What Is the Process for Repatriation from Dubai to the UK?
To repatriate a deceased British national from Dubai to the UK, the UAE police first register the death, and the health authority certifies it. The UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs then stamps the death certificate. Next, the British Embassy issues a “no objection letter” and cancels the passport, and the police then issue their own no objection letters. The body is embalmed, sealed in a coffin and flown as air cargo with seven photocopies of every document. A UK funeral director receives it on arrival. In England and Wales, the local register office then issues a “certificate of no liability to register” so the funeral can go ahead. You do not have to register the death in the UK as well.
This page is about bringing home someone who has died. If a living patient needs to travel with medical support, that is a different service, medical repatriation.
Losing someone in the UAE, thousands of miles from family in Britain, is a shock that no one is ready for. Many families also find the paperwork runs across two systems, Emirati and British, with different rules for England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. The steps below follow the official guidance of the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) for deaths in the UAE. You can call us before every document is ready, and we will tell you the next step for your case.
How to repatriate a deceased person from Dubai to the UK, step by step
- The police register the death.. The hospital issues a death notification. The police station where the person lived, or the one handling any investigation, issues a death registration letter. A death outside hospital is always referred to the police.
- Dubai Health issues the death certificate. In Dubai it comes from Dubai Health. FCDO notes that Emirati death certificates do not always state the cause of death. Ask for extra copies.
- The UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs attests the certificate. It must be stamped and signed by the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs before the British Embassy will act on it.
- The British Embassy issues its no objection letter. It also cancels the British passport and returns it to the family.
Police Clearance, Embalming and Flight Arrangements
- The police issue their no objection letters. For repatriation there are copies for the airport police, the embalming facility and the mortuary.
- Embalming and coffin. Embalming is required for a body leaving the UAE, and the coffin must meet specific rules. The embalming facility issues the embalming certificate.
- The flight. The airline transports the coffin in the cargo hold of a scheduled flight. A UK funeral director receives the coffin at the arrival airport.
- Paperwork in the UK. The family or funeral director takes the death certificate to the register office where the funeral will be held. See the section on arrival below.
If the death was sudden, unexplained or violent, the public prosecutor’s office must authorize the release of the body. This is usually the step that takes longest.
Which British office handles a death in Dubai?
The FCDO guidance for the UAE says the no objection letter comes from the British Embassy Abu Dhabi, and that you request it through the embassy’s online enquiry form. This applies even when the death happened in Dubai. The FCDO’s phone number in the UAE, +971 4 309 4444, covers both Abu Dhabi and Dubai. From the UK the number is +44 (0)20 7008 5000.
However FCDO asks families to contact the embassy directly in four situations: the death of a child, multiple deaths, a suspicious death, or murder or manslaughter. The embassy cannot pay for translation or legal costs and cannot give legal advice.
Which documents are needed for repatriation from the UAE to the UK?
For the British Embassy’s no objection letter, FCDO lists:
- The Emirati death certificate with the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ stamp and signature
- The death notification or forensic report
- The British passport of the person who died
- The D1 passport cancellation form
- A next of kin authorisation form (from the embassy) or a power of attorney
- A copy of the next of kin’s passport
To fly the body to the UK, FCDO lists:
- The no objection letter from the British Embassy
- The no objection letter from the police
- The attested death certificate and the death notification
- The embalming certificate
- The cancelled passport, showing the cancelled visa and the entry stamp
- A letter from the UK funeral director agreeing to receive the body, if the next of kin is not travelling with it
- The airline’s flight booking confirmation
The funeral coordinator must send seven photocopies of each document with the body.. A spelling difference between the passport and the death certificate is a common cause of delay, so we check every page against the passport before anything is submitted. For the wider list, see the full list of repatriation documents.
Next of kin: in the UAE the next of kin usually makes the decisions, but UK law has no legal definition of next of kin. If the family disagrees, or there is a same-sex spouse, FCDO advises speaking to the embassy early.
What affects the cost of repatriation from Dubai to the UK?
Since every case is different, there is no fixed price because every case is different. The main factors are the documents and attestation required, the coffin specification, the airline and arrival airport, the receiving funeral director in the UK, and any onward transport after arrival.
- Documents and attestation required
- Coffin specification required by the airline and destination
- Airline, shipment weight and UK arrival airport
- Receiving funeral director and collection arrangements in the UK
- Distance and onward transport from the airport to the funeral home
The British Embassy paperwork and optional UK registration should be checked against the current FCDO guidance before the family proceeds, as requirements and official charges can change.
When you contact us, we give you an itemised quote so you can see which services are required for your case. See also what affects repatriation costs.
Who pays? FCDO’s first advice is to call the insurer. A travel or life policy may cover repatriation, and the insurer often appoints funeral directors in both countries. If the person worked in the UAE, Article 15(3) of Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021 makes the employer pay to prepare and transport the body home if the family asks. We help families raise this with the employer or insurer.
Preparing and flying the coffin
There is no special aircraft. Instead your loved one travels in the hold of a scheduled flight, booked as human remains (HUM) cargo. The airline checks the documents before it accepts the coffin. The cargo terminal has its own cut-off, earlier than passenger check-in. Family members can fly on the same aircraft with a normal ticket, and we try to match their seats to the cargo booking. Read more about how a repatriation flight from the UAE works.
Our coordinator is the family’s single point of contact for the police, the embalming facility, the embassy paperwork, the airline cargo desk and the UK funeral director. We tell you when each stage is done, so you are not left calling offices in two time zones.
Arrival in the UK: funeral director and register office
FCDO says families need to appoint an international funeral director in the UK as well as one in the UAE. Therefore, choose them early, because their letter of agreement to receive the body is needed before the flight if no relative is travelling with it. They collect the coffin at the arrival airport and take it to the funeral home. London Heathrow and Manchester are common examples, but the routing depends on the airline’s cargo space on the day.
England and Wales. Take the death certificate to the register office for the area where the funeral will be held. The registrar issues a certificate of no liability to register, which you give to the funeral director. If you arrange the funeral yourself, return it to the registrar within 96 hours of the funeral. A coroner must be told if the cause of death was unknown, violent or unnatural, and may hold an inquest. For a cremation, the coroner issues form Cremation 6.
Burial and Cremation Requirements Across the UK
Scotland. Families must obtain authorisation from the Death Certification Review Service before arranging burial or cremation in Scotland. (Healthcare Improvement Scotland). The funeral director applies with the death certificate and the passport, plus Form A1 for a cremation. The service aims to decide within five working days, and the application can start before the body arrives.
Northern Ireland. nidirect lists a certified English translation of the death certificate, authorisation to remove the body and an embalming certificate. NI coroners cannot currently hold inquests into deaths abroad. In September 2025 the Department of Justice announced plans to change this.
Tell Us Once. If the person normally lived in England, Scotland or Wales and was only abroad for a short time, the register office can help you use Tell Us Once. It reports the death to most government departments in one go.
Cremation in the UAE or burial at home?
This decision affects any inquest. In England and Wales, a coroner can investigate only if the body is brought home. Bringing home ashes does not trigger an inquest. FCDO advises against cremation abroad if you want a coroner at home to look into the death.
If the family chooses cremation in the UAE, it is possible for non-Muslims at Sonapur and Jebel Ali in Dubai, at Sharjah Crematorium and at Al Foah in Al Ain. Children under three cannot be cremated in the UAE. Ashes can fly home as hand luggage or in a suitcase, in a special unsealed box, with the police no objection letter. You fill in a customs form on arrival in the UK. See taking ashes from Dubai to another country and cremation in Dubai.
For Anglican support in Dubai, FCDO lists Christ Church Jebel Ali and Holy Trinity Church. For Roman Catholic support, it lists St Mary’s Church, which welcomes Christians of any denomination.
Why families use a repatriation coordinator in Dubai
FCDO itself notes that UAE registration “is quite complicated” and is usually done by a funeral director. For this reason, families come to us when they are in the UK and cannot fly out, when an insurer or employer needs chasing, or when they simply cannot face it right now. We are available 24/7 by phone and WhatsApp. We work through licensed partners in the UAE, give a clear itemised price and keep you informed in plain English until the receiving team transfers your loved one into the care of your UK funeral director.
Important decisions before booking
- Who is the next of kin, and will they sign the authorisation or a power of attorney?
- The name, passport number and date of birth match on every document
- Is there travel or life insurance, or an employer who should pay?
- Which UK funeral director will receive the body, and have they sent their letter of agreement?
- Burial or cremation in the UK, and could an inquest be needed?
- Which UK airport suits the funeral home, and will a relative fly on the same flight?
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.
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