For families without a religious tradition, the practical decisions around repatriation are not driven by faith requirements. This is not a simpler situation in all respects, because decisions that religion would otherwise make are now entirely the family’s to make, which can be harder. But it does mean the family has genuine freedom in how they approach final arrangements.
This guide covers the practical options and how non-religious families typically approach them.
The repatriation process is the same
Whether or not the family is religious, the legal and logistical requirements for repatriation are identical. Local death registration must be completed. Embalming is required in most countries for international body transport. Documentation must be complete and consistent. Cargo booking requires the full document package. UK reception follows the same process.
The faith of the deceased or the family does not affect these requirements. Non-religious families sometimes ask whether they can skip embalming on non-religious grounds. The answer is that embalming is a legal and transport requirement, not a religious one, and applies regardless of faith.
The key practical choice: body or ashes
For non-religious families, the choice between repatriating the body and cremating abroad is purely practical. There are no religious constraints in either direction.
Cremation in the country of death is often the fastest and most cost-effective option. Cremation can usually happen within a few days of death, even in countries where body repatriation would take weeks. Ashes can then be carried home on a passenger flight (subject to documentation and airline policies). The family then decides what to do with the ashes: scatter in a meaningful location, keep at home, inter in a memorial garden, or another choice entirely.
Body repatriation is appropriate where the family wants the body returned for burial or cremation in the UK. This might be because all family is in the UK and wants to gather, because there is a particular crematorium or burial place with meaning, or simply because it feels right to bring the person home. These are all valid reasons. The process is the same as for any other repatriation, and the UK ceremony is entirely the family’s to design.
Ceremonies without religion
Non-religious families have complete freedom over the form of any farewell ceremony. Options range from a traditional structure without religious content (service at a crematorium or funeral parlour, music, words from family and friends) to entirely informal gatherings in locations with personal meaning.
Humanist Funerals UK connects families with trained humanist celebrants who specialise in non-religious funeral ceremonies. A humanist celebrant works with the family to create a personal ceremony reflecting the life of the deceased, without any religious content. This service is available regardless of where the person died; the ceremony takes place in the UK after repatriation or after ashes are brought home.
Some families prefer no ceremony at all, or a very informal gathering. This is also entirely legitimate. There is no legal requirement for any kind of ceremony in the UK.
Ashes disposal for non-religious families
Non-religious families have more flexibility over ashes than families whose faith specifies a particular destination or method.
In the UK, common options include: scattering at sea (beyond the three-mile limit under Environmental Protection Act rules), scattering in open countryside with landowner permission, keeping at home, interring in a natural burial ground, placing in a memorial garden associated with a crematorium, or other personal arrangements.
Some families scatter ashes in a location that was meaningful to the deceased: a favourite beach, a hillside, a garden. This requires private landowner permission but is generally accommodated when asked.
Ashes can also be divided, with some kept by different family members or scattered in different meaningful locations.
Natural burial
For families interested in environmentally-conscious options, natural burial is available in the UK as an alternative to a conventional cemetery. Natural burial grounds use biodegradable coffins or shrouds, no embalming, and no conventional headstone (usually native trees or wildflowers as markers). This is a growing sector in the UK and is compatible with either repatriated remains or ashes.
Practical decision-making without religious guidance
Families without religious guidance sometimes find the freedom of choice harder to navigate, not easier. When religion does not make the decisions, every decision is the family’s to make, often while in shock and grief.
A practical approach is to ask what the deceased would have wanted, based on things they expressed or how they lived. If the deceased expressed preferences (informal conversations about death and funeral wishes are more common than formal written instructions), those preferences are the guide.
Where preferences are unknown, the family’s own comfort is the guide. A decision that gives the family a sense of peace and closure is the right decision, regardless of whether it follows any particular convention.
For further guidance, see our articles on the main repatriation cost guide and who pays for repatriation when someone dies abroad.