Repatriation to and from Republic of Albania

Repatriation from Albania to the United Kingdom

When a loved one dies in Albania and is to be brought home to the United Kingdom, the arrangements bring together the Albanian authorities, the receiving arrangements in England, Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland, and the transport itself. The UK is home to a large and long-established Albanian community, and we coordinate all three strands so the family does not have to travel to Albania or deal directly with local offices. If you are at the very start of this, our repatriation hub explains the process in plain terms.

Albania is not a member of the European Union, so the EU standard does not apply, but the Albanian death certificate is available in an international, multilingual version, which usually removes the need for a separate translation and simplifies matters in the UK. Albania is also a party to the Hague Apostille Convention, so where the receiving authorities require legalisation, an apostille is used rather than full consular legalisation. The route is roughly 1,830 km, and most repatriations from Albania come home by road in our own funeral ambulances, crossing the Channel at the end. Where the road is not possible, or the family needs a faster option, we book a flight from Tirana.

The process in Albania

A doctor first certifies the death, which is then registered at the local registry office (Zyra e Gjendjes Civile). The office issues the Albanian death certificate, the çertifikatë vdekje, and, on request, its international multilingual version. The local funeral director obtains the permission to remove your loved one, the removal authorisation that allows your loved one to leave the country. We obtain these on the family's behalf while your loved one is prepared.

Where a death is sudden, unexplained or referred for investigation, release can take longer while those enquiries are completed. We keep the family informed if any such step applies.

Preparation and transport

Before the international transport, your loved one is given hygienic treatment (embalming) by the local funeral director, who issues an hygienic treatment certificate. A separate freedom-from-infection certificate confirms there is no public-health risk in transit. Your loved one is placed in a sealed, transport-standard coffin and travels to the UK by road in one of our funeral ambulances. If a flight is needed, it leaves Tirana for a UK airport and we manage the airline formalities. Our team manages the handover in the UK.

Bringing your loved one into the UK

Once in the UK, the family can arrange the funeral. For a burial, the Albanian 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 England in our resource centre. We liaise with the coroner's office so this authority is in place without delay.

Timelines and what affects them

A repatriation from Albania usually takes 2 to 7 days from first contact. The timing depends on how quickly the registry office issues the death certificate, the hygienic treatment and preparation, any legalisation of the documents, and, where a flight is needed, the availability of one from Tirana. Where the death is referred for investigation, 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 Albania, local funeral-home and administrative fees, and whether your loved one comes home by road or, where needed, by air from Tirana. Families are often unaware that a UK-based estate or insurance policy, or travel insurance held by your loved one, may cover part of the cost, and we help you check what the policy covers.

Authorities involved

• The doctor: certifies the death and issues the medical certificate.
• Zyra e Gjendjes Civile (local registry office): registers the death and issues the Albanian death certificate (çertifikatë vdekje), including its international multilingual version on request.
• Local funeral director: obtains the permission to remove your loved one, and carries out the hygienic treatment and preparation required 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

• Albanian death certificate (çertifikatë vdekje): issued by the local registry office; an international multilingual version is available on request.
• Apostille: legalising the certificate for use in the UK where required (Albania is a party to the Hague Apostille Convention).
• Certified English translation: for any document not already issued in the international multilingual form.
• Permission to remove your loved one: the removal authorisation allowing your loved one to leave the country.
• Hygienic treatment and freedom from infection certificates: for international carriage.
• Coroner's authority (Cremation Form 6): only where a cremation is planned in England and Wales.

Repatriation from the United Kingdom to Albania

When someone dies in the UK and is to be returned to Albania for the funeral, the process brings together the UK coroner's formalities, the requirements set by the Albanian authorities, and the transport itself. The distance is roughly 1,830 km. Most repatriations to Albania go by road in our own funeral ambulances, after the Channel crossing, and we arrange a flight to Tirana only where the road is not possible or the family needs a faster option. We manage the transport and the paperwork on both sides so that the family in Albania does not have to deal with UK offices in English. Our repatriation hub sets out the essentials if you are at the start.

Taking a loved one out of England and Wales follows a set UK procedure; the destination country's requirements then set the standard for the documents that must accompany your loved one and for the way the coffin is prepared. Albania sits outside the European Union, so its own receiving requirements apply, and where UK documents need to be legalised they can be apostilled. Albania is a party to the Hague Apostille Convention. Before your loved one leaves the UK, the papers also go to the Embassy of Albania in London, which signs them off. We prepare and lodge that application, so no one in the family needs to attend in person.

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 Albania: the receiving formalities

Your loved one travels after hygienic treatment (embalming), placed in a sealed, transport-standard coffin, accompanied by the UK death certificate, the coroner's out-of-England acknowledgement, and certificates of hygienic treatment and freedom from infection. Where the receiving authorities require a UK document to be legalised, it is apostilled before departure. In Albania the local registry office (Zyra e Gjendjes Civile) records the death and the local funeral director obtains the permission to remove your loved one to the place of burial and handles the local formalities in the town or village where the funeral will take place. We prepare the document file and coordinate directly with the funeral director. You can read more about repatriating a loved one from the UK in our guidance.

Preparation and transport

Your loved one receives hygienic treatment and is placed in a transport-standard sealed coffin. Our funeral ambulance takes your loved one by road to the town or village where the funeral will be held. When a flight to Tirana is used instead, we manage the airline formalities and an onward road transfer covers the last stretch. Our team collects your loved one from the UK hospital, mortuary or funeral director and hands over to the receiving funeral director in Albania.

Timelines and what affects them

A repatriation from the UK to Albania usually takes 2 to 7 days from first contact, over a road route of roughly 1,830 km. The main factors are the four clear days' notice to the coroner (which can sometimes be shortened at the coroner's discretion), any legalisation of the UK documents, and flight availability to Tirana where a flight is used. 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 region of Albania, whether the transport is by road or by air, 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.
• Embassy of Albania in London: signs off the documents before your loved one leaves the UK.
• Embalmer / UK funeral director: carries out hygienic treatment and preparation to international transport standard and provides the sealed transport coffin.
• Zyra e Gjendjes Civile (registry office) in Albania: records the death in the local register.
• Local funeral director in Albania: obtains the permission to remove your loved one and arranges the funeral in the destination town or village.

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: where the receiving authorities require a UK document to be legalised (Albania is a party to the Hague Apostille Convention).
• Permission to remove your loved one: obtained locally, for transfer to the place of burial.
• Hygienic treatment and freedom from infection certificates: for international carriage.
• Sealed transport coffin: as required for international carriage.