How soon can we have the funeral? When we repatriate someone who’s died in the UK to their home destination, their family are understandably keen to arrange and announce the funeral plans.
We strongly recommend not setting a date or making any external announcements of a funeral until a loved one has arrived in their destination country and been cleared by the relevant local authorities.
Many factors contribute to possible delays, most of which are outside of our control, such as:
- Simple everyday changes to published travel schedules by transport carriers including ferries and airlines which may be vulnerable to factors such as weather or backlogs
- Large-scale unforeseen events can interrupt planned travel schedules. This was seen in 2025 when a fire at Heathrow grounded all flights for 24 hours. Incoming planes were re-routed, and outgoing flights were unable to move causing significant disruption to ongoing connections
- Transport strikes or disputes that lead to delays as notice periods can be short or non-existent forcing bookings to be re-evaluated
- Aircraft used on the booked travel route may end up being unable to transport a coffin so a new booking may be necessary
- Routes may not be cargo-compatible
- This is further compounded if families want to accompany their loved one, so bookings need to rely on both aircraft, route and carrier being able to accommodate both cargo and passengers
- Administration timeframes can be unpredictable and while certification and permissions for repatriation are respected, there can be unforeseen errors or delays in getting all the essentials in place
- On arrival to the destination country, the person who’s died may be referred to local coroner (England), DCRS (Scotland) or relevant local authority overseas delaying their arrival to a local funeral director or family
We understand how difficult it is for families to wait.
Our team of professional repatriation specialists prioritise keeping families informed with frequent updates either by phone, text, email or by video call. And should the delays trigger a change in plans, we can assist with extended stays for families in the UK, arrange a UK funeral, or even provide assistance to UK families overseas.
Once a loved one is safely home in the destination countries and local authorities have given their permission to proceed, plans for their final farewell can be formally progressed and announced.
