Cremation and ashes transport
Cremation in and bringing ashes home
No cremation facilities in Cape Verde. Families wishing cremation must repatriate the body to the UK. Ashes from prior UK cremations may be transported to Cape Verde as hand luggage under IATA Packing Instruction 650. This page sets out what requires, and what to check before you decide.
Cremation in
What applies in
No cremation facilities in Cape Verde. Families wishing cremation must repatriate the body to the UK. Ashes from prior UK cremations may be transported to Cape Verde as hand luggage under IATA Packing Instruction 650.
Religious context: Christianity dominates (predominantly Roman Catholic). Cremation is not practised locally and no cremation facilities exist in Cape Verde.
Weighing cremation abroad against bringing your loved one home intact? How families decide between the two.
Who must release the body
Instituto Nacional de Medicina Legal (INML) and hospital forensic services
Documentation language
Portuguese; Cape Verdean Creole
Airline guidance
Carrying ashes on the flight home
Routing out of : Most remains route via Lisbon (LIS) or Las Palmas (LPA) to London. Inter-island transfers are required for deaths on smaller islands (Fogo, Sao Nicolau, Santo Antao); charter aircraft or ferry plus air adds days. Sal Island has the most direct connections.
Departure airports: Amilcar Cabral International Airport, Sal Island (SID); Nelson Mandela International Airport, Santiago Island (RAI); Aristides Pereira International Airport, Boa Vista Island (BVC)
What affects the cost from
We do not publish a figure, because it turns on the specifics of the case. For the things that move it are:
- Distance from where the death happened to the nearest crematorium
- Whether Instituto Nacional de Medicina Legal (INML) and hospital forensic services has to release the case first
- Translation, since documentation is in Portuguese; Cape Verdean Creole
- Routing home. Most remains route via Lisbon (LIS) or Las Palmas (LPA) to London. Inter-island transfers are required for deaths on smaller islands (Fogo, Sao Nicolau, Santo Antao); charter aircraft or ferry plus air adds days. Sal Island has the most direct connections.
- Whether you carry the ashes yourself or need them shipped
Contact us with the details and we will give you a figure for your case. Source: FCDO guidance and funeral industry data
Considering full repatriation instead?
Some families decide they want their loved one brought home intact. The full guide sets out that process.
Full repatriation guide forTalk to us about cremation in
We deal with Instituto Nacional de Medicina Legal (INML) and hospital forensic services and the local funeral directors directly. Tell us what has happened and we will take it from there.
Thank you. We have received your enquiry and will be in touch as soon as possible, usually within a few hours.