Bringing back body of deceased without using a firm

silvercar

NotArobot24 said:

tooldle said:

One driver in a car with the coffin might be problematic. Roughly how far would the person be driving to reach Eurotunnel at Calais? In my limited experience transporting a body usually requires a minimum of two persons, sometimes three depending on weight. I had an estimate to move a relative several hundred miles, some years ago. If the distance requires more than a couple of hours of driving, how would the logistics work? Is an overnight on the road needed? Would Eurotunnel accept a booking from a private individual in these circumstances?

I don't see the issue with it being one person or two, I have established the need is for a death certificate from the country they died in and a notorised translation of that certificate.

ID of the person and travel documents showing when they left the UK also, using a body bag keeps it simple to open for Customs if they want to.

Personally I would not inform EuroTunnel or Ferry Service (not sure which will be used), yes you are right it will be quite a long drive and that might be a reason to have a second family member but I think they will likely drive over, stay the night in a hotel, collect the body towards the end of the day, then drive back in the evening and get an early crossing from France.

You need more than a death certificate and notarised translation. You need permission to remove the body from the country it is in, you need permission to transport the body through whichever countries it needs to travel to reach the UK.

Using a body bag doesn’t make it simple, all it shows on inspection is that you have a body in a bag with a death certificate that may belong to that body. 

Not informing Eurotunnel is a recipe for disaster if discovered. 

The body also needs to be stored properly, not least that dead bodies decay and smell, but also consider what would happen if the driver swerved or needed to brake sharply.

There are times for money saving and times for doing things properly. In this case there is no overlap. I’m sure the family, keen for a proper burial in this country would want the body handled respectfully at this time.

NotArobot24

poppystar said:

There is a reason why funeral companies charge a significant amount for repatriation of bodies - that reason is dignity. 

There is no dignity in taking advantage of people suffering grief.

To me they are one of the worst forms of scum to exploit people in these circumstances.

You talk about dignity, well you have obviously not seen the documentaries that show how bodies are treated behind closed doors.

There is a clearly a reason why the DIY option came about, it is called RIP OFF BRITAIN

https://www.goodfuneralguide.co.uk/do-it-all-yourself/

There is a Crematorium near me that breaks down the services, they charge the best part of £4000 for a basic "service", this basic service was £700 just a few years ago, but now they just joined the bandwagon of ripping everyone off.

I attended a very nice service recently, it did not last long, family members doing all the work, youtube videos were playing in the background, a few things read, coffin taken out.  £12k not including flowers, not including hearse.  There was no staff used. 

Dignity !?!?

tooldle

poppystar said:

There is a reason why funeral companies charge a significant amount for repatriation of bodies - that reason is dignity. 

And, I’d add to this, the complexity of dealing with the relevant authorities and legal requirements.

tooldle

NotArobot24 said:

poppystar said:

There is a reason why funeral companies charge a significant amount for repatriation of bodies - that reason is dignity. 

There is no dignity in taking advantage of people suffering grief.

To me they are one of the worst forms of scum to exploit people in these circumstances.

You talk about dignity, well you have obviously not seen the documentaries that show how bodies are treated behind closed doors.

There is a clearly a reason why the DIY option came about, it is called RIP OFF BRITAIN

https://www.goodfuneralguide.co.uk/do-it-all-yourself/

There is a Crematorium near me that breaks down the services, they charge the best part of £4000 for a basic "service", this basic service was £700 just a few years ago, but now they just joined the bandwagon of ripping everyone off.

I attended a very nice service recently, it did not last long, family members doing all the work, youtube videos were playing in the background, a few things read, coffin taken out.  £12k not including flowers, not including hearse.  There was no staff used. 

Dignity !?!?

Are you certain that there is the option to DIY in your specific circumstances?
 On the face of it your plan as stands sounds disastrous. It is undoubtedly a difficult time for you and your family but sometimes situations necessitate someone to step back and say ‘let’s save ourselves the stress and remove the potential for the body to be seized and the driver arrested. Let those who know what they are doing crack on with things’.

Edited to add: if you are determined to go ahead, why not telephone the relevant Coroner’s Office or the Funeral Director in France, and seek their advice as to the process?

Cairnpapple

When you say that you have spoken to several firms, have you spoken just to UK firms or also to firms in the foreign county? It may be that appointing a firm from the foreign country to do the transportation may be less expensive than a UK firm.

It appears that specialist repatriation firms are advertising costs of £3000 to £6000 for repatriation inclusive of sealed coffin, embalming and paperwork, which doesn't seem unreasonable especially given that many of those costs would still fall to you if it were possible to DIY.

Grumpy_chap

My sympathies to the OP on their loss.

In the current climate, I really cannot imagine that transporting the deceased in a manner suitable to preserve the body, but not fully declaring the cargo (as appears to be suggested) will end well.

The prospects that officials will wish to examine the contents of a body-sized / shaped container seem very high in the light of the political aspirations to manage immigration.  Otherwise, small boats would be stopped as everyone could just jump into a body bag and stay very still in the boot for a bit.

GDB2222

NotArobot24 said:

poppystar said:

There is a reason why funeral companies charge a significant amount for repatriation of bodies - that reason is dignity. 

There is no dignity in taking advantage of people suffering grief.

To me they are one of the worst forms of scum to exploit people in these circumstances.

You talk about dignity, well you have obviously not seen the documentaries that show how bodies are treated behind closed doors.

There is a clearly a reason why the DIY option came about, it is called RIP OFF BRITAIN

https://www.goodfuneralguide.co.uk/do-it-all-yourself/

There is a Crematorium near me that breaks down the services, they charge the best part of £4000 for a basic "service", this basic service was £700 just a few years ago, but now they just joined the bandwagon of ripping everyone off.

I attended a very nice service recently, it did not last long, family members doing all the work, youtube videos were playing in the background, a few things read, coffin taken out.  £12k not including flowers, not including hearse.  There was no staff used. 

Dignity !?!?

You are certainly right to look at the DIY options, and given the cost of a professional job, I am sure everyone agrees with you. The problem is that to do the job properly seems to be far more complicated than it appears at first sight.  

Would one possible solution be to hire professionals to prepare the body and put it in the coffin with all the necessary paperwork, whilst you provide the transport and drivers? 

bobster2

The fact that DIY repatriation of a body - from continential Europe to the UK - is so fraught with difficulties is the reason that attempts to do this have formed part of the plot for various drama and comedy TV series episodes.

It makes for good television because there are so many moments of tension when everything can go catastrophically wrong - and the audience is left squirming.

I don't want to make light of the OP's situation - but there is something to be said for trying to avoid, in real life, situations which make for exciting television.

Daniel54

You appear to be quoting invented numbers to justify your view point

i looked up the crematorium fees in my area of outer London and on average they are £ 1,800 for a midweek,midday service of 60  minutes.

I last helped to organize a funeral two years ago.We paid an excellent funeral director around £3.5k -£4k  ,including 3 staff and transport from the church to  the crematorium ,which I think  included crematorium fees .This was in south west  london,not a notoriously cheap area of the country.We ( the estate) paid for additions such as flowers and a wake.

Total cost was less then £ 9,000 including food and drink for over 70 attendees.This was in accordance with the wishes of the departed.

You should seek better quotes than you have received for repatriation, if the best you can find is £25k

Meanwhile,UK government guidance should I suggest be followed in the event of death overseas.

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/what-to-do-after-a-british-national-dies-abroad

Grumpy_chap

With regard to the repatriation, another poster mentioned upthread whether that might be covered under any travel insurance that the deceased may have had in place and I cannot see that the OP has commented in that regard.