Copenhagen is one of the more forgiving cities on this site to deal with a death in. Denmark’s EU membership, its Strasbourg Convention status, and a well-resourced forensic pathology institute do a lot of the hard work before a family even calls us.
Why mainland Denmark moves quickly
The Retsmedicinsk Institut at the University of Copenhagen handles post-mortems where required, and the Rigspolitiet’s involvement in unnatural deaths is well practised rather than improvised. Once Sundhedsstyrelsen, the National Board of Health, issues the Udrejsetilladelse, the case is essentially cleared for export. Natural deaths with a physician’s certificate move faster still. Seven to twelve days is the realistic range for a standard case.
The Strasbourg Convention shortcut
Both Denmark and the UK signed the 1973 Strasbourg Convention on the Transfer of Mortal Remains. That single fact removes a layer of consular legalisation that slows down repatriation from many other countries. The Udrejsetilladelse travels straight through to UK acceptance.
Greenland changes the equation entirely
Greenland is part of the Kingdom of Denmark, but it’s governed separately, by the Naalakkersuisut, and its police service sits under that administration rather than Denmark’s national one. Forensic capacity is limited across a territory that’s geographically enormous and sparsely populated. A body has to move to mainland Denmark first, typically through Kangerlussuaq or Nuuk, before international departure is even possible. That single transfer routinely adds two to four weeks.
The Faroe Islands sit somewhere in between
Faroese Home Rule police, the Løgreglan, handle the case locally before it moves into the Danish system via Copenhagen. It’s not the same scale of complication as Greenland. Expect five to ten extra days, not weeks.
What we can offer
We know which parts of a Danish case are genuinely quick and which aren’t, and we tell families that difference honestly from the first call rather than quoting one blended figure for the whole Kingdom of Denmark.
Read about how long repatriation actually takes and what changes it, or see the full Denmark repatriation guide for the complete picture.
Contact Repatriate Service on +44 7703 577246 at any hour, or use the enquiry form below.