City repatriation guide
Repatriation from Accra, Ghana
Specific guidance for arranging repatriation from Accra. Local documentation contacts, airport cargo routes, and the typical process for cases originating in this area.
Accra is the capital and primary city of Ghana — a country that has the highest English-speaking African diaspora connection with the UK after Nigeria. The British-Ghanaian community, estimated at over 100,000 UK residents, has strong family ties to Greater Accra, Ashanti, and the Eastern Region. Deaths in Accra involving British nationals span visiting family members, second-generation British-Ghanaians returning for events or the increasingly popular “Year of Return” diaspora movement, and British professionals working in Accra’s finance and development sectors.
Ghana’s political stability and relatively well-developed institutional infrastructure make it one of the more straightforward West African countries for repatriation documentation — but the process still takes longer than Europe and requires a locally based funeral director with established relationships at Korle Bu Teaching Hospital and the Accra Metropolitan Assembly.
What the British High Commission does — and does not do
The British High Commission Accra (Link Road, off Gamel Abdul Nasser Avenue, Accra) covers all of Ghana.
The BHC can: Register the death in UK consular records. Advise on Ghanaian documentation requirements. Provide a funeral director referral list for Accra.
The BHC cannot: Repatriate the body. Pay any costs. Instruct Ghanaian police or hospital authorities.
FCDO 24-hour emergency line: +44 (0)20 7008 5000.
What Ghanaian law requires
Under the Criminal and Other Offences (Procedure) Act 1960 (Act 30) as amended, sudden, violent, or unexplained deaths are reported to the Ghana Police Service and may be referred to the Coroner under the Coroners Act 1960 (Act 16). A Coroner’s inquest is required where cause of death is unknown or suspicious. Forensic post-mortems are conducted at the Department of Pathology, Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, Accra (the national referral hospital), or at the Police Hospital Accra.
Death certificates are issued by the Births and Deaths Registry (BDR), Accra, a department of the Office of the Administrator of Stool Lands (in practice under the Ministry of Local Government).
The documentation chain
1. Death certificate. Issued by Births and Deaths Registry (BDR), Accra.
2. Police Extract and body release authorisation (in sudden deaths).
3. Coroner’s clearance (where an inquest is ordered).
4. Post-mortem report (Korle Bu or Police Hospital Accra).
5. International transport permit. Issued by the Ghana Health Service / Ministry of Health under the Public Health Act 2012 (Act 851).
6. Embalming certificate.
7. IATA cargo documentation — ACC to LHR.
Source: Coroners Act 1960 (Act 16) Ghana; Criminal and Other Offences (Procedure) Act 1960 (Act 30) Ghana; Ghana Health Service, 2024.
Airport and cargo routing
Kotoka International Airport Accra (ACC, 8km from the city centre) has British Airways ACC-LHR direct service (approximately 6.5 hours). This is the established repatriation route from Ghana. Virgin Atlantic also operates ACC-LHR. The direct route is reliable and the BHC Accra has an established working relationship with licensed cargo handlers at Kotoka.
Timeline from Accra
- Hospital-certified natural death: 14 to 21 days
- Police involvement, no inquest: 21 to 35 days
- Coroner’s inquest: 6 to 12 weeks
Key local considerations
Ghanaian funerals are culturally significant events and the British-Ghanaian community’s expectations around burial ceremonies — often elaborate multi-day events in the family’s home region — mean that the family may face pressure from Ghanaian relatives to bury locally rather than repatriate. This is a family decision. Where repatriation is the family’s choice, engaging the funeral director and the BHC early, before any local burial preparation has begun, prevents complications. Mortuary infrastructure at Korle Bu is generally reliable. Power outages are less common than in some other West African cities, but a private funeral home with cold storage is still recommended for extended timelines.
For guidance on next steps, contact our team via our enquiry form or WhatsApp.
Information based on Coroners Act 1960 (Act 16) Ghana and Public Health Act 2012 (Act 851) Ghana. Last reviewed May 2026.
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