Repatriation to and from Nigeria

Repatriation from Nigeria to the United Kingdom

Britain is home to one of the largest Nigerian communities in the world. A death in Nigeria brings together the registration of the death, a health clearance, the preparation required for a long-haul flight, and the receiving arrangements in the UK. We coordinate all of it across time zones, so the family never has to travel to Nigeria or deal with offices there directly. If you are at the very start of this, our repatriation hub explains the process in plain terms.

Nigeria is an English-speaking country and its official documents are issued in English, so no translation is usually needed for the UK. Where a Nigerian document has to be formally recognised in the UK, we arrange its legalisation.

The process in Nigeria

The death is registered locally with the registry office, part of the National Population Commission, which issues the Nigerian death certificate. A local funeral director usually handles the registration and prepares your loved one for the transport, arranging the hygienic treatment (embalming) and the sealed metal casket that a long-haul flight requires. The Ministry of Health provides the freedom-from-infection declaration, and a coroner gives permission to remove your loved one from the country.

Your loved one travels with the Nigerian death certificate, the coroner's permission to remove your loved one and your loved one's passport, the freedom-from-infection declaration, and confirmation that your loved one has been given hygienic treatment and placed in a sealed metal casket. Where a death was sudden or unexplained, the coroner's enquiries must be completed before permission is given, and this is the most common reason a timeline runs longer.

Preparation and transport

For international carriage your loved one receives hygienic treatment and is placed in a sealed metal casket, with a certificate confirming the preparation. The transport is by a scheduled flight into a UK airport. Our team works with the Nigerian 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 Nigerian 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.

Where the family's faith calls for a prompt burial, every day counts. We move as quickly as the Nigerian authorities allow and keep you informed so the UK arrangements can be ready.

Timelines and what affects them

A repatriation from Nigeria usually takes 2 to 7 days from first contact. The timing depends on how quickly the registry issues the death certificate, the Ministry of Health issues the freedom-from-infection declaration, the hygienic treatment and preparation are completed, and a suitable flight is available. Where a coroner's enquiries are needed, 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 city of departure in Nigeria, the airport routing, and local funeral-home and administrative fees. Families are often unaware that a UK estate, a life-insurance policy or a community fund may cover part of the cost, and we help you check what the policy covers.

Authorities involved

• Local funeral director in Nigeria: registers the death, arranges the hygienic treatment and sealed metal casket, and prepares the repatriation paperwork.
• National Population Commission (registry office): registers the death and issues the Nigerian death certificate.
• Ministry of Health: issues the freedom-from-infection declaration for your loved one.
• Coroner in Nigeria: gives permission to remove your loved one from the country.
• 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

• Nigerian death certificate: issued by the local registry / National Population Commission (in English; no translation needed).
• Coroner's permission to remove your loved one: with your loved one's passport.
• Freedom-from-infection declaration: confirming no public-health risk in transit.
• Hygienic treatment confirmation and sealed metal casket: 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 Nigeria

When someone dies in the UK and is to be returned to Nigeria for the funeral, the transport brings together the UK coroner's formalities, the requirements of the Nigerian authorities, and a long-haul flight. We manage the transport and the paperwork on both sides so the family, in the UK, in Nigeria, or split between the two, does not have to approach foreign offices directly. Our repatriation hub sets out the essentials if you are at the start.

Nigeria 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 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 Nigeria: the receiving formalities

Your loved one travels after hygienic treatment (embalming), placed in a sealed metal casket, accompanied by the UK death certificate, the coroner's out-of-England acknowledgement, and confirmation of hygienic treatment and free from infection. In Nigeria, a receiving funeral director takes your loved one into care and the death is recorded locally before the funeral. We prepare the document file, including the legalisation described above, and coordinate directly with the funeral director in Nigeria.

Preparation and transport

Your loved one receives hygienic treatment to international transport standard and placed in a sealed metal casket suitable for air carriage. Your loved one travels on a scheduled flight to Nigeria. Our team collects your loved one from the UK hospital, mortuary or funeral director, books the space on the flight, and stays with them to the destination airport, coordinating with the receiving funeral director, who takes your loved one into their care for the funeral.

Timelines and what affects them

A repatriation from the UK to Nigeria usually takes 2 to 7 days from first contact, your loved one travelling roughly 5,000 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 Nigeria, 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 city or region in Nigeria, the airline charges, and any UK funeral-home and mortuary fees. A UK estate, a life-insurance policy, a church or community fund, 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.
• Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office: legalises the UK documents so they are recognised in Nigeria.
• Embalmer / UK funeral director: carries out hygienic treatment to international standard and provides the sealed metal transport casket.
• Receiving funeral director in Nigeria: takes your loved one into care and supports the family's funeral arrangements.

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, with certified copies of the death certificate.
• Hygienic treatment certificate: confirming preparation to international transport standard.
• Free from infection certificate: confirming no public-health risk in transit.
• Sealed metal casket: as required for international air carriage to Nigeria.