Repatriation to and from Philippines

Repatriation from the Philippines to the United Kingdom

The Filipino community in the United Kingdom is one of the largest of any nationality, many working in the NHS and in social care, and a great number of Filipino seafarers crewing British and international ships, so this is a route we travel often. When a death occurs in the Philippines, bringing your loved one home draws together the Philippine formalities where the death occurred, the documents required for a long-haul flight, and the receiving arrangements in the UK. We coordinate all of it across the time difference, so the family does not have to deal with Philippine offices, funeral establishments or airlines directly. If you are at the very start of this, our repatriation hub explains the process in plain terms.

The Philippines is a party to the Hague Apostille Convention, so the death certificate and the supporting papers are legalised for use in the UK with an apostille rather than a longer consular chain.

The process in the Philippines

A death is first certified by the municipal health officer, who issues the initial municipal death certificate, and it is then registered with the local civil registrar. The national record is held by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), which issues certified copies of the death certificate once registration is complete. Before the coffin can be shipped, the Bureau of Quarantine issues a quarantine permit confirming they present no public-health risk in transit, and a local transfer permit is obtained. A licensed funeral establishment carries out the hygienic treatment for your loved one and places them in a hermetically sealed container suitable for international carriage.

The documents that travel with your loved one are the PSA-certified death certificate, with an official English translation if required, the hygienic treatment certificate, and the local transfer permit and Bureau of Quarantine permit. We assemble and check the full set, apostille included, before a flight is booked.

Preparation and transport

Your loved one receives hygienic treatment (embalming) and is placed in a hermetically sealed container for the flight. Repatriation from the Philippines is by air, usually on a long-haul service from an international airport, with a domestic connection from the province where the death occurred where that is needed. Our team manages the collection, the airline documentation 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 foreign 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.

Many Filipino families are Roman Catholic and wish to hold a wake and Requiem Mass, while others prefer to proceed to burial without delay. We arrange the transport and reception to fit the funeral your family intends to hold.

Timelines and what affects them

A repatriation from the Philippines usually takes 2 to 7 days from first contact, over a distance of roughly 10,700 km. The timing depends on how quickly the local civil registrar and the PSA issue a certified death certificate, the Bureau of Quarantine permit and the apostille, the hygienic treatment and preparation, and the availability of a suitable long-haul flight. Where a death is sudden or unexplained and referred for examination, 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 province and city of departure, the airport routing, and local funeral-establishment fees, which vary across the country. Families are often unaware that 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

• Municipal health officer: issues the initial municipal death certificate that underpins registration.
• Local civil registrar: registers the death at the city or municipality where it occurred.
• Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA): issues certified copies of the death certificate after registration.
• Bureau of Quarantine: issues the quarantine permit required to ship a coffin internationally.
• Licensed funeral establishment: carries out the hygienic treatment for your loved one and places them in a hermetically sealed container for carriage.
• 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

• PSA-certified death certificate: with an official English translation if required.
• Local transfer permit and Bureau of Quarantine permit: authorising international shipment of the coffin.
• Hygienic treatment certificate: with the coffin placed in a hermetically sealed container.
• Apostille: legalising the death certificate for use in the UK under the Hague Apostille Convention.
• 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 the Philippines

When someone dies in the UK and is to be returned to the Philippines for the funeral, the process brings together the UK coroner's formalities, the requirements set by the Philippine authorities, and a long-haul flight of roughly 10,700 km. The large Filipino community in Britain, many in the NHS and in seafaring, makes this a familiar route for us, and your loved one travels by air, usually through an international airport and on to the home province. We manage the transport and the paperwork on both sides so the family does not have to deal with UK offices in English or approach the Philippine authorities directly. Our repatriation hub sets out the essentials if you are at the start.

Because both the United Kingdom and the Philippines are parties to the Hague Apostille Convention, the UK documents that accompany your loved one are legalised with an apostille rather than a longer legalisation chain.

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 the Philippines: the receiving formalities

On arrival, the coffin are cleared by the Bureau of Quarantine and received by a licensed funeral establishment, which completes the local formalities and takes your loved one on to the home province for the funeral. Where the death is to be recorded locally, the certified death certificate is issued by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) after registration with the local civil registrar. We coordinate with the receiving funeral establishment so that everything is ready for the family before the coffin arrives.

Preparation and transport

Your loved one receives hygienic treatment (embalming) to international transport standard and placed in a hermetically sealed container for the flight. Our team collects your loved one from the UK hospital, mortuary or funeral director, prepares them for carriage, and books the coffin on a long-haul service to the Philippines, staying with them through to the receiving funeral establishment.

Timelines and what affects them

A repatriation from the UK to the Philippines usually takes 2 to 7 days from first contact, your loved one travelling roughly 10,700 km by air. The main factors are the four clear days' notice to the coroner, the consular and legalisation steps, and the availability 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 province in the Philippines, flight 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.
• Embalmer / UK funeral director: carries out hygienic treatment to international transport standard and provides the hermetically sealed container.
• Philippine Embassy in London: issues the Consular Mortuary Certificate required for the shipment of the coffin (see the note above).
• Bureau of Quarantine (Philippines): clears the coffin on entry.
• Receiving funeral establishment in the Philippines: receives your loved one and arranges the funeral in the home province.

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.
• Apostille: legalising the UK documents for use in the Philippines under the Hague Apostille Convention.
• Consular Mortuary Certificate: issued by the Philippine Embassy in London for the shipment of the coffin.
• Hygienic treatment certificate: confirming preparation to international transport standard, the coffin hermetically sealed.
• Free from infection certificate: confirming no public-health risk in transit.
• Hermetically sealed container: as required for international carriage to the Philippines.