There are at least two things in life we cannot avoid: death and grief. Often, they are never one without the other, making it even more difficult to deal with the situation at hand.
But, what is probably harder than death is when a loved one dies in a foreign country. On these occasions, repatriating the body of the deceased to their native country is complicated, not to mention distressing and expensive. There are many legal formalities involved and procedures to be fulfilled, and all these depend on the laws of the country where the death has occurred.
What is Body Repatriation?
In the context of death, repatriation means to transport the deceased, whether it’s their body or ashes, to their native country. A repatriation service can help you bring their body back home but there may be other key personalities needed to be involved to arrange repatriation:
• Local national embassy
• Travel insurance
• Travel agency (if applicable)
• Local authorities
• Funeral repatriation services
A typical theme applies when processing the repatriation of a deceased body. It typically involves contacting the local national embassy, travel insurance, and tour agency, if applicable, to inform them of a loved one’s death.
What Happens When a Loved One Dies Abroad
Identification
Reaching out to these key personalities first can help you mobilise the relevant local authorities needed for the repatriation as well as obtain the necessary documents such as a medical death certificate, registered death certificate, non-infectious certificate, and consulate approval to name a few.
In many cases, identification of the dead may be carried out by a travelling companion. But, in certain circumstances when your loved one has travelled alone in the country where death occured, a family member may have to travel to the location to formally confirm the identity of the deceased. However, rules on formal identification can still depend on the country involved.
Preparation for Repatriation
The bereaved family must then decide to repatriate the body or cremate the remains before taking it home. A funeral repatriation service can help you prepare the remains for repatriation. However, they may be contracted to organise transportation, make flight arrangements, prepare the documents, and liaise with a funeral service in the deceased’s native country.
Repatriation Costs
The costs involved in the repatriation of a deceased body is shouldered by the bereaved family. Repatriation costs may vary in different countries and factors such as weight and distance are key in determining the expenses. There are special caskets for repatriation and aside from that, the casket requires proper sealing, a process which can also add up to the costs.
While expensive, the repatriation costs may be covered by a travel insurance policy, if your loved one has one. It’s best to check the policy carefully to better understand what it can cover and you can claim it.
How Long Does It Take To Repatriate A Deceased Body?
The timescale to fly a deceased body home can be difficult to predict. On average, it would take approximately two weeks, from the date the body is released by the local authorities. But, still, availability in flights can still be a cause of delay.
Has Someone Died Abroad?
Death is an inevitability. But, while it’s the case, we still often fail to prepare ourselves when it comes knocking on our door. News about a loved one’s death is even harder when it occurred in a foreign land, far away from home, thousands of miles away from their loved ones.
Many a time, a funeral repatriation service can help you with the paperwork while you grieve. They will take over in completing all the formalities required to transport the dead body and such a long wait proves to be painful for the grieving family.
It further illustrates the need to get help from funeral service providers to at least ease the process for them and possibly minimise the painful wait.
If a loved one died abroad and you would like to bring them back to your country, a funeral repatriation service can help.
Flying Home is a funeral company that offers outbound and inbound repatriation services in Singapore. With its extensive experience in handling repatriations to countries around the world, it guarantees a smooth process in arranging a funeral, whether it be taking the deceased back to their home country or bringing the deceased back in Singapore.
It offers complete funeral repatriation services including local cremation, burial, embalming, and products such as a wide range of caskets that are hermetically sealed and packed for overseas transportation. Visit their website to learn more.
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