Ashes transport guide
Bringing ashes home from Rwanda
You have ashes in Rwanda and need to bring them home. This page covers what Rwanda requires before they can leave.
Quick reference
3-10 days to arrange
What does Rwanda require before ashes can leave?
Departure airports: KGL (Kigali International Airport)
Carriers serving the UK: RwandAir; Kenya Airways (via Nairobi); Qatar Airways (via Doha)
Authority that must release the case: Civil Registration and Vital Statistics (CRVS), Rwanda; Rwanda Biomedical Centre / Ministry of Health; University Teaching Hospital of Kigali (CHUK), Forensic Department; Rwanda Investigation Bureau (RIB)
The rules that apply on any route, and what you may do with ashes once home, are covered in bringing ashes into the UK.
What are the airline rules for carrying ashes?
What does Rwanda require to export ashes?
Cremation availability
Cremation may be restricted or unavailable in Rwanda due to religious or legal reasons. If you are dealing with ashes from a previous cremation held elsewhere, the export rules may differ. Contact us for guidance specific to your situation.
What affects the cost?
Carrying ashes home yourself is the least expensive way to bring someone back from Rwanda, and for many families it costs little more than the return flight they are already taking. We do not publish a figure, because what you pay depends on the case.
| What changes the cost | Why |
|---|---|
| Whether the cremation has already taken place | Arranging it locally adds funeral director and crematorium involvement |
| Where the death happened | Distance to the nearest crematorium changes local transfer |
| Carrying versus shipping | Hand luggage costs nothing extra; a specialist courier is a separate arrangement |
| Documentation Rwanda requires | Export permits and translation, where they apply |
Send us the details of your situation and we will give you a figure, with no obligation.
What else is worth knowing about Rwanda?
Rwanda is a Commonwealth member (admitted 2009, unusually as Rwanda was never a British colony); the representative office is the British High Commission Kigali; Gorilla trekking in Volcanoes National Park is the primary reason British tourists visit Rwanda; deaths in the park require Rwanda Development Board (RDB) involvement before police process begins; No direct flights to the UK; RwandAir has announced London routes but cargo repatriation typically routes via Nairobi (Kenya Airways) or Doha (Qatar Airways); Specialist mortuary and embalming capacity in Kigali is improving but limited compared to Nairobi or Johannesburg; your specialist must confirm current agent capacity; Lake Kivu and Nyungwe Forest are secondary tourist areas where deaths may occur; both require transfer to Kigali
high
Full repatriation guide
Complete guide: repatriation from Rwanda
Official support
British Embassy in Rwanda: contacts and what consular staff can do
Need guidance?
We can help with ashes transport
We deal with Civil Registration and Vital Statistics (CRVS), Rwanda; Rwanda Biomedical Centre / Ministry of Health; University Teaching Hospital of Kigali (CHUK), Forensic Department; Rwanda Investigation Bureau (RIB) and the local crematorium directly.
Send an enquiryFurther guidance
Official lists for Rwanda
Published by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office for British nationals. We are not connected to the firms listed.
- Funeral directors, for arranging local care and preparation
Sources: FCDO: death abroad · FCDO travel advice · Repatriation from Rwanda
More on ashes and cremation abroad
Bringing ashes home from Rwanda
Tell us where the ashes are now and where home is. We will explain what is needed and send you a quote. We send ashes home to the UK, Ireland or any other country.