Returning a dead body to the UK

j&t's future

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Mar 6, 2007
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Should someone who is English that resides in the D.R die here - and they wished to be buried/cremated in the U.K, what are the options of transporting their body back to the U.K? How about if they don't have travel insurance?

Many thanks...
 

Bryanell

Bronze
Aug 9, 2005
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Should someone who is English that resides in the D.R die here - and they wished to be buried/cremated in the U.K, what are the options of transporting their body back to the U.K? How about if they don't have travel insurance?

Many thanks...

By Law in the DR (as paralleled in international law) any foreigner who dies here has to be autopsied, whether or not their remains are to be repatriated. There are exceptions, such as if the deceased passes away in the course of on-going treatment at a recognised medical institution (other than in ER) or where there are religious reasons not allowing autopsy, but only if that is supported/ demanded by a religious leader at national level.

After autopsy, the remains can be repatriated, but first have to be embalmed, although again this can be avoided for religious reasons as above, and if the airline doesn't object.



The leading funerary company in the DR - Blandino, have a wealth of experience in repatriating human remains. The casket can only be sealed in the presence of customs and DNCD officers. Acting on behalf of international insurers we have used Blandino for years to the complete satisfaction of all concerned (with the possible exception of the deceased themselves, but none of them has complained so far).

The cost of the preparation of the remains and the transportation is sometimes covered by travel insurance (check the small print) and without insurance it can be an expensive operation, particularly to the UK since there are no direct flights,and not all airlines will agree to ship human remains, particularly in peak seasons when cargo bays are full of passengers' luggage and weight is sometimes a problem.
 
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Bryanell

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Aug 9, 2005
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Oh, and I forgot. Usually, there has to be a consular official in attendance when the casket is sealed too.
 

dv8

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Sep 27, 2006
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aforementioned blandino (in SD) is the only place in DR that does cremation. this may work better since the urn is smaller and lighter than a coffin with a dead body inside. therefore easier to transport.
i do not know about UK but i know that in order to release the body of a polish citizen (for transport) the coffin/urn has to be sealed by a consulate. i guess the same must apply for other foreigners.
without the travel insurance the costs will go into few thousands dollars, no doubt.
 

Bryanell

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Aug 9, 2005
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without the travel insurance the costs will go into few thousands dollars, no doubt.

In a recent case the costs, including collecting the body from the local branch of INACIF in the provinces, all funerary preparations (enbalming, supply of casket etc., ) local documentation and delivery to the airline at SDQ airport, were a little less than US$3,000 not including the air transport.
 

beeza

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Nov 2, 2006
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I have helped put a coffin containing a dead tourist on board a Thomas Cook aircraft back to the UK. His remains and his possessions didn't get repatriated until some five weeks after his death.

The coffin weighed a ton. The body was sealed in a metal box which was then put in a wooden crate. We were using a B767 that week and it only just went in the bulk cargo bay. (That's the hold at the very rear of the aircraft).

Las Americas Cargo is TC's cargo agent at POP. They arranged the airwaybill.
 

Bryanell

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Aug 9, 2005
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how much is a ticket for a coffin? is it a standard price? per weight? per airline?

The cost is, like any airfreight item, according to weight and/or volume. The standard formula is x kilogrammes per per cubic metre. The tariff is based on what is known as chargeable weight -that means that even though your cargo may be quite light, its dimensions will dictate how much it pays.

I can tell you, without going into too many details, that not so long ago we had to repatriate the remains of an eastern European seaman who was tall (around six feet something) and weighed in life a lot more than 350lbs. With the casket and the zinc box it worked out at almost 300kg and measured about 8 feet (2.5m) by 3 feet (0.95) by 2 feet (0.60).
Like Beeza wrote, no chance in a small plane.

Finding an airline was difficult and the remains were sent back from the airport once when the airline saw the weight and size of the box. It then took a week and a half, until a flight could be arranged via New York to Kiev and then to an internal domestic airport. If I remember rightly the airfreight was around US$6,500 or perhaps a little more, making the whole cost of repatriating the remains around US$10,000
 

Dan Spinnover

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Nov 1, 2010
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lead urns

I've heard of ppl who tried to carry an urn with lead paint... and was not x-rayable. They had to cancel their flight and move the remains into a different urn to fly.