One of the first practical questions families face after a death abroad is who is going to pay. The answer is rarely as simple as a single source. In most cases the cost is met by a combination of factors, and which combination applies depends on circumstances the family may not be aware of at the start.
This guide sets out the realistic payer paths, in roughly the order families should investigate them.
Travel insurance: the most common payer
For UK residents on holiday, travel insurance is the most common payer of repatriation costs. A comprehensive travel insurance policy usually includes a repatriation benefit that covers the cost of returning the deceased to the UK, and sometimes the cost of one or two family members travelling to the location.
The key qualifier is “usually”. Travel insurance policies vary considerably. Some have caps on the repatriation benefit that may not cover a long-haul case. Some exclude deaths from pre-existing conditions. Some exclude deaths involving alcohol, drugs, or risky activities. The first step for any family is to locate the policy and contact the insurer’s 24-hour emergency line.
If the policy is not immediately obvious, check the deceased’s phone for booking confirmations, their wallet for policy cards, and their bank statements for travel insurance premiums. Many premium current accounts and credit cards include travel insurance as a benefit, so check those too. If you cannot find a policy, the British Insurance Brokers’ Association (BIBA) operates a free tracing service that can locate cover the family was not aware of.
Employer-provided cover
For people travelling for work, the employer’s group travel insurance or business travel policy may cover repatriation. This is separate from personal travel insurance. Where an employee has died during a work-related trip, the employer’s policy is usually the primary payer.
Contact the employer’s HR team or business travel manager within 24 to 48 hours of death. They will know which insurer to engage. If the employee was an expatriate posted abroad, the relocation package or employment contract may include repatriation provision separate from travel insurance.
For self-employed people travelling for business, this route does not apply unless they had specifically purchased business travel cover.
When there is no insurance
If there is no travel insurance and no employer cover, the family pays directly. This is the situation that creates the most financial stress, and it is more common than is sometimes acknowledged. Older travellers who have struggled to obtain travel insurance, backpackers who skipped it, people travelling on routine visits to family, expatriates whose policies have lapsed. All of these scenarios produce uninsured deaths abroad.
Uninsured repatriation costs typically run into thousands of pounds. The funeral director and repatriation provider will require payment, or at least a substantial deposit, before transport begins. They are usually willing to discuss payment plans, particularly where the family is engaging promptly and honestly about their financial situation.
The practical options for funding an uninsured repatriation include family savings, borrowing from extended family, personal loans, credit cards (for the deposit and time-bridge), and crowdfunding. We cover the crowdfunding route in a separate article. In some cases, families decide that burial or cremation abroad is the only realistic option. This is a legitimate choice and we discuss what it involves elsewhere on the site.
What the FCDO does and does not do
The FCDO is often the first official body families think of, and it is sometimes assumed (incorrectly) that consular services include funding repatriation. They do not. The FCDO publishes this clearly in its guidance for deaths abroad.
What the FCDO does do is provide consular support: notifying next of kin where needed, providing a list of local English-speaking funeral directors with international experience, helping families understand the local procedures, and in some cases making formal representations to local authorities (for example, requesting expedited processing where there is genuine hardship). All of this is valuable but none of it pays the bills.
The FCDO 24-hour helpline is +44 (0)20 7008 5000. This is the right number to call in the immediate aftermath of a death abroad, regardless of insurance status.
Charitable trusts and hardship support
For families facing genuine financial hardship in an uninsured death case, a small number of charitable trusts may be approached. These are not guaranteed sources of funding, and applications take time, which is the one thing a repatriation case does not have.
Specific organisations that may help in specific situations include the Royal British Legion (for service personnel and veterans), the Salvation Army (general hardship support), and country-specific charities (for example, organisations supporting deaths in particular regions where they operate). None of these are a substitute for proper insurance or family resources.
Civil claims and third-party recovery
Where a death was caused by another party’s negligence, there may be grounds for a civil claim that includes repatriation costs as a head of loss. This applies to deaths caused by transport accidents, organised tour incidents, hotel safety failures, and similar third-party scenarios. It does not pay the repatriation cost upfront. The cost has to be incurred and then recovered through legal proceedings.
Families in this situation should speak with a solicitor experienced in fatal accidents abroad as soon as the immediate practical matters are stabilised. Solicitors specialising in this area often work on conditional fee arrangements (no win, no fee), so an initial consultation does not commit the family financially.
What to do in the first 24 hours
If you are reading this because someone has just died abroad, the practical priority is to identify which payer pathway applies before significant costs are incurred. The sequence is:
- Search for travel insurance. Phone, wallet, bank statements, employer.
- Contact the employer if work travel was involved.
- Contact the FCDO emergency line.
- Appoint a local funeral director with international experience.
- Be transparent with the funeral director about your funding situation from the start.
Funding decisions made in the first 48 hours determine what happens next. Honesty with the repatriation provider is more useful than optimism: a provider working with a clear picture of the family’s resources can structure the case appropriately. One working without that picture will assume normal commercial terms.
For further guidance, see our main repatriation cost guide and our article on tracing travel insurance after a death.