“Reliable, professional, a reasonable price, and most important of all, my brother arrived exactly on time.”
By road, in our own funeral ambulances
Most repatriations to and from the UK go by road, driven by our own team, so your loved one stays in our care the whole way. We book a flight only where the road is not possible.
The paperwork at both ends
Collection
Hygienic treatment
A sealed coffin
Transport, by road or by air
One specialist, start to finish
One price, in writing, before anything moves
Before anything is booked you have an itemised quote in writing, and nothing is added to it afterwards, so you can plan without surprises.
One specialist, from the first call to the last
The same person holds your case, deals with the offices at both ends and tells you when each step is done, so you never have to explain it twice.
Repatriation to and from Slovakia
£2,400
Estimated, all inclusive
- Usually 2 to 7 days
- Agreed in writing
- We answer any hour
- Our fees, and one specialist from the first call to the last
- Collection from the hospital or mortuary
- Hygienic treatment, and care until your loved one travels
- A sealed coffin that meets the route’s requirements
- All the paperwork required
- Transport by road in our own refrigerated funeral ambulances, or by air where the road is not possible
When your loved one needs an urgent collection, usually from a home: the estimate covers collection from a hospital or mortuary. Tell us where they are on the first call and the written quote includes it, with any of the costs specific to Slovakia that apply.
The estimate for any country, in either direction, and what it covers.
Work out an estimate for another countryWork out an estimate for another country
How body repatriation works, step by step
Four steps between Slovakia and the UK, and we do all of them. You hear from us at each one, not only at the end.
The first call
You tell us where your loved one is, in Slovakia or in the UK. We tell you the cost and what happens next, at any hour.
The paperwork
The death certificate, the permit to travel and the papers the carrier needs. We obtain them in Slovakia and here.
Care and transport
Hygienic treatment and a sealed coffin. Most routes travel by road in our own vehicles, by air only where the distance calls for it.
Arrival
By road, we drive on to the funeral director you have chosen, or to ours. By air, collection at the destination is an optional extra.
The papers we obtain for you
This is the set most routes need. Where a country asks for something else, we tell you before we quote, and we obtain that too.
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Out of England permission
From the coroner, when the death happened in England.
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Free from infection certificate
Confirms there is no infectious disease, for the carrier and the receiving country.
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Funeral director’s declaration
Our signed declaration for the transport.
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Embalming certificate
Where the route or the receiving country requires one.
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Apostille
Where the receiving country asks for one.
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Translations
Certified, where a document is not in the receiving country’s language.
Procedures change from time to time, so this list may lag behind them. We keep up with every change and confirm what your case needs on the first call.
What we need from you
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The death certificate
Or the coroner’s interim certificate, where there is an inquest.
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Their passport
Or a copy to begin with. We tell you if the original is needed.
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Your permission for us to act
A short form we send you to sign, so we can deal with the offices for your family.
What we need from you
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Their passport, or a copy
Whatever you have to hand. We tell you what else is needed.
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Any papers you already hold from Slovakia
A death certificate or a hospital letter, if you have one. If not, we obtain it.
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Your permission for us to act
A short form we send you to sign, so we can deal with the offices for your family.
Repatriation between 
Slovakia and the 
United Kingdom
The whole route in plain terms, in both directions, written for someone reading it for the first time.
Repatriation from Slovakia to the United Kingdom
A death in Slovakia may occur while someone is living or working in Bratislava, Košice or the surrounding regions, visiting family, or travelling through Central Europe. Bringing your loved one home to the UK brings together the Slovak authorities, the receiving arrangements in England, Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland, and the transport itself. We coordinate all three, so the family does not have to travel to Slovakia or deal directly with Slovak offices in a language they may not speak. If you are at the very start of this, our repatriation hub explains the process in plain terms.
Because Slovakia is a member of the European Union, the paperwork is comparatively predictable. The Slovak death certificate (úmrtný list) is available in an international multilingual version (medzinárodný viacjazyčný úmrtný list), which the receiving funeral director and registrar in the UK can generally read without a separate translation. That version is a convenience for reading the certificate; it does not remove any requirement to legalise a document where a UK authority asks for it, and as a Hague member Slovakia can issue an apostille in that event. Slovakia is landlocked, and most repatriations from there reach the UK by road in our own funeral ambulances.
The process in Slovakia
A doctor first examines your loved one and completes the medical certificate of cause of death. The death is then registered at the local registry office (matričný úrad) for the district where it occurred, which issues the official death certificate (úmrtný list). For carriage abroad, permission for the international transport of your loved one, the transport authorisation, must be obtained, and the international funeral director assembles this together with the supporting documentation. Where a death is sudden, unexplained or violent, a post-mortem or a forensic autopsy may be ordered before your loved one can be released. We arrange all of this on the family's behalf while your loved one is prepared.
Preparation and transport
Your loved one is given hygienic treatment (embalming) by a Slovak funeral director and placed in a sealed, transport-standard coffin suitable for international transport. From there our funeral ambulance drives your loved one roughly 1,300 km west through Europe and over the Channel to the UK. Where the road is not possible or the family needs a faster option, a flight to a UK airport is arranged, usually through Bratislava or the nearby hub at Vienna, close to the western border. Our team collects your loved one from the funeral director or hospital and stays 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 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 England in our resource centre. We liaise with the coroner's office so this is in place without delay.
Timelines and what affects them
A repatriation from Slovakia usually takes 2 to 7 days from first contact to arrival in the UK, over a road distance of roughly 1,300 km. The timing depends on the district of departure, how quickly the matričný úrad issues the úmrtný list and the transport permission is obtained, and the circumstances of the death: where a post-mortem or forensic autopsy is ordered, release can take several days 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 departure, the cause of death, and local funeral-home and registry fees. 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 examining doctor: examines your loved one and completes the medical certificate of cause of death.
- Matričný úrad (registry office): registers the death for the district where it occurred and issues the official úmrtný list, available in an international multilingual version (medzinárodný viacjazyčný úmrtný list).
- International funeral director: carries out the hygienic treatment and preparation and assembles the transport documentation, including the permission for the international transport of your loved one.
- Police and prosecutor (sudden, suspicious or violent deaths): order any forensic autopsy and authorise release of your loved one.
- 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
- Úmrtný list: the official Slovak death certificate from the matričný úrad, available in an international multilingual version.
- Medical certificate of cause of death: completed by the examining doctor.
- Permission for the international transport of your loved one: the transport authorisation for carriage abroad.
- Hygienic treatment certificate: confirming preparation to international transport standard.
- Free from infection certificate: confirming your loved one poses 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 Slovakia
When someone dies in the UK and is to be returned to Slovakia for the funeral, the process brings together the UK coroner's formalities, the requirements set by the Slovak authorities, and the transport itself. Slovakia is landlocked and roughly 1,300 km away, a distance our own funeral ambulances cover by road for most repatriations, after the Channel crossing. A flight to Bratislava or Košice is the exception, for cases where the road is not possible or the family needs it. We manage the transport and the paperwork on both sides so the family in Slovakia 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 import requirements then set the standard for the documents that must accompany your loved one and for the way the coffin is prepared. For Slovakia, an EU member state, those requirements are comparatively predictable, and as a Hague member Slovakia recognises a UK document legalised with an apostille where legalisation is asked for.
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 Slovakia: 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. For international carriage, permission for the international transport of your loved one, the transport authorisation, is required, and the receiving international funeral director assembles this and completes the local formalities with the registry office (matričný úrad) in the district 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 team collects your loved one from the UK hospital, mortuary or funeral director and manages the transport by road, roughly 1,300 km, through to the funeral director in Slovakia, who completes the local registry formalities before the funeral. If a flight is needed, we book it to the Slovak airport nearest the destination, usually Bratislava or Košice, and a receiving funeral director meets it.
Timelines and what affects them
A repatriation from the UK to Slovakia usually takes 2 to 7 days from first contact, your loved one travelling roughly 1,300 km, in most cases by road. The main factors are the four clear days' notice to the coroner (which can sometimes be shortened at the coroner's discretion), the permission for the international transport of your loved one, and, where a flight is used, the availability of suitable flights to Bratislava or Košice. 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 region in Slovakia, 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.
- Embalmer / UK funeral director: carries out hygienic treatment to international transport standard and provides the sealed transport coffin.
- Receiving international funeral director in Slovakia: assembles the permission for the international transport of your loved one and completes the local formalities.
- Matričný úrad (registry office): handles the registration formalities in the destination district and arranges the funeral records.
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.
- Permission for the international transport of your loved one: the transport authorisation for carriage abroad.
- Hygienic treatment certificate: confirming preparation to international transport standard.
- Free from infection certificate: confirming no public-health risk in transit.
- Sealed transport coffin: as required for international transport.
UK procedure
- The Removal of Bodies Regulations 1954 (legislation.gov.uk)
- Cremation (E&W) Regulations 2008: form Cremation 6 (gov.uk)
Legalisation
Receiving country (Slovakia)
- gov.uk, Slovakia: bereavement information (death abroad)
- slovensko.sk: Rules applicable in cases of death (registry office)
Last verified July 2026.
Questions families ask us about bringing someone home from Slovakia
The core documents are the úmrtný list from the matričný úrad, the medical certificate of cause of death, the permission for the international transport of your loved one (the transport authorisation), and hygienic treatment and freedom from infection certificates.
Where a cremation is planned in England and Wales, the coroner must also authorise it (Cremation Form 6). We obtain all of the Slovak documents on your behalf.
Usually 2 to 7 days from first contact to arrival in the UK, over roughly 1,300 km, in most cases by road.
The timing depends on the district of departure, how quickly the matričný úrad issues the úmrtný list and the transport permission is obtained. Where a post-mortem or forensic autopsy is ordered, release can take several days longer.
Yes. Slovakia issues the úmrtný list in an international multilingual version (medzinárodný viacjazyčný úmrtný list), which the receiving funeral director and registrar in the UK can generally read without a separate translation.
That version is a convenience for reading the certificate; it does not remove any requirement to legalise a document where a UK authority asks for it. As a Hague member, Slovakia can issue an apostille in that event, and we arrange it if it is needed.
Yes. A burial can usually proceed on the foreign death certificate alone. For a cremation in England and Wales, the coroner must first give authority using Cremation Form 6, once satisfied that no further investigation is needed (in Scotland, the procurator fiscal; in Northern Ireland, the coroner).
We liaise with the coroner's office so this authority is in place when your loved one arrives.
In most cases by road. The route is roughly 1,300 km, and our own funeral ambulances cover it through Europe and across the Channel. Where the road is not possible or the family needs a faster option, we arrange a flight, usually through Bratislava or the nearby airport at Vienna, close to the western border.
We manage the whole route, from collection at the Slovak funeral director through to handover to your chosen funeral director in the UK.
Questions families ask us about repatriation to Slovakia
Before removal, the coroner must be given at least four clear days' notice and issues an "out of England" acknowledgement. Your loved one then travels after hygienic treatment, in a sealed, transport-standard coffin, accompanied by the UK death certificate and certificates of hygienic treatment and freedom from infection.
For international carriage, permission for the international transport of your loved one is required, which the receiving international funeral director assembles. We prepare the file and coordinate both sides.
Usually 2 to 7 days, most often by road, a route of roughly 1,300 km. The main factor is the four clear days' notice to the coroner, which can occasionally be shortened at the coroner's discretion.
The permission for the international transport of your loved one, and flight availability where a flight is used, also affect timing, and where the death has been referred to the coroner for investigation the timeline can be longer.
By road in most cases. Slovakia is landlocked and roughly 1,300 km away, and our own funeral ambulances take your loved one there after the Channel crossing. Where the road is not possible or the family needs a faster option, we book a flight to the nearest Slovak airport, usually Bratislava or Košice.
We arrange the transport coffin and have a receiving funeral director meet your loved one, staying with them through to the funeral in Slovakia.
Slovakia is a member of the Hague Apostille Convention, so where the Slovak authorities require a UK public document to be legalised, it can be apostilled in the UK rather than going through a longer legalisation chain.
In practice the receiving international funeral director advises on exactly which documents the destination district requires, and we prepare the file accordingly.
No. We handle the UK coroner's formalities and registration in English, and liaise with the receiving international funeral director and registry office in Slovakia in Slovak.
The family provides a simple written authorisation, and we coordinate both sides of the process remotely, so no one needs to travel to the UK.
Every other country, in both directions
We bring loved ones home to the UK from anywhere, and from the UK to anywhere in the world. Three more routes written up in the same detail: repatriation to and from Spain, Ukraine and Cameroon. For the road across the continent, read about repatriation between Europe and the UK.
Europe
Albania
Andorra
Armenia
Austria
Belarus
Belgium
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bulgaria
Croatia
Cyprus
Czech Republic
Denmark
Estonia
Finland
France
Georgia
Germany
Greece
Hungary
Iceland
Ireland
Italy
Latvia
Liechtenstein
Lithuania
Luxembourg
Malta
Moldova
Monaco
Montenegro
Netherlands
North Macedonia
Norway
Poland
Portugal
Romania
Russia
San Marino
Serbia- Slovakia
Slovenia
Spain
Sweden
Switzerland
Ukraine
Vatican City
Africa
Algeria
Angola
Benin
Botswana
Burkina Faso
Burundi
Cameroon
Cape Verde
Central African Rep.
Chad
Comoros
Congo
Cote d'Ivoire
Djibouti
DR Congo
Egypt
Equatorial Guinea
Eritrea
Eswatini
Ethiopia
Gabon
Gambia
Ghana
Guinea
Guinea-Bissau
Kenya
Lesotho
Liberia
Libya
Madagascar
Malawi
Mali
Mauritania
Mauritius
Morocco
Mozambique
Namibia
Niger
Nigeria
Rwanda
Sao Tome and Principe
Senegal
Seychelles
Sierra Leone
Somalia
South Africa
South Sudan
Sudan
Tanzania
Togo
Tunisia
Uganda
Zambia
Zimbabwe
Asia
Middle East
Americas
Oceania
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In a family's own words
Someone answers, any hour of the day
Tell us where your loved one is and we will tell you what happens next, and what it costs.