2024 rules for repatriating a body to or from France
The cost of transporting the deceased can vary considerably, and you may need to appoint a funeral director both in France and the repatriation country
Repatriating someone who has died in another country can be complex
Kzenon/Shutterstock
If someone dies in France and you wish to take the body to another country (or repatriate someone who has died elsewhere to France), there are some procedures to follow, particularly if a British person dies abroad.
Repatriation experts
It can be a good idea to use a funeral company that specialises in repatriating bodies from or to foreign countries. They can help you to coordinate the complexities of travel, which may include land, air and sea. (See the section below about Britons specifically if this applies.)
They can also look after conservation care and coffining. Rules in France state that in addition to a wooden coffin, coffins being used for transport must also have an airtight zinc or aluminium layer.
A specialist repatriation funeral company can also assist with the different administrative and customs procedures required.
Transport costs
The largest cost of repatriating a body is typically the transport itself. Usually, this depends on the weight of the coffin and of the deceased person, as well as the mode of transport.
Here are a few examples of rates, as reported by Actu.fr:
Within Europe, the average cost of repatriation is €2,000
For repatriation from France to north Africa, the cost is around €2,500
From France to sub-Saharan Africa, the cost is around €4,000.
Repatriation from France to the rest of the world can exceed €6,000
Other costs
Other costs, in addition to the repatriation itself, are likely to include:
Some companies offer repatriation insurance, including policies aimed at those who live somewhere where they do not have nationality, to pay for this if needed.
People are also advised to check for any relevant insurance that could be included with a bank card, and - if applicable - to use that card to pay for transport costs.
If a Briton dies abroad
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office in the UK has a comprehensive guide on what to do if a British person dies while they are abroad.
Steps to take include:
Contact their travel insurance company, or - if applicable - any other type of insurance company they may have had (bank cards etc).
Appoint a funeral director. If there is insurance, this may be done by the company. If insurance is not in place, you will have to do this yourself, and pay for the costs.
Contact charities that could help. This includes the Bereavement Support Network (BSN), which is based in France, and helps English speaking residents to manage bereavement and grief.
Register the death at the local mairie. Ask for a translation into English if need be.
You can also optionally register the death with the Overseas Registration Unit. You can also buy a UK-style death certificate, known as a Consular Death Registration certificate.
Coordinate a post-mortem. This is usually done if the death was sudden, unexpected, violent, or where the cause of death is unknown. In France, post-mortems are usually carried out by the Institut Medico Legal (IML). If you want a copy of the post-mortem report, you must apply through the coroner in the UK (in the case of a repatriation).
Bring the body home. The insurer can coordinate this, if there is one. If not, you will need to appoint an appropriate funeral director to arrange this.
If you wish to cremate the body in France, you will need to appoint a local funeral director. They can coordinate this process and prepare the ashes.
If you have had the body cremated in France, and you wish to bring the ashes home, you will need paperwork to do so. This includes the death certificate and cremation certificate, as well as a permission certificate from the local authority, via the funeral director in France. You will also need to complete a UK customs form.
You may need to find a translator for some documents, or use an English-speaking lawyer. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office offers this list for official translators, and this for lawyers.
You will need the deceased person’s passport to travel with their body back to the UK, but must cancel it afterwards. To do this, you will need to complete a D1 form and send it to HM Passport Office (HMPO) in the UK.
