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Repatriation of the remains of a
deceased person to any country
can be a complicated and costly
process. You may therefore wish
to consider having the body
cremated in France
and having the ashes returned to
your chosen country.
In order to obtain the release
of the body for repatriation a
relative or an appointed
representative must instruct a
funeral director in France and
the UK (or a country of their
choice).
If the deceased was insured for
repatriation, it is important to
contact the insurance company as
they will make the necessary
arrangements. Insurance
companies normally have a
standing agreement with a
funeral director in the UK to
arrange repatriations. If you
are a second home owner and your
main residence is in the UK and
you have travel insurance, then
this may also cover
repatriation.
If there is no insurance cover
then the next of kin will be
responsible for the cost of the
repatriation and will need to
appoint a funeral director in
France to make arrangements for
the repatriation. The French
funeral director will then
liaise with the funeral director
in the UK.
The next of kin should also be
aware that any hospital bills
must be paid before a body will
be released for repatriation.
PROCEDURES IN FRANCE
French and UK funeral directors
will normally work together and
liaise with each other to ensure
that all the necessary
requirements are met in France
and the UK.
French procedures differ
significantly to those in the
UK, and whilst families may wish
for arrangements to be made
quickly, this is not always
possible.
The documents that are required
for repatriation are:
• The deceased’s passport
• Deceased’s birth certificate
and marriage certificate
(translated)
• Death certificate
• Certificate of embalming
• Laissez-passer (this allows
the coffin to pass through
communes and countries, this is
provided by the funeral home)
• Certificate from the
hospital/mortuary indicating
there were no notifiable
diseases present when the
deceased died
Relatives will need to decide
whether they wish to return with
the body and make appropriate
travel arrangements for
themselves.
A funeral in the UK should not
be arranged until the body has
arrived in the country and been
cleared by the coroner. As the
cause of death is not given on
the French death certificate
enquiries may be made into the
circumstances surrounding the
death. This is to determine
whether the coroner should be
involved. This could delay the
funeral until a post mortem
examination is made and an
inquest held to determine the
cause of death. This will
normally only happen for a death
that was sudden, accidental or
unexpected.
You can approach the funeral
home in France who is arranging
the repatriation to ask for a
hand written letter from the
doctor who looked after the
deceased prior to their death to
write a statement indicating the
circumstances prior to death.
This must be on headed notepaper
and stamped with the hospital
and doctors details and then
signed by the doctor.
Similarly if the death was
sudden, accidental or unexpected
and dealt with by the police
then to approach the Inspector
or officer who witnessed the
body after death for a hand
written statement indicating the
same as above.
The coroner in the UK does not
have access to the French
judicial file. However, the
coroner may request a copy of
the French police and post
mortem results through the
Consulate if he so wishes and
this can delay any funeral
plans.
The cost of repatriation varies
greatly so only a rough guide
can be provided. A repatriation
could amount to €5000 before the
cost of a funeral in the UK. It
is important for families to be
aware and thoroughly consider
the costs before making final
decisions regarding
repatriation.
BRITISH EMBASSY
While the
British
Embassy
may assist in obtaining
documents such as death
certificates, it cannot help pay
for the cost of relatives to
travel to where a death occurs.
Neither can the Embassy pay the
costs of repatriation of bodies
back to the UK except in
exceptional circumstances
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