Legal framework
Legal and jurisdictional context for repatriation from Belgium
When someone dies in Belgium, the death must be registered under Belgium's local law before any repatriation can begin. A death certificate issued in Belgium is a legal document under that country's jurisdiction. The country you are bringing them home to may need it translated by a qualified translator and, in some cases, authenticated; for the UK, an English translation is required.
Airline and IATA standards require the body to be embalmed to international standards and transported in a zinc-lined coffin. These requirements apply to all international air transport of human remains, whatever the destination.
The process
How repatriation from Belgium works in practice
The process follows a fixed sequence. Each step must be completed before the next can begin.
Documentation
Documentation requirements for repatriation from Belgium
The following documents must all be in place before the body can leave Belgium. Your repatriation coordinator will obtain these on your behalf, working with the local funeral director.
Timeline analysis
Realistic timelines for repatriation from Belgium
Based on cases handled from Belgium, the typical timeline is 7-12 days. In the best-case scenario, where the cause of death is clear, documentation is issued without bureaucratic delay, and no post-mortem is required, the process can complete in 4 days. This is not the norm.
Complex cases involving a required post-mortem, a coroner's investigation, a death in a remote part of Belgium, or a dispute over the cause of death can take 16-22 days or considerably longer. Families should plan for the typical range rather than the best case.
Factors that extend the timeline
- Parquet (Public Prosecution) must authorise body release for suspicious or unnatural deaths
- Forensic post-mortems are conducted at university hospital forensic departments (UZ Leuven, CHU Liege, UZ Gent, ULB Brussels)
- Belgium has three administrative regions with different languages: Dutch/Flemish in Flanders, French in Wallonia, German in eastern cantons; documents vary accordingly
- Transport permit is issued at commune level (rather than nationally) which requires knowing the local commune process
Edge cases
Complications and edge cases in repatriation from Belgium
Criminal investigation or suspicious death
Where the death is subject to a criminal investigation in Belgium, local authorities will retain the body until the investigation is concluded. Neither the Embassy nor a repatriation company can override this. The embassy or consulate of the person who died (for British nationals, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) can provide consular support but cannot intervene in another country's judicial process. The timeline in these cases is entirely dependent on the local investigation.