Egypt is a major destination for British holidaymakers, concentrated around the Red Sea resorts of Sharm El Sheikh, Hurghada, and Marsa Alam, alongside Nile cruises and the historic sites. Most British deaths there involve tourists, which shapes the process. This guide answers the questions families ask.
For the full process and consular detail, see our complete guide to repatriation from Egypt. This article focuses on the immediate questions.
First steps
When a death happens on a package holiday, the tour operator’s representative is often the fastest source of local help. Alongside that, finding the travel insurance is the priority, because in most Egyptian cases there is a policy, and it changes who pays and who coordinates.
A repatriation coordinator then instructs a local funeral director, who manages registration, the death certificate, embalming, and the export documentation.
The police and prosecutor
Deaths in Egypt are reported to the police, who attend and authorise the next steps. For a sudden or unexplained death, the prosecutor may order a forensic examination before the body is released. This clearance process is usually the main reason an Egyptian case takes longer than a straightforward European one.
The family cannot decline a prosecutor-ordered examination. It has to conclude before the body can travel.
Documents and the Cairo route
The Egyptian death certificate is issued in Arabic and, along with the supporting documents, usually needs attestation by the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and translation for UK use. Assembling and attesting these documents is one of the steps that adds time.
International cargo for human remains mainly runs from Cairo, so a death at a Red Sea resort generally involves a domestic transfer to Cairo before the flight to the UK.
For further guidance, see our articles on death abroad in Muslim countries and tracing travel insurance after a death.