What formal identification actually requires
The requirement is that a person or a method the authority accepts confirms the identity of the deceased, and that this is recorded. In many countries that can be satisfied by someone who was travelling with the deceased, by a hotel or employer, by a consular officer, or by photographic identification transmitted to the family.
Where the deceased was carrying documents and the circumstances are clear, identification is often a formality completed before the family is even told. The cases that become difficult are those where documents are missing, where the deceased was travelling alone, or where the condition of the deceased makes visual identification unreliable.
When a family member has to travel
Some authorities insist on identification by a relative in person, and where that is the rule it cannot usually be negotiated. Before booking a flight, it is worth asking the consulate directly whether in-person identification is required in that country, because a family sometimes travels on an assumption that was never checked.
Where travel is required, going with a purpose is better than going to be present. Identification, signing releases, collecting effects and meeting the local provider can often be done in a single visit if arranged in advance, rather than in three separate ones.
When identity is uncertain
Where visual identification is not possible, authorities generally turn to dental records, fingerprints, medical implant serial numbers or DNA comparison. These are slower, and DNA in particular can add a significant delay, because it usually requires a reference sample from a relative and a laboratory that is not always local.
During this period the deceased cannot be released and no death certificate can be issued, which means the repatriation cannot begin. It is one of the few situations where there is genuinely nothing to do but prepare everything else and wait.
Why name spelling matters more than it should
A recurring problem is not doubt about who died but disagreement about how the name is written. A passport in Latin letters, a hospital record transliterated locally, and a civil register entry in a third form can produce three spellings of one person.
The receiving authority is entitled to treat these as unmatched. Where a discrepancy exists, it is usually resolved by a consular attestation linking the spellings rather than by reissuing documents, and it is far cheaper to raise it at the start than to discover it when the coffin is already at the airport.
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 a relative have to fly out to identify the deceased?
Not always, and in many countries not at all. It depends on local law and on whether anyone else can confirm identity. Ask the consulate before booking a flight, because the requirement varies more than families expect.
Can identification be done from a photograph?
In some countries yes, through the consulate or the local authority, and it is a recognised procedure rather than an informal shortcut. In others it is not accepted. This is one of the first things worth establishing.
How long does DNA identification take?
Longer than families expect, and it varies with the laboratory and the country. What is consistent is that nothing else in the process can proceed until identity is established, so the rest of the file should be prepared in parallel.
The name is spelled differently on different documents — is that a problem?
It can be. Receiving authorities may treat differing spellings as different people. It is usually resolved with a consular attestation, and it is much easier to do that early than at the point of departure.