How do I move a deceased into England or Wales?
Most Funeral Directors should be able to give you advice on how to repatriate the body back to the UK for cremation or burial and there are several firms who specialise in this. Where the deceased had a valid travel insurance policy, repatriation and its cost may be arranged and met by the Insurers if specified in the cover document.
You will need the Death Certificate from the place where the person died, and an authorisation for the removal of the body from the country of death from the Coroner or relevant authority.
Once the body has been repatriated you will need the following:
An authenticated translation of a foreign death certificate, or a death certificate issued in Scotland or Northern Ireland. These must show the cause of death
A Certificate of No Liability to Register, from the Registrar in England or Wales in whose sub-district it is intended to bury or cremate the body. The certificate is not required if a Coroner has issued a Certificate to Cremate (Form E) or an Order for Burial.
To arrange the cremation in England or Wales of a person where the death occurred abroad (outside England and Wales) you will need a cremation order from the Home Office or a Certificate for Cremation (Form E) from the Coroner. Either of these dispenses with the need for the two doctors' certificates for cremation, Forms B and C. If the death occurred in Scotland, Northern Ireland, or the Channel Islands the local equivalents of Forms B and C may be acceptable.
If death was from natural causes, the Home Office will issue an Order on production of the Application for Cremation (Form A) and original documents (which must clearly state the cause of death) from the country where the death occurred. The Home Office may require authorised translations of documents in some foreign languages.
How do I move a deceased out of England or Wales?
If someone dies away from home, or away from the place in which they wished to be buried or cremated, you may wish to arrange for the body to be moved. There are special regulations concerning moving a body over the borders between England, Scotland, Northern Ireland, the Isle of Man, the Channel Islands or abroad.
Only a coroner is authorised to permit the body to be moved out of England or Wales. Notice to the coroner should be given at least 4 working days before the body is to be moved so that any necessary enquiries can be made. Afterwards you will be given a removal notice (form 104), part of which is sent to the Registrar of Births, Deaths and Marriages.
The procedure applies to all cases where the body is to moved out of England and Wales, not just when the death was reported to the coroner.
