How repatriation from the UAE works
It starts with a phone call. We brief our local partner in the UAE, who collects the deceased and begins the local formalities with the hospital or medical facility where the death occurred. Releasing the body in the UAE typically involves several steps: the local death certificate, clearance from the UAE health authorities, and — if an investigation is open or the cause of death is not immediately clear — the police as well.
Embalming is mandatory for all international air transport of human remains. The coffin must have a sealed metal (zinc) liner, airtight, as required by airlines for carriage as special cargo. Alongside this, the mortuary passport is prepared — the document that authorises the deceased to enter Romania.
Procedures and timelines can differ between emirates — Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah each have their own administrative systems. We factor this into the timeline we give you from the first call.
The role of the Romanian diplomatic mission in the UAE
Romania is represented in the UAE by the Romanian Embassy in Abu Dhabi and the Romanian Consulate General in Dubai. The diplomatic mission can assist the family with consular formalities — issuing the mortuary passport, authenticating the documents required for transport, and, where needed, supporting the family in its dealings with the local authorities.
The mortuary passport is requested through the Consulate General in Dubai or the Embassy in Abu Dhabi, depending on which emirate the death occurred in. Our local partners know exactly which office to contact and manage this correspondence directly — the family does not need to approach the consulate themselves.
Employer and insurance — check before you pay
Many Romanian nationals working in the UAE have employment contracts with local or international companies. Some employment contracts or insurance policies cover part or all of the repatriation costs. Before committing to any expenditure, check with the employer or insurer whether such coverage exists.
Families often tell us they were unaware of a repatriation clause in the employment contract. We can help you formulate the request correctly, where that applies. Do not make advance payments without first verifying whether employer or insurance coverage is in place.
How long it takes and what it costs
Repatriation from the UAE usually takes 7–14 days from the first call to arrival in Romania. The timeline is longer than on European routes, because of the local formalities with the UAE authorities, obtaining the consular clearances, and the availability of cargo flights to Bucharest.
The total cost, between €3,500 and €6,500, reflects the air freight leg and the UAE-side formalities, on top of embalming, the coffin, the documents, and the Romanian-side ceremony coordination. A firm estimate is given on the first call, once we know the emirate and the specific circumstances of the case.
Third-party fees you should know about
- Body storage at the hospital or mortuary in the UAE — variable by institution and by the time needed to obtain local clearances
- UAE health authority certificates and clearances — usually included in the local partner's fee, but variable by emirate
- Air cargo from the UAE to Bucharest — the main cost component; varies by airline, route, and availability
- Romanian consular fees at the Embassy or Consulate General — typically minimal or zero for the mortuary passport; we confirm on the first call
- Airport handling fees at Bucharest Otopeni on arrival — usually a few hundred RON, included in our estimate
The documents required
- The local UAE death certificate, issued by the relevant emirate authority, with a legalized translation into Romanian
- UAE health authority clearance for international transport
- Police or competent authority clearance, if the death occurred in circumstances requiring an investigation
- The embalming certificate, mandatory for international air transport
- The zinc-lined, sealed coffin meeting airline cargo requirements
- The [mortuary passport](/ghid/pasaport-mortuar/) issued by the Romanian Embassy or Consulate General in the UAE
- The deceased's ID or passport
- Transcription of the death certificate into the Romanian civil registry, on arrival
Romanian consulates in the UAE
Romania has two diplomatic offices in the UAE: the Romanian Embassy in Abu Dhabi and the Romanian Consulate General in Dubai. Which office is competent depends on the emirate where the death occurred — our local partner contacts the correct one.
Both offices have consular emergency lines for Romanian citizens in distress abroad. If the family is in the UAE at the time of death and wishes to present in person, we will tell you exactly which office to go to and during which hours.
What we do for the family
UAE formalities are different from those in Europe and can be difficult to track from a distance, in a different language, and across time zones. We coordinate the UAE side through our local partners and the Romanian side directly, so the family has a single point of contact throughout.
We answer day and night. If the family is still in the UAE when they first call us, we manage both sides in parallel. We also assist families coming from other Gulf states — Oman, Qatar, Kuwait — where the air-transport procedure is similar.
There are no hidden costs at the end. Before any procedure begins, we give you a full written estimate, listing every cost component including the third-party fees we do not control. For the background on how every repatriation document fits together, read our mortuary passport guide.