International repatriation to Scotland from the rest of the world
When there’s a death abroad
When there is a death abroad, or elsewhere in the UK, families have many decisions to make. We provide compassionate support and guidance throughout repatriation of their loved one to Scotland.
By providing clear information, we help families to decide whether they would like to arrange a service or cremation abroad first, or whether they would like to repatriate the deceased for a cremation or burial in Scotland.
By taking care of all logistics and administration, we give families the time they need to consider all the options, and with our 24/7 service, we can accommodate all time zones.
How we repatriate a loved one
For many families, it’s important to know where their loved one is at all times, so we contact all organisations involved to ensure families have that information. We help families liaise with services abroad and can give guidance on what questions to ask and what to expect with mortuary arrangements, post mortems and embalming.
As soon as their loved one comes into our care, or leaves our care, we update families directly. We look after the deceased, and support the family to decide about any viewing arrangements.
Our service covers all travel planning and logistics, by air, sea or land. For accompanying family members, we offer a our concierge service, for help with local arrangements. For the deceased we arrange:
- handover from non-UK funeral director or
nominated third party - concierge service for personal belongings, covering
collection, storage and shipping - collection from any UK airport, ferry terminal or
other address - transport to our Scottish mortuary or any branch in
our UK network - transport to another local funeral director
With decades of experience, we pay considerable attention to detail around all legal and administrative paperwork, taking on all liaison with third parties such as:
- non-UK funeral teams
- embassies and consulates
- insurers
- prepaid funeral plan providers
We also manage all necessary legal documentation for different countries around the world including:
- death certification
- free from infection certification
- permits
- translations
It’s never too early to ask for help
Contact us today
How we work with corporate partners
We partner with organisations involved in managing international and UK repatriations, including:
- International repatriation organisations
- Insurers
- Embassies and consulates
- Funeral directors
We often act as the main point of contact with families to smooth the process as far as possible.
Arranging a funeral in the UK
If you wish, our funeral directors can organise a funeral service in the UK. This includes notices, obituaries and social media, transport, service choices for music, floral and digital tributes, printed orders of service, live streaming, and arrangements for burial or cremation.
Exhumations from the UK
We have experience of arranging for exhumed remains to return them home to Scotland from other UK cemeteries. Whilst the process is broadly similar to our core repatriation service, we acknowledge the particular sensitivities and unique differences to each of these repatriations.
Contact us to find out how we can help.
You’re in safe hands
Contact our specialist team for repatriation advice or to request an estimate
If you need help with repatriating a loved one, tell us what’s happened so we can quickly agree how to help you with estimates and outline timescales.
Advice for families
Can I travel on the same flight as the coffin?
How much does repatriation of a body cost?
