The cost of repatriation and how to pay for it
The death of a loved one abroad can be devastating.
But it’s another thing to worry about the cost of repatriation, or understanding where to begin with understanding it all.
Here we can break down some of the processes, costs and methods of repatriation involved.
The process of repatriation
When someone dies overseas, there needs to be a process of repatriating them back home to the UK from another country.
This can also be the case if a loved one needs medical attention back in the country they are from.
This can be an unfamiliar system to navigate and includes several steps, including the death, post mortems, bringing the body to the UK and getting help from the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO).
If you’re abroad when someone dies, you should contact the nearest British embassy, High Commission or consulate. They’ll be able to give you advice on what to do. If you’re on a package holiday you should tell your package organiser’s representative in the resort as soon as you can.
If you’re notified about the death by someone else, for example a tour operator, you should phone the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) who’ll be able to keep you informed and help with arrangements.
A post mortem is a medical examination of the person who died and this may also need to be done. The local authorities may carry out a post mortem to help find out what caused the death and to gather evidence if the death appears suspicious. Local authorities do not usually need permission to do this.
You will then need to register the death. You must register the death in the country where the person died. In many countries you can also register the death with the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office in the UK.
Once you begin the process of organising a funeral, you’ll need to consider how you want the send-off to be arranged.
You can either arrange to have the funeral overseas or for the body to be returned to the UK. This is known as repatriation. If you want the funeral to be held in the UK you will need to use international undertakers who can advise you about the arrangements.
Factors affecting the cost of repatriation
There’s several steps to repatriating a loved one.
Each stage has its own individual cost. These costs can include:
- Flight costs and transportation logistics
- Involvement of medical teams and their expenses
- Legal requirements and paperwork – this can include death certificates and paying for those – this can cost £12.50 and are sent 4 days after you apply.
- Burial or cremation
- Funeral and wake costs
All of these costs can vary depending on the method of which you do it. Some of these can be cost efficient, like funerals.
While funeral costs can vary (depending on size, venue etc) you can get support in paying for one.
How to cover the cost of repatriation
There are various ways to cover the cost of repatriation.
This can be as simple as it being covered in your travel insurance. When this isn’t the case, there are other routes to go down.
Here’s some of the help that is available, should you need.
Travel insurance
Some forms of travel insurance do offer protection against the high cost of bringing you (or a family member) home after illness, injury, or death suffered while abroad.
If you have a serious health condition, your travel insurance is likely to be more expensive. Repatriation insurance is included as standard in most travel insurance policies, though.
The levels of cover may vary between providers, but repatriation will typically include:
- The cost of getting you home
- Accommodation and travel costs for a friend or relative to stay with you during treatment and repatriation
- Organisation of getting you home
- 24/7 emergency assistance helpline
- Repatriation of the body if a traveller on the policy dies while abroad.
Government support
If you don’t have travel insurance, or if this isn’t enough to cover your costs, there is also support available from the Government.
This can include bereavement support and funeral expenses payment.
Bereavement Support can be available if your partner has died.
Bereavement Support Payment is not means-tested. This means what you earn or how much you have in savings will not affect what you get.
However there is a certain criteria you must adhere to.
Funeral Expenses Payment is available if all of the following apply:
- you get certain benefits or tax credits
- you meet the rules on your relationship with the deceased
- you’re arranging a funeral in the UK, the European Economic Area (EEA) or Switzerland
Public health funerals
There is also the option of public health funerals.
Public health funerals are provided by local authorities for people who have passed away and have no next of kin, or whose next of kin, relatives or friends are unable or unwilling to make the necessary arrangements for a funeral.
This also requires a certain criteria that you must adhere to.
Crowdfunding
Crowdfunding is also an excellent way to help get much-needed funds in times of emergency.
It can help to get together cash for unexpected expenses and can go towards repatriating a body from abroad.
GoFundMe is a custom-build platform for crowdfunding and it’s free to start your fundraiser. All you need to do is think of a title, upload your fundraiser story and set the page live to see the donations start.
After explaining what’s happened and why funds are needed, you can begin sharing the fundraiser among friends and family to widen the scope of it.
How people are turning to crowdfunding to help with the cost of repatriation
If you’re struggling with where to get started on all this, here are some examples of when people have previously crowdfunded for repatriation.
Repatriation of Angela funds
Harriet sadly had to organise the repatriation of her sister, who died when she was just 30.
The family wanted to repatriate Angela back to Zimbabwe from the UK.
Angela said she would need to get together £8,000 to be able to make this happen and was offered support from her friends and family when she crowdfunded.
Urgent Help for Medical Costs
Osmund Fernandes was raising money to support his father-in-law, Derick Fernandes.
Derrick fell ill while visiting the UK and suffered a major stroke. He wrote: “Since he was on a visiting visa and not a UK citizen, the hospital has now asked us to pay the bills for his treatment which stand at around £20,000 and this figure could go up as he’s still under care.”
He has so far managed to raise £14,000.
Jamie Sandhu’s Memorial Fund
Jamie, 31, tragically died while in Australia. After this, the family said they are “forever indebted” to the Kevin Bell Repatriation Trust who supported them during this devastating time.
They said: “At one of the hardest moments of our lives, the Kevin Bell Repatriation Trust were able to organise bringing Jamie home. The work they do is absolutely amazing and takes a load off grieving families by bringing their loved ones home.”
The family are raising money for the charity after they were supported so well.
Fundraising can help cover unexpected costs
If you’re ever faced with unexpected costs or even the need to repatriate, you can crowdfund.
Hopefully you won’t need to, but you can always fundraise for the charities that offer invaluable support to others.