Repatriation to and from Vietnam

Repatriation from Vietnam to the United Kingdom

Bringing a loved one home from Vietnam is a long-haul repatriation in which the paperwork matters as much as the distance. It brings together the authorities in Vietnam that register the death and release your loved one, the certificates required for international air transport, and the receiving arrangements in the UK. The United Kingdom is home to a large and long-established Vietnamese community, and this is a route we manage from first contact to arrival, so the family never has to deal with Vietnamese offices or airlines directly. If you are at the very start of this, our repatriation hub explains the process in plain terms.

Vietnam is a member of the Hague Apostille Convention, so where a Vietnamese public document must be recognised in the UK it can carry a single apostille rather than going through a longer legalisation chain. The documents are issued in Vietnamese and travel with a certified English translation.

The process in Vietnam

The death is registered by the local ward People's Committee, which issues the Vietnamese death certificate (Giấy chứng tử). Before your loved one can leave the country, the quarantine and customs authorities must give their clearance to release the coffin, and a local funeral director prepares your loved one and arranges the transfer to the airport. We appoint a trusted local partner to complete these steps on the family's behalf.

Your loved one travels with the Vietnamese death certificate and its certified English translation, an international medical quarantine certificate and a certificate of preservation of the coffin, together with your loved one's passport and the airline documentation the airline requires. Where these documents need to be recognised by the UK authorities, they can be legalised by apostille.

Preparation and transport

Your loved one is prepared and placed in a sealed, transport-standard coffin suitable for the funeral in the UK, and carried by air, with the carrier's documents, on a long-haul flight, usually with a connection through a regional hub. Our team manages the collection, the airline booking and the transport through to the receiving funeral director in the UK, and makes sure every certificate is complete before a flight is confirmed.

Bringing your loved one into the UK

Once in the UK, the family can arrange the funeral. For a burial, the Vietnamese death certificate is generally sufficient once translated. 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 Vietnam usually takes 2 to 7 days from first contact to arrival in the UK. The timing depends on how quickly the death is registered, the quarantine and customs clearance, any apostille and translation of the documents, and the availability of a suitable long-haul flight. Where the death was sudden or unexplained and a local investigation is required, 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 quote a firm, fixed price at first contact. The figure depends on the province and city of departure, the airport routing and connections, and local funeral-home, translation and administrative fees. Families are often unaware that a UK-based estate or a life-insurance or travel-insurance policy may cover part of the cost, and we help you check what the policy covers.

Authorities involved

• Local ward People's Committee: registers the death and issues the Vietnamese death certificate (Giấy chứng tử).
• Quarantine and customs authorities: give the clearance required to release the coffin for export.
• Local funeral director: prepares your loved one and arranges the transfer to the airport.
• 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

• Vietnamese death certificate (Giấy chứng tử): with a certified English translation.
• International medical quarantine certificate and certificate of preservation of the coffin.
• Your loved one's passport and airline documentation.
• Apostille: where a document must be recognised by the UK authorities.
• Coroner's authority (Cremation Form 6): only where a cremation is planned in England and Wales.

Repatriation from the United Kingdom to Vietnam

When someone dies in the UK and is to be returned to Vietnam for the funeral, the process brings together the UK coroner's formalities, the requirements set by the Vietnamese authorities, and the long-haul flight itself. Your loved one travels by air, and we manage the transport and the paperwork on both sides so that the family in Vietnam 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; Vietnam's own consular and import requirements then govern the documents that must accompany your loved one and the way the coffin is prepared. Vietnam is a member of the Hague Apostille Convention, so a UK public document can be legalised by apostille where recognition is required.

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 Vietnam: the receiving formalities

Your loved one travels with the UK death certificate, the coroner's out-of-England acknowledgement, and certificates of hygienic treatment (embalming) and freedom from infection, legalised by apostille where the Vietnamese authorities require it. In Vietnam, the death is recorded with the local ward People's Committee, the quarantine and customs authorities clear the coffin on arrival, and a local funeral director takes your loved one into care for the funeral. We prepare the document file and coordinate directly with the funeral director in Vietnam.

Preparation and transport

Your loved one receives hygienic treatment and is placed in a sealed, transport-standard coffin that meets international air-transport requirements, accompanied by certificates of hygienic treatment and freedom from infection. Our team collects your loved one from the UK hospital, mortuary or funeral director, books the flight and manages the flight through to arrival in Vietnam, where we hand over to the receiving funeral director. Where a family member wishes to travel on the same aircraft, we arrange the timing so they can accompany their loved one home.

Timelines and what affects them

A repatriation from the UK to Vietnam usually takes 2 to 7 days from first contact. The main factors are the four clear days' notice to the coroner (which can sometimes be shortened at the coroner's discretion), the consular step before dispatch, the legalisation of the documents, and long-haul flight availability. 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 confirm a firm, fixed quote at first contact. The figure depends on the destination city or province in Vietnam, the airline and routing, the legalisation and consular fees, and any UK funeral-home and mortuary charges. 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.
• Vietnam Embassy in London: issues the consular permit for the transport of your loved one (see the note above).
• Local ward People's Committee and funeral director in Vietnam: record the death and conduct the funeral in the home area.
• Quarantine and customs authorities in Vietnam: clear the coffin on arrival.

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 recognition in Vietnam.
• Vietnam Embassy permit: authorising the transport of your loved one into Vietnam (see the note above).
• 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 carriage to Vietnam.