How Does Body Repatriation from Dubai to Pakistan Work?
To repatriate a dead body from Dubai to Pakistan, the death is first certified by the UAE authorities. Then the Community Welfare Wing of the Consulate General of Pakistan in Dubai issues a death NOC for transporting the mortal remains. The consulate takes death NOC requests even after office hours. The body is embalmed, sealed in a coffin and flown as air cargo to an airport such as Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad or Peshawar. If the deceased was employed, UAE law makes the employer pay. The Overseas Pakistanis Foundation (OPF) offers a free ambulance from any international airport in Pakistan to the family’s home town. It also gives a one-time grant to the families of overseas workers who die abroad.
When someone you love dies far from home, the last thing you need is a maze of offices. Every week, families in the UAE bring a father, brother, wife or colleague home to Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Sindh, Azad Kashmir and every other part of Pakistan. Much of the UAE paperwork is now digital. Even so, the case still passes through the hospital or police, Dubai Health, the Pakistan consulate, the airline and the airport in Pakistan. Many families also want the burial to happen as soon as possible, as Islam encourages, so every hour matters. 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 Pakistan, step by step
- The death is certified in the UAE. The hospital issues a death notification. For a death at home or outside a hospital, the police are called first and issue a police report. Dubai Health issues the official death certificate. If the death was sudden or accidental, Dubai Police and forensics must finish their work before the body is released.
- The legal heirs authorise who will act. If the heirs live in the UAE, they apply to the consulate themselves. If they are in Pakistan, the consulate asks for an affidavit from them instead. OPF also advises heirs to give a power of attorney to a trusted person in the UAE.
- The consulate issues the death NOC. The Community Welfare Wing checks the papers and issues a No Objection Certificate for transporting the mortal remains to Pakistan.
- Embalming and coffin. The body is embalmed, placed in a sealed coffin and issued with an embalming certificate.
- Cargo booking. The airline books the coffin as human remains (HUM) cargo. The Pakistan Embassy asks that the coffin reaches the cargo section at least six hours before the flight leaves.
- The flight and the handover. The coffin flies in the cargo hold. A named family member collects it at the airport in Pakistan, and the OPF ambulance can take it home.
The consulate’s NOC is issued by Pakistan’s own officials. What takes time is moving between the offices involved, which is the part we take on for families.
Which Pakistani mission handles the case?
Where the death happened | Pakistani mission that issues the NOC |
Dubai and the Northern Emirates (Sharjah, Ajman, Umm Al Quwain, Ras Al Khaimah, Fujairah) | Consulate General of Pakistan, Dubai. 2 11th Street, Khalid Bin Al Waleed Road, Umm Hurair One. Tel. 04 397 3600 |
Abu Dhabi emirate (including Al Ain and Al Dhafra) | Embassy of Pakistan, Abu Dhabi. Plot 02, Sector W-59, Embassies Area. Tel. 02 444 7800 |
The Dubai consulate’s Community Welfare Wing is open Monday to Thursday, 8 am to 4 pm, and Friday, 8 am to 12 noon. Hours can change during Ramadan and public holidays. After hours, the consulate’s number for death and emergency cases is +971 56 647 2721. In Abu Dhabi, the Community Welfare Attaché can be reached on +971 2 444 9334. If the deceased has no relatives in the UAE, the embassy asks people to contact its Community Welfare office directly.
Which documents are needed for repatriation from the UAE to Pakistan?
The Consulate General of Pakistan in Dubai lists these documents for a death NOC to repatriate mortal remains:
- Original death certificate issued by the UAE health authority (in Dubai, Dubai Health)
- Death notification from the hospital, or the police report from the police station
- Original passport of the deceased
- Application from the legal heirs, if they live in the UAE, or an affidavit from the legal heirs, if they live outside the UAE
- Copies of the legal heirs’ passports
- Passport copy of the person who will accompany the body, if anyone is travelling
The Pakistan Embassy in Abu Dhabi asks for the same core papers. It also lists the NOC itself, the airline booking, the embalming certificate and the accompanying passenger’s passport and visa copy, each as an original plus a photocopy.
For the flight, PIA lists four conditions before it books human remains: a death certificate from a licensed doctor or hospital, a clearance from the local police, a coffin packing or embalming certificate, and the NOC from the embassy or consulate.
A name spelled differently on the passport, the death certificate and the heirs’ papers is one of the most common causes of delay. 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 body repatriation from Dubai to Pakistan, and who pays?
The cost depends on the UAE fees, the coffin, the airline and the airport in Pakistan. The Pakistani mission has not published a cost table, so we do not quote a standard figure here. When you contact us, we give you an itemised quote that keeps government fees, cargo and our service fee separate. See also repatriation cost guidance.
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. OPF says the same thing from Pakistan’s side: transporting the body is usually the employer’s obligation. Check any travel or life insurance too.
Help from Pakistan’s side:
- Free carriage on PIA. OPF states that PIA carries the bodies of overseas Pakistanis free of cost on routes where it operates. In August 2026 the Minister of State for Overseas Pakistanis told the National Assembly that PIA continues to help bring bodies home where its flights operate. Ask the consulate or PIA whether this applies to your case.
- When no one can pay. OPF says that if the employer refuses and the family cannot afford it, the Pakistan mission abroad steps in to transport the body.
- Free ambulance in Pakistan. OPF runs a free ambulance from every international airport in Pakistan to the deceased’s home town. It needs the flight number, the departure date, the arrival time, a contact in Pakistan and the full home address. OPF’s helpline is UAN 111-040-040.
- OPF financial aid. OPF offers financial aid to eligible families of overseas Pakistanis who die while working abroad. Families should check the current eligibility rules, application period and available support directly with OPF.
- Unpaid dues. OPF also helps families recover end-of-service dues and death compensation from the employer, through the embassy or consulate.
We will always tell a family when one of these free routes may apply to them.
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 family in Pakistan. We tell you each time a stage is finished, for example “certificate issued”, “NOC received” or “cargo booked”. Then you are not left calling five offices to find out where things stand.
If a death happens at night or on a Friday, some UAE offices may be closed. The consulate still accepts death NOC requests after hours. We start whatever can be started straight away, so nothing waits that does not have to.
Arrival and handover in Pakistan
The Pakistan Embassy warns that a coffin travelling without a passenger needs advance confirmation from the family that they will collect it at the airport. So the person who will receive the coffin should be decided early. They need to:
- Be reachable on the phone number given to the airline and to OPF
- Be at the cargo terminal when the flight lands, with their CNIC and copies of the papers
- Book the OPF ambulance in advance, or arrange their own, for the drive home. Some families have a long journey, for example from Islamabad to a village in Azad Kashmir or from Peshawar to a district further north
OPF also runs One Window Facilitation Desks at every international airport in Pakistan for overseas Pakistanis. Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad, Peshawar, Multan, Sialkot and Faisalabad are among the airports families ask about. Which ones are possible depends on the airline’s cargo routes on the day, so we confirm the routing for each case.
If a relative is flying with the coffin, they need a confirmed passenger ticket on the same flight.
Burial in the UAE instead
Islam encourages a quick burial, and repatriation takes time. Many Pakistani families therefore choose burial in the UAE, close to where their loved one lived and worked. The Pakistan consulate in Dubai also issues death NOCs for local burial, so this route is fully supported. We can coordinate the burial arrangements with the licensed authorities and partners involved. See burial assistance in the UAE.
Why families choose a repatriation coordinator
The consulate, OPF and PIA give real help, and much of it is free. Families come to us when they want one person to handle everything. That can be because the heirs are in Pakistan and cannot travel, because the employer or insurer needs to be chased, or because they simply cannot face it right now. We are available 24/7 on the phone and WhatsApp. We give you a clear, itemised quotation, follow up with every office ourselves and keep you informed in plain language until your loved one is handed over. Learn more about our repatriation service in Dubai.
Important things to check before the flight
- The name, passport number and date of birth match on every document
- The heirs’ application or affidavit is signed, with copies of their passports
- The employer has confirmed in writing whether it is paying
- The person collecting the coffin in Pakistan is named, reachable and has their CNIC
- The OPF ambulance or other transport from the airport is booked
- Whether a family member will fly on the same flight (book a passenger ticket)
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.
