How Do You Repatriate a Body from Dubai to Bangladesh?
To repatriate a dead body from Dubai to Bangladesh, the UAE authorities first certify the death. Dubai Health issues the death certificate. The Consulate General of Bangladesh in Dubai then issues a No Objection Certificate (NOC). It charges no fee and aims to issue it the same day. The funeral team embalms the body and seals it in a coffin. Then, the airline transports it as air cargo to Dhaka, Chattogram or Sylhet. If the deceased was employed, UAE law makes the employer pay. On arrival, the Wage Earners’ Welfare Board may provide eligible families with support towards transport, burial and other assistance.
When someone you love dies far from home, the last thing you need is a maze of offices. Families in the UAE bring a father, brother, wife or colleague home to Sylhet, Chattogram, Cumilla, Noakhali, Dhaka and every other district of Bangladesh. For most Muslim families, time matters, because burial should not be delayed. In practice, the process involves the hospital or police, Dubai Health, the consulate, the airline and the airport in Bangladesh. The steps below are the ones families ask us about most. You can call us before every document is ready, and we will tell you the next step for your case.
How to send a dead body from Dubai to Bangladesh, step by step
- The death is certified in the UAE. The hospital issues a death notification. For a death at home, the police are called first. Dubai Health issues the official death certificate. If the death was sudden or accidental, the police and forensic teams must complete their reports before the authorities release the body.
- The family decides: home or burial in the UAE. For this reason, some families bury their loved one in the UAE so the funeral is not delayed. However, others want the grave in their home village. Both are possible.
- The consulate issues the NOC. The family or its representative submits the documents to Room 14 at the Consulate General of Bangladesh in Dubai. The service is free and the consulate describes it as a same-day service.
- Embalming and coffin. Dubai Health’s embalming service asks for the death certificate, the police letter, the embassy letter, the airline ticket and a passport copy. The embalming team then prepares the body and places it in a sealed coffin.
- The flight. The coffin flies in the cargo hold to Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport (Dhaka), Shah Amanat International Airport (Chattogram) or Osmani International Airport (Sylhet).
- The handover. The named receiver collects the coffin. In Dhaka, the Probashi Kallyan (Expatriates’ Welfare) Desk at the airport can guide eligible families on available support.
Which mission handles the case?
It depends on the emirate where the death happened:
Where the death happened | Bangladesh mission |
Dubai, Sharjah, Ajman, Umm Al Quwain, Ras Al Khaimah, Fujairah | Consulate General of Bangladesh, Dubai |
Abu Dhabi emirate (including Al Ain and Al Dhafra) | Embassy of Bangladesh, Abu Dhabi |
The consulate in Dubai is at Villa 36 & 145, Abu Hail Road, Al Wuheida, Deira. Death cases are handled from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm, Monday to Thursday, and 9:00 am to 11:30 am on Friday. Its death-case hotline is +971 50 816 8253 (WhatsApp only). The main line is +971 4 238 8199.
Which documents does the Bangladesh consulate need?
The Consulate General of Bangladesh in Dubai lists the following for the repatriation NOC:
- UAE death certificate (original and a photocopy)
- Passport of the deceased (original and a photocopy)
- Emirates ID of the deceased (photocopy)
- Death notification or medical report
- Case paper, autopsy report or police report (mandatory for an accidental death)
- Passport or Emirates ID copy and phone number of the person accompanying the body
- Contact details of close family members in Bangladesh
- Name and phone number of the person who will receive the body at the airport
- Proof that the deceased’s outstanding dues have been paid in full to the nominee
- The last item matters. The consulate wants to see that wages and end-of-service money owed to the deceased have reached the family. Unlike some other missions, it does not insist that a relative applies. The employer’s sponsor, partner, manager or PRO, a co-worker or a relative may all submit the papers.
For example, a name spelled one way in the passport and another way in the hospital papers is a common cause of delay. Bangladeshi names often have several spellings in English. We check every page against the passport before anything is submitted. For a fuller list covering every nationality, see the full list of repatriation documents.
What affects the cost of repatriation from Dubai to Bangladesh?
Importantly, the consulate’s NOC is free. The main costs are on the UAE side: the death certificate, embalming, the coffin and the air cargo. Cargo is the largest and most variable item. Instead, it depends on the airline, the combined weight of the body and coffin, and the arrival airport.
Many families have heard that Biman Bangladesh Airlines flies the bodies of workers home for free. It did for years. Bangladesh’s expatriates’ welfare ministry and the Wage Earners’ Welfare Board confirmed in 2020 that this free service had stopped, and it has not returned. Please budget for cargo, whichever airline flies.
When you contact us, we give you an itemised quote that keeps the government fees and the cargo charge separate from our service fee. See also what repatriation costs.
Who pays? If the deceased was working in the UAE, Article 15(3) of Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021 says the employer bears the cost of preparing and transporting the body home if the family requests it. Check any travel or life insurance too.
Support from the Wage Earners' Welfare Board
Bangladesh supports the families of workers who die abroad through the Wage Earners’ Welfare Board (WEWB). The consulate in Dubai lists these benefits for members:
- Airport support. Eligible families may receive assistance towards transport and burial when the body is released to the family
- Free ambulance. The welfare desk at Dhaka airport runs ambulances for the bodies of workers. Officials told BBC Bangla in July 2026 that free onward transport is also available from Chattogram and Sylhet airports
- Financial aid. Eligible families of workers who went abroad through legal channels may qualify for financial support through the WEWB, subject to its current rules and approval process
- Help with claims. Help recovering compensation, insurance, unpaid wages and service benefits from the employer
Workers who left with a BMET clearance card are already covered. Bangladeshis in the UAE who came independently may be able to join through the consulate with a Probashi Kallyan Card. Check the current application requirements and fees with the consulate. If your relative is still living and working in the UAE, the card may be worth considering.
To access support through the welfare desk at Dhaka airport, The welfare desk may ask the family for:
- A photocopy of the deceased’s passport
- A warish (heirship) or family-member certificate from the local Union Parishad chairman or ward councillor
- A photocopy of the National ID card of the wife, father or mother
- A copy of the death certificate
- The NOC from the Bangladesh mission
- The original air waybill
In July 2026, BBC Bangla reported families waiting many hours at Dhaka airport because the warish certificate was missing. Ask the family at home to get it from the chairman before the flight lands. The welfare desk at Hazrat Shahjalal airport can be reached on +88 01404 413388.
From hospital or mortuary to the flight
Once the documents are moving, our coordinator becomes the family’s single point of contact. We work with the hospital or police mortuary, the embalming centre, the consulate, the airline’s cargo desk and the receiver in Bangladesh. Additionally, wee tell you each time a stage is finished, for example “death certificate issued”, “NOC received”, “embalming done” or “cargo booked”. You are not left calling five offices to find out where things stand.
If a death happens on a Friday afternoon, a weekend or a public holiday, the consulate’s NOC window may be closed. We start whatever can be started straight away, so nothing waits that does not have to.
Arrival and handover in Bangladesh
The receiver named on the consulate papers should be decided early. They need to:
- Be reachable on the phone number given to the consulate
- Be at the airport when the flight lands, with their NID and the papers above
- Arrange the journey home, or ask the welfare desk about the WEWB ambulance
Sylhet families often ask for the body to land at Osmani International Airport, and Chattogram families at Shah Amanat. Which airport is possible depends on the airline’s cargo routes on the day. We confirm the routing for each case. A Biman flight carried the coffin of a Dubai resident to Osmani airport in March 2026, for example, after a stop in Dhaka.
Burial in the UAE instead
Islam asks for burial as soon as possible. Because repatriation takes several days, some families choose a Muslim burial in the UAE. The janazah prayer can be offered in the UAE, and relatives in Bangladesh often hold a gayebana janaza (prayer in absentia) at home. If this is your wish, see our burial assistance in the UAE. Cremation is very rare for Muslim families. For Hindu families from Bangladesh who choose cremation in Dubai, see Hindu cremation in Dubai and taking ashes from Dubai to another country.
Why families choose a repatriation coordinator
The consulate, the WEWB and community volunteers help many families, and the NOC is free. Families come to us when they want one person to handle everything. That can be because they are in Bangladesh and cannot travel, because the employer or insurer needs to be chased, or because they simply cannot face it right now. We coordinate through licensed partners, and we are available 24/7 on the phone and WhatsApp. We give you a clear, itemised quotation and follow up with every office ourselves. We keep you informed in plain English until the receiving team takes responsibility for your loved one. Read more about our repatriation services in Dubai.
Important things to check before the flight
- The name, passport number and date of birth match on every document
- The employer has paid the deceased’s dues to the nominee, with proof
- The receiver in Bangladesh is named, reachable and has their NID
- The family has the warish certificate from the Union Parishad or ward councillor
- The arrival airport (Dhaka, Chattogram or Sylhet) and onward transport are arranged
- Whether a family member will fly on the same flight (book a passenger ticket separately)
Frequently asked questions
Tell Us What Has Happened. We Will Guide You.
During a difficult moment, your family should not have to learn unfamiliar procedures while trying to grieve.
Global Nest Worldwide provides one point of coordination for funeral, burial, cremation and repatriation arrangements in Dubai and across the UAE.
