Bringing back body of deceased without using a firm

NotArobot24

Can anyone please tell me if one can bring back the body of deceased relative from Europe.

I gather that the body needs to be in a coffin that is lined with zinc and sealed if it goes by air, so does anyone know a supplier of these at a reasonable price?

Their son has a huge MPV where seats come out, so wondering if him going to collect the body and come on Eurotunnel is an option and whether it would also require the sealed coffin?

The family do not want anything fancy, just practical.

Are there any UK Regulations that need to be complied with or can he take the body to UK Funeral Directors?

The costs they have been quoted seem obscene.

fwor

The exact procedure to follow varies by country. There's a good basic (UK gov't) guide here which has links to specific guides for every European country:

https://www.gov.uk/after-a-death/death-abroad

GrubbyGirl_2

A friend of mine found it easier just to have a simple cremation first then bring back the ashes

Cairnpapple

Firstly, if the deceased had travel insurance, I believe the repatriation should be the responsibility of the insurer. 

If it is the family's responsibility to transport (and the family are not willing to have cremation abroad and return of ashes), the Good Funeral Guide may have helpful information as they advocate for DIY funeral arrangements.  However I think they're not quite as active/responsive as they used to be on social media etc.  Their page on legal responsibilities says that embalming is required when bringing a body into the UK but they don't give a reference for that requirement. 

https://www.goodfuneralguide.co.uk/do-it-all-yourself/
https://www.goodfuneralguide.co.uk/your-legal-rights-and-responsibilities/

I wonder whether it might be possible to get information from one of the more 'alternative' or bespoke UK funeral directors, such as Poppy's in London, who again seem to advocate for families doing whatever part they want to do. I'm not saying that you would use the funeral director for the transportation or even for the funeral, just that they might be willing to talk about procedure. 

elsien

The embalming seems to be due to airline requirements or public health requirements of the various countries a body might be passing through rather than a specific legal requirement for the UK. I think the lined coffin would be a necessity and you might need to engage the services of the funeral director in the relevant country in order to seal it.

I strongly suspect Eurostar would have issues with the coffin in the back of a car, due to customs requirements, et cetera. You are not going to get away with passing that off standard luggage, regardless of what sort of coffin you are using. 

But if you want more specific  answers, you do need to say what country the body would be coming from.

My view is this is not an area to try and cut costs because of everything that could go wrong along the way. it’s not the same as DIY transport within the boundaries of a single country. Presumably they are not wanting the body impounded for any reason? 

NotArobot24

The plan was to do the embalming in the UK, I have spoken to quite a few companies and they all seem to be exploiting grief at this difficult time, some charging up to £25,000 and still trying to up-sell.

Unfortunately we can't cremate as that is against the wishes of the deceased and family.

Nobody is looking to smuggle, the body would be declared and the customs can do whatever they need to do, we just refuse to be exploited by these cowboys in nice suits.

Consider if you bring 90kg of anything over from EU by car it does not cost tens of thousands of pounds.  We are not fussed about fancy coffins, plastic that has a sliding grooved lid so a seal can be made is fine.

Even cremations have become a rip off industry,  it makes me sick to my stomach that these people exploit people.

Many of the UK Funeral Directors do not even have all the facilities in each office, some just have a central place with proper refrigeration and they think nothing of carrying the body all over the place from office to office.  The negative reviews of people's experience are something people should really read and make sure they do not just trust firms.  I am not saying go with any specific firm.

Thanks for the DIY suggestions, I am so annoyed with the exploiters that I am minded encourage the family to go that way.

silvercar

Sorry for your loss.

You are going to need the services of local funeral director to provide the zinc lined coffin and seal it and to provide the necessary paperwork. Where is the body now? I doubt a mortuary is going to release the body to an individual.

Once in the UK, border control / customs will decide if further investigation is required eg a post-mortem. Even if this wasn’t a requirement in the country of death, the UK makes its own decision. 

If you already have a cemetery lined up in the UK, seek their advice; you won’t be the first to bury someone who died abroad. 

Silvertabby

My sympathies

But this simply isn't something you can DIY on the cheap.  Only a bona fide undertaker will be able to supply a suitable coffin and all the paperwork needed for the cross border(s) transport.  The actual  details vary from country to country, but it is quite possible that embalming may be mandatory, regardless of the NOKs wishes.  

Would cremation and collection of the ashes really be so awful?  The family could than hold a suitable memorial service here in the UK, followed by interment of the ashes in a suitable place.   
 

Cairnpapple

I guess another option is a burial in the foreign country with a memorial service in the UK.