Denmark is, for most cases, about as straightforward as European repatriation gets. It’s also a country whose territory stretches into the Arctic, and that second fact changes everything for a smaller number of families.
Why mainland cases move quickly
Both Denmark and the UK sit under the Strasbourg Convention on the Transfer of Mortal Remains, a 1973 agreement that means Denmark’s transport permit, the Udrejsetilladelse, is accepted by UK authorities as it stands, without the extra consular legalisation steps a non-signatory country would require. Add direct flights from Copenhagen Kastrup with SAS and British Airways, and an efficient forensic system through the Retsmedicinsk Institut, and it’s easy to see why most mainland cases run just 7 to 12 days.
For a natural death, the attending physician issues the Dodsattest and there’s little else to arrange. For anything unnatural, sudden, or suspicious, the Rigspolitiet investigates and the Retsmedicinsk Institut steps in where a post-mortem is needed. Once that’s done, Sundhedsstyrelsen, the National Board of Health, issues the transport permit, and established Danish funeral directors handle the rest as routine.
Greenland: a different country in practice
Greenland is part of the Kingdom of Denmark but governs itself through the Naalakkersuisut, its own Home Rule administration, and the Greenland Police Service answers to that rather than to Copenhagen. Forensic resources are limited across a territory that’s vast and thinly populated. A transfer to mainland Denmark, typically routed through Kangerlussuaq or Nuuk, has to happen before any onward journey to the UK. It’s not a case of Danish process moving slowly; it’s a genuinely separate administrative chain, and 14 to 28 days longer than a mainland case is a realistic expectation to set from the start.
The Faroe Islands, on a smaller scale
The Faroe Islands present a milder version of the same pattern. The Faroese Police, Logreglan, handles the case locally under Home Rule before it transfers into the Danish mainland system, routing through Copenhagen before departure to the UK. Add around 5 to 10 days to a mainland timeline, rather than the much larger gap Greenland involves.
What this means for a family
Where the death happened, mainland, Greenland, or the Faroe Islands, is the first question that needs answering, because it determines which administration, which police force, and which timeline apply. Copenhagen Kastrup remains the departure point in every case; it’s simply a question of how a body gets there first.
Read what affects a repatriation timeline for how a Strasbourg Convention country like Denmark compares generally, or see repatriation from Denmark to the UK for the complete process.
Contact Repatriate Service on +44 7703 577246 at any hour, or use the enquiry form below.