Call the insurer before you engage anyone locally
If the person who died held travel insurance, a credit card policy or employer cover, the insurer usually needs to authorise the case before a local funeral director starts work. Many policies reduce or refuse reimbursement for costs incurred before that authorisation, even when the costs themselves were reasonable.
This is the single most expensive mistake families make, and it is made in the first hours, usually by someone acting quickly and sensibly. One phone call before signing anything locally protects the whole file.
Do not authorise burial, cremation or embalming yet
A local hospital, police station or funeral home may ask for a signature releasing the deceased for local burial, cremation or preparation. Cremation in particular is irreversible and closes the option of repatriation entirely.
It is reasonable to say that the family has not yet decided and that authorisation will follow. Nothing is lost by waiting a few hours. A great deal can be lost by signing.
Notify the consulate of the deceased’s nationality
The consulate or embassy does not organise or pay for repatriation, and it is important not to expect that. What it does do is register the death, issue documents that the home country recognises, and in many countries hold a list of local providers.
Where the deceased held more than one nationality, the consulate of the country of burial is usually the relevant one.
Secure the documents and effects
The passport of the deceased is required throughout the process and is often retained by the local authority for a period. Keep a photograph of every page before handing it over.
Also useful from the outset: the insurance policy number, identification of the next of kin, the name and address of the hospital or authority holding the deceased, and any local case or report number already issued.
This is general information, not advice on a specific case. Requirements differ between countries, between airlines and sometimes between cases. We are a private coordination company, not a government body, embassy or consulate.
Common questions on this subject
Does the embassy pay for bringing someone home?
As a rule, no. Consular services register the death and issue documents, but the cost of repatriation falls to the family or to an insurer. Confirm the position with the specific consulate, since practice differs between countries.
How quickly does the family have to decide?
Less quickly than it feels. The deceased is held under local arrangements while documents are prepared, and that period is usually measured in days rather than hours. What is urgent is the insurer notification, not the choice of provider.
Can the family arrange this without a coordinator?
It is possible, and in some countries it is straightforward. It becomes difficult where the documents must be issued in a local language, legalised, and accepted by both an airline and the receiving authority, each with its own requirements.