How repatriation from the UK works
It all starts with a phone call. We take over coordination with our partner in the United Kingdom, who collects the deceased and handles registering the death at the Register Office — the step without which no other document can be issued. If the death was sudden or unexplained, the case passes through the Coroner, who must give clearance before the body can leave the country.
Since Brexit, the UK has left the Schengen area, so customs formalities apply to transport, and the mortuary passport for Romania is obtained through the Romanian Consulate in the UK. That is why repatriation from the UK takes a little longer than from Italy or Spain — preparing the documents needs a few extra days.
The Medical Examiner system — what changed in September 2024
From 9 September 2024, independent scrutiny by a Medical Examiner became a statutory requirement before any non-coronial death can be registered in England and Wales. The Medical Examiner is a senior doctor appointed by the NHS, independent of the treating team, who reviews the circumstances and cause of death and issues the new Medical Certificate of Cause of Death (MCCD).
In practice this means that, even for expected deaths, there is now an additional step before the death can be registered at the Register Office. In most cases this review takes one to two working days. Only after the MCCD is issued and the death is registered can the funeral director proceed with repatriation preparations.
If the Medical Examiner has concerns, the case is referred to the Coroner. The Coroner can also become involved independently when the death is sudden, unexplained, or occurred in unusual circumstances — including deaths in custody or at work.
Removing a body from England — Form 104 and the Coroner
Repatriation out of England and Wales requires a formal removal notice — Form 104 — to be submitted to the Coroner for the district where the body is lying. This must be done at least four clear working days before the intended date of removal, giving the Coroner time to make enquiries.
If the death is not under Coroner investigation and the Coroner is satisfied, they issue Form 103 — permission to remove the body out of England. This is the key document that unlocks the rest of the process. If the case is under investigation, removal can only happen once the Coroner has completed their work.
For deaths in Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland, the equivalent processes follow similar but distinct rules. Our UK partners know the relevant procedures for each part of the country.
FCDO legalisation and the apostille
UK public documents — including the death certificate — need to be legalised for use in Romania. Since Romania is a member of the Hague Convention, an apostille issued by the FCDO (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) is sufficient; no further embassy legalisation is needed.
The FCDO charges £45 per document for postal applications. Apostilles for death certificates are issued on the original document. Standard postal service takes around ten working days; expedited processing is available through agents and typically takes one to two working days, at higher cost. We factor this into the timeline and budget.
How long it takes and what it costs
For most cases from the UK, repatriation takes 5–7 days from the first call to arrival in Romania. The total cost, between €2,800 and €4,000, covers embalming, the transport-compliant coffin, the British documents including apostille, the mortuary passport, and door-to-door transport.
The price difference comes from the departure city, whether or not the Coroner is involved (which adds time but not necessarily cost), and the choice between road transport (ferry or Eurotunnel) and air. Coroner-related delays can extend the timeline, but they do not change our fees.
The documents required
- The Medical Certificate of Cause of Death (MCCD), issued under the new Medical Examiner system (statutory since September 2024)
- The British death certificate, issued by the Register Office, with FCDO apostille and legalized translation into Romanian
- Form 103 — the Coroner's permission to remove the body out of England, or the equivalent for Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland
- Form 104 — the removal notice, submitted at least four working days before departure
- The mortuary passport issued by the Romanian Consulate in the United Kingdom
- The embalming certificate and health clearance, required for international transport
- The customs declaration for leaving the UK, required since Brexit
- Transcription of the death certificate into the Romanian civil registry, on arrival
Romanian consulates in the United Kingdom
Romania has three main diplomatic offices in the UK: the Embassy in London, a Consulate General in Manchester, and a Consulate General in Edinburgh. The Embassy in London handles the largest volume of consular cases, including mortuary passports.
The mortuary passport (pașaportul mortuar) issued by the Romanian Consulate allows the deceased to enter Romania. Our team contacts the relevant consulate as part of the standard process.
What we do for the family
British paperwork — Register Office, Medical Examiner, Coroner, FCDO apostille, consulate — is hard to follow from a distance and in another language. We coordinate the UK side through our partners and the Romanian side directly, so the family has a single point of contact, not four offices in two countries.
We answer day and night. Many families call us from the UK, by phone or WhatsApp, while they're still there. We prepare everything in advance, so that on arrival in Romania the family can focus on the ceremony, not the paperwork.