages): registers the death and issues the New Zealand death certificate.
• New Zealand Customs Service: clears the coffin at the border.
• Airline: carries your loved one by air, with the documents accompanying them, usually via Asia or the Middle East.
• 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

• New Zealand death certificate: issued by the Department of Internal Affairs (in English; no translation needed).
• Apostille: legalising the death certificate for use in the UK under the Hague Apostille Convention.
• Freight documentation: the air waybill and arrival notice, with importer identification.
• Hygienic treatment certificate and your loved one's passport: supporting the carriage of the coffin.
• 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 New Zealand

When someone dies in the UK and is to be returned to New Zealand for the funeral, the transport is one of the longest we arrange, roughly 18,800 km from London, on the far side of the world, so your loved one travels by air on a long-haul routing that usually connects through Asia or the Middle East. With a large British-New Zealand population, it is a route we know well. The process brings together the UK coroner's formalities, the legalisation of the UK documents, and the entry requirements of the New Zealand authorities. We manage the transport and the paperwork on both sides, across a twelve-hour time difference, so the family in New Zealand does not have to deal with UK offices in English or approach consulates directly. Our repatriation hub sets out the essentials if you are at the start.

New Zealand is a party to the Hague Apostille Convention, so the UK documents that accompany your loved one are legalised with an apostille rather than a longer consular chain. Both countries issue their documents in English, so no translation is needed.

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 New Zealand: the receiving formalities

The entry of a coffin into New Zealand is cleared at the border by the New Zealand Customs Service. In practice a receiving local funeral director must be engaged, airlines will generally accept the coffin only when a funeral director is handling it at both ends, and that firm completes the arrival formalities and takes your loved one on to the funeral. Registration with the Department of Internal Affairs (Births, Deaths & Marriages) is arranged where required. We coordinate with the receiving funeral director so that clearance is straightforward before the coffin lands.

Preparation and transport

Your loved one receives hygienic treatment (embalming) to international transport standard, with a freedom-from-infection certificate issued, and placed in a sealed, transport-standard coffin prepared for air transport and for entry into New Zealand. Our team collects your loved one from the UK hospital, mortuary or funeral director, books the coffin on a long-haul flight to the nearest suitable New Zealand airport, and manages the handover to the receiving funeral director.

Timelines and what affects them

A repatriation from the UK to New Zealand usually takes 2 to 7 days from first contact, your loved one travelling roughly 18,800 km by air. The main factors are the four clear days' notice to the coroner, the apostille turnaround, and the routing of a suitable long-haul 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 airport in New Zealand, airline charges, 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.
• FCDO Legalisation Office: issues the apostille that certifies the UK documents for use in New Zealand under the Hague Convention.
• Embalmer / UK funeral director: carries out hygienic treatment to international standard and provides the sealed transport coffin.
• New Zealand Customs Service: clears the coffin at the border on entry.
• Local funeral director in New Zealand: completes the clearance on arrival and arranges the funeral.

Documents required

• UK death certificate: issued by the registrar once the death is registered (in English; no translation needed).
• Coroner's "out of England" acknowledgement: after at least four clear days' notice.
• Apostille: the FCDO's legalisation of the UK documents for use in New Zealand under the Hague Apostille Convention.
• Hygienic treatment certificate: confirming preparation to international transport standard.
• Free from infection certificate: confirming no communicable or infectious disease is present.
• Sealed transport coffin and airline documentation: as required for air transport and clearance by New Zealand Customs.