Romania has a large diaspora community in the UK, and a significant proportion of repatriations between Romania and the UK involve Romanian nationals who lived and worked in Britain and whose families wish to bring them home to Romania for burial. British tourists visiting Romania also account for some cases. The country is within Europe and the logistics are manageable. This guide answers the questions UK families ask.
For the full process detail, see our complete guide to repatriation from Romania. This article focuses on the practical questions.
The community direction of travel
Unlike many other origins where the traffic is one-way, repatriation between Romania and the UK runs in both directions. A Romanian national living in the UK who dies while visiting family in Romania may need to be brought back to the UK, where their own family and community are based. A UK national who dies in Romania follows the same administrative process. A coordinator handles both directions through the same Romanian local funeral director network.
The civil registry and the prosecutor
Death registration goes through the local stare civilă, the civil registry. For a natural death, the death certificate is issued promptly. A sudden or unexplained death involves the procuror, and any forensic examination ordered must conclude before the death certificate is issued.
Road transport and routing
Romania is accessible by road from the UK, and specialist mortuary vehicles can travel the route without the constraints of air cargo scheduling. Bucharest is the main departure point for air cargo, but Cluj-Napoca and Timișoara also have international connections.
For further guidance, see our articles on documents needed to repatriate a body to the UK and who pays for repatriation when someone dies abroad.