Bringing back body of deceased without using a firm

silvercar

If finances mean you need to compromise, use a proper funeral director to bring the body to the UK and conduct your own funeral.

GDB2222

silvercar said:

GDB2222 said:

Undoubtedly, by far the cheapest way to deal with this is to sit gran's body up in the back seat of the car, strapped in with a safety belt. When customs ask about her, say "shhh don't wake her". Do you at least have an up to date passport for her?

That's been tried and failed. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/8604663.stm

The two ladies maintained throughout that they thought he was just sleeping. The CPS decided that there was insufficient evidence to support a prosecution. 

user1977

GDB2222 said:

Undoubtedly, by far the cheapest way to deal with this is to sit gran's body up in the back seat of the car, strapped in with a safety belt. When customs ask about her, say "shhh don't wake her"

Until now I had been biting my tongue rather than suggesting the “Weekend at Bernie’s” solution…

NotArobot24

GDB2222 said:

Undoubtedly, by far the cheapest way to deal with this is to sit gran's body up in the back seat of the car, strapped in with a safety belt. When customs ask about her, say "shhh don't wake her". Do you at least have an up to date passport for her?

I missed your post and never even thought of that, yes they have passport and we would not need to try to get someone on a plane as per that BBC story.

So family get all the paperwork done in foreign country and the embalming etc.

Then drive through passport control on Eurotunnel, in the past have opened sliding door of MPV when passing through, if they get caught they can express shock that they have died and they did not notice.

silvercar

NotArobot24 said:

GDB2222 said:

Undoubtedly, by far the cheapest way to deal with this is to sit gran's body up in the back seat of the car, strapped in with a safety belt. When customs ask about her, say "shhh don't wake her". Do you at least have an up to date passport for her?

I missed your post and never even thought of that, yes they have passport and we would not need to try to get someone on a plane as per that BBC story.

So family get all the paperwork done in foreign country and the embalming etc.

Then drive through passport control on Eurotunnel, in the past have opened sliding door of MPV when passing through, if they get caught they can express shock that they have died and they did not notice.

 Jumped into a body bag, zipped it up, laid straight, then died. All without the driver noticing. Explain that one away, particularly when the coroner insists on a post mortem and the time of death is revealed to be days ago. 

NotArobot24

silvercar said:

NotArobot24 said:

GDB2222 said:

Undoubtedly, by far the cheapest way to deal with this is to sit gran's body up in the back seat of the car, strapped in with a safety belt. When customs ask about her, say "shhh don't wake her". Do you at least have an up to date passport for her?

I missed your post and never even thought of that, yes they have passport and we would not need to try to get someone on a plane as per that BBC story.

So family get all the paperwork done in foreign country and the embalming etc.

Then drive through passport control on Eurotunnel, in the past have opened sliding door of MPV when passing through, if they get caught they can express shock that they have died and they did not notice.

 Jumped into a body bag, zipped it up, laid straight, then died. All without the driver noticing. Explain that one away, particularly when the coroner insists on a post mortem and the time of death is revealed to be days ago. 

No scrub all that, just strap them in.

Once in the UK they go to UK Funeral Director as normal

Border Control will not longer be involved at that point.

NotArobot24

silvercar said:

If finances mean you need to compromise, use a proper funeral director to bring the body to the UK and conduct your own funeral.

They have paid for a plot, all that is approved, their other half already 12 feet under years ago, they will go at 6 feet under on same plot.

I like the DIY stuff for when I pass but mainly for the bundling and overcharging.

This death has really shaken me, my late mother had an amazing ceremony, so I had an idea to do one on a similar vein for myself, perhaps record some videos on hidden YouTube links where I address family members, play some of my favourite songs, I can make several playlists and they can say their bits in between.

For my mother they arranged a post ceremony event at a local hotel and that was done directly, they had flowers done with a local Florist where people could choose to buy suggested things or come up with custom ones.

One thing I learnt from an in-laws ceremony was how awful it is to have the cremation done in the same building and same time as the ceremony.  We had the ceremony then the coffin was left for anyone to have final moments and then it was taken to the hearse once most people had left, it was taken to another side of the building and one of my siblings collected the ashes.

I have found companies that quote prices for a death in the UK for repatriation to EU for £2k but every company I have found just say POA, by now they should have done every EU country and figured out a formula, so much per mile, so much for regulations in France, Germany, Italy and so on.  It is an emotive time and we are going through the stages of bereavement, I recognise that, but at the same time none of us wants to be exploited as it insults the deceased and us all.

NotArobot24

silvercar said:

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. 

Thanks, local abroad or local in uk, I think we will need both but I will investigate the handover.it might be possible to let a funeral director take them close to the border and at that point they handover to someone they think is from next country. France is a PITA otherwise we would have had a second French Funeral Director.  We are not ruling that out.  It may be we employ three, one in country of death who handover to one in France who hand over to a UK one from UK side of Tunnel or Ferry. It seems to me that there is already a lot of sub-contracting going on and it is these big repatriation companies that are fleecing UK.

My understanding is that the UK Coroner makes decisions on post-mortom, they will be provided with the paperwork required and translations once in the UK.  I have been through .Gov and Local Council sites and prepared a sort of checklist of tasks to be done.  

We just need to get them into the UK, if we can find different firms doing their legs of the journey we can negotiate prices. It has to be easier than the flights.

This clarifies 

https://www.freightlink.co.uk/knowledge/faq/how-do-i-declare-movement-human-remains-or-empty-hearse


 https://www.gov.uk/guidance/get-a-goods-movement-reference

NotArobot24

silvercar said:

NotArobot24 said:

GDB2222 said:

Undoubtedly, by far the cheapest way to deal with this is to sit gran's body up in the back seat of the car, strapped in with a safety belt. When customs ask about her, say "shhh don't wake her". Do you at least have an up to date passport for her?

I missed your post and never even thought of that, yes they have passport and we would not need to try to get someone on a plane as per that BBC story.

So family get all the paperwork done in foreign country and the embalming etc.

Then drive through passport control on Eurotunnel, in the past have opened sliding door of MPV when passing through, if they get caught they can express shock that they have died and they did not notice.

 Jumped into a body bag, zipped it up, laid straight, then died. All without the driver noticing. Explain that one away, particularly when the coroner insists on a post mortem and the time of death is revealed to be days ago. 

That idea has passed, if we go down "sleeping" route then I am thinking they travel in their wheelchair in back of MPV. it is more credible.

I am exploring having three different funeral directors or maybe two.

elsien

NotArobot24 said:

silvercar said:

If finances mean you need to compromise, use a proper funeral director to bring the body to the UK and conduct your own funeral.

They have paid for a plot, all that is approved, their other half already 12 feet under years ago, they will go at 6 feet under on same plot.

I like the DIY stuff for when I pass but mainly for the bundling and overcharging.

This death has really shaken me, my late mother had an amazing ceremony, so I had an idea to do one on a similar vein for myself, perhaps record some videos on hidden YouTube links where I address family members, play some of my favourite songs, I can make several playlists and they can say their bits in between.

For my mother they arranged a post ceremony event at a local hotel and that was done directly, they had flowers done with a local Florist where people could choose to buy suggested things or come up with custom ones.

One thing I learnt from an in-laws ceremony was how awful it is to have the cremation done in the same building and same time as the ceremony.  We had the ceremony then the coffin was left for anyone to have final moments and then it was taken to the hearse once most people had left, it was taken to another side of the building and one of my siblings collected the ashes.

I have found companies that quote prices for a death in the UK for repatriation to EU for £2k but every company I have found just say POA, by now they should have done every EU country and figured out a formula, so much per mile, so much for regulations in France, Germany, Italy and so on.  It is an emotive time and we are going through the stages of bereavement, I recognise that, but at the same time none of us wants to be exploited as it insults the deceased and us all.

What does that mean?  Most people who use the acronym POA mean power of attorney,  which is of no relevance at all in this situation because it ends on someone’s death.

I would have thought it would be far more insulting to the deceased to be plunged into a body bag or a wheelchair surrounded by ice and on a wing and  a prayer