Bringing a loved one home: when someone passes away overseas

Losing someone overseas is one of the hardest situations to navigate. You may be grieving from another country, dealing with paperwork in a language you do not speak, and trying to work out how to bring your loved one home. This guide covers the steps in plain language, the costs, and where to find help.

The first call: Smartraveller and the Australian embassy

Contact the nearest Australian embassy or consulate. If you cannot reach the embassy directly, call the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade Consular Emergency Centre on 1300 555 135 (within Australia) or +61 2 6261 3305 (from overseas), 24 hours a day.

Smartraveller is the federal consular service that coordinates assistance for Australians overseas. They can:

• Confirm the death with local authorities
• Notify next of kin in Australia
• Provide a list of local funeral directors and translators
• Help you understand the local death registration process and provide consular assistance with documentation
• Liaise with local authorities on documentation

Smartraveller cannot pay for the repatriation, the funeral, or any other costs. The Australian Government's role is consular assistance and information, not financial support.

The second call: travel insurance

Most Australians who travel overseas hold travel insurance with a repatriation benefit. Call the insurer as soon as possible. The insurer will guide you through claims, often covering part or all of the repatriation cost. Some travel insurance policies arrange the repatriation directly with their preferred providers.

If the deceased did not have travel insurance, the cost falls entirely to the family or the estate.

Body versus ashes: the cost difference

Two paths exist for bringing a loved one home:

Repatriation of the body for burial or cremation in Australia. Industry estimates put this in the order of $10,000 or more, depending on country, airline, embalming requirements, coffin, and consular paperwork. The process usually takes several weeks, and longer if there is an autopsy or coronial enquiry.

Local cremation overseas, then repatriation of the ashes. Significantly cheaper (often a few hundred dollars for the ashes transport, plus the local cremation cost) and faster than body repatriation. Many families who would not otherwise be able to afford repatriation choose this path.

The choice involves faith and family wishes too. Some faiths require burial without cremation, some require burial in a particular place, some require cremation. Speak with your community elders or religious officiant alongside the funeral director.

For more on faith requirements, see our Australian Funeral Traditions hub.

What the local funeral director does

The embassy can refer you to a local funeral director in the country where your loved one passed away. The local funeral director:

• Coordinates with local hospitals, mortuaries, and police
• Arranges embalming where required
• Obtains the local death certificate
• Sources the legal documents needed for international transport
• Books the airline cargo for the body or the ashes

The local funeral director then liaises with an Australian funeral director who receives the body or ashes on arrival and continues the process from there.

For an Australian funeral director who works with international repatriation cases, browse funeral directors near you and ask whether they handle international repatriation. Most major funeral directors do; smaller independents may refer you to a partner who does.

Documents you will need

The exact list varies by country, but typically:

• Local death certificate, often translated and apostilled (a notarised certification for international use)
• Embalming certificate, where the country or airline requires embalming for transport
• No-objection certificate from the local authority confirming there are no legal obstacles to releasing the body
• Consular assistance documentation from the Australian embassy or consulate (the embassy guides you through the local process; the death may also be registered in Australia with the relevant state Births, Deaths and Marriages registry, but this is optional)
• Coffin certificate confirming the coffin meets airline standards
• Airline waybill
• Australian Border Force paperwork on arrival

The embassy and the local funeral director coordinate most of these. You should not need to source them yourself.

Australian Border Force on arrival

When the body or ashes arrive in Australia, Australian Border Force clearance is required. The Australian funeral director normally handles this on the family's behalf. Quarantine inspections check that the body has been embalmed (if a regulatory requirement of the country of origin) and that all documentation is in order.

For ashes, the process is simpler but still subject to inspection. The ashes must travel in a sealed container with the relevant documentation.

Cost breakdown

A rough breakdown of repatriation costs (body):

• Local funeral director services: $2,000 to $5,000+
• Embalming (where required): $500 to $1,500
• Airline cargo (the body must travel as cargo, not in the cabin): $3,000 to $7,000+, depending on country and airline
• Consular and document fees: $200 to $1,000
• Australian funeral director receiving fees: $1,500 to $3,000
• Funeral or cremation in Australia: separate, see our funeral costs guide

Repatriation of ashes is significantly less expensive overall. The ashes can travel in carry-on luggage on most airlines (subject to airline policy and documentation), and the process avoids cargo, embalming, and the larger consular costs.

If you cannot afford repatriation, speak with the embassy about local burial or cremation options. A funeral or cremation in the country where your loved one passed away is sometimes the only viable choice, and many families later say it was the right one.

Looking after yourself

Grieving from another country has its own complications. The time difference, the distance, the inability to be present, and the bureaucracy can compound the loss.

The Australian Centre for Grief and Bereavement (operating as Grief Australia, 1800 642 066, 9am to 5pm AEST Monday to Friday) and GriefLine (1300 845 745, weekdays 9am to 6pm and weekends 12pm to 6pm AEST/AEDT) both have counsellors familiar with disenfranchised grief and grief at distance. Neither is a 24-hour crisis line; for crisis support outside hours, call Lifeline 13 11 14.

For more on grief and bereavement, see our Grief and Support hub.

Frequently asked questions

What is the first thing to do when an Australian passes away overseas?

Contact the nearest Australian embassy or consulate, or call the DFAT Consular Emergency Centre on 1300 555 135 (24 hours). Then call your travel insurer.

Does the Australian Government pay to bring a loved one home?

No. Smartraveller confirms the government cannot pay for repatriation. The cost falls to the family or travel insurance.

How much does it cost to repatriate a body to Australia?

Industry estimates put it in the order of $10,000 or more, depending on country and airline. Repatriation of ashes is significantly cheaper, often a few hundred dollars.

Should I repatriate the body or the ashes?

Most families choose based on faith, family wishes and budget. Ashes are dramatically cheaper and faster.

How long does repatriation take?

Usually several weeks for a body, longer if there is an autopsy or coronial enquiry. Smartraveller does not publish a specific timeline. Repatriation of ashes is usually faster.

Do I need to travel overseas?

Not always. The embassy, local funeral director, and Australian funeral director can coordinate remotely in many cases.

What documents are needed?

Local death certificate, embalming certificate where required, no-objection certificate, consular paperwork, and Australian Border Force quarantine paperwork on arrival.

Next steps

• The first 24 hours after someone passes away
• How to register a death (and what happens with overseas deaths)
• Find a funeral director who handles international repatriation