Repatriation from Kumasi, Ghana

Kumasi is Ghana’s second city and the cultural capital of the Ashanti people. The Manhyia Palace, Kejetia market — one of West Africa’s largest — and the Ashanti cultural heritage sites draw visitors, but Kumasi’s significance for UK repatriation work is primarily demographic. The British Ghanaian diaspora is one of the largest African diaspora communities in the UK, and a substantial proportion of it has ancestral roots in Kumasi and the wider Ashanti Region. Heritage visits — family ceremonies, funerals, festivals, and extended family visits — are common. Many UK nationals of Ghanaian heritage travel to Kumasi specifically to maintain family connections, and deaths occurring during these visits are among the most frequent situations that bring British families into contact with Ghana’s repatriation system.

Kumasi is approximately 250 to 270 kilometres north of Accra, or roughly four to five hours by road. All consular facilities, forensic pathology, and cargo routing are in Accra.

Consular coverage

The British High Commission Accra: Julius Nyerere Link, Roman Ridge, Accra. Tel: +233 (0)30 221 3600. FCDO 24-hour: +44 (0)20 7008 5000.

There is no British consular presence in Kumasi. The High Commission covers all of Ghana from Accra. For deaths in Kumasi, consular contact and all formal processes are managed through Accra, with the body ultimately transferred for cargo clearance from Kotoka International Airport (ACC) in Accra.

What Ghanaian law requires

Criminal and Other Offences (Procedure) Act 1960 (Act 30): All sudden, violent, suspicious, or unexplained deaths are reported to the Ghana Police Service. The Kumasi Divisional Police Headquarters receives the initial report. Investigation is supervised by the Kumasi Metropolitan Police.

Coroners’ Courts Act (NRCD 101): The Coroner — typically a Magistrate acting in that capacity — presides over inquests for unnatural deaths. The Coroner must authorise release of the body before repatriation can proceed.

Death registration: Under the Vital Registration Act, 2020 (Act 1027), deaths are registered at the Births and Deaths Registry. The sub-office for Kumasi Metropolis is located at the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly complex. The death certificate (BDRB5 form) is issued here.

Export documentation: The Ghana Health Service (GHS) issues the health certificate for international transport. Authentication by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration is required for documents to be accepted internationally.

Forensic facilities

Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH), Department of Pathology: Bantama Road, Kumasi. KATH is one of the largest hospitals in West Africa and the main referral hospital for the Ashanti Region and surrounding areas. The Department of Pathology at KATH provides forensic post-mortem examinations for court-ordered cases in Kumasi and the region. It is one of the better-resourced pathology facilities outside Accra.

Post-mortem examinations at KATH are typically completed within seven to ten working days for straightforward cases. Bodies are held in the KATH mortuary, which is refrigerated.

Body transfer to Accra for cargo

Once the legal and forensic process in Kumasi is complete and the Coroner has authorised release, the body must be transported to Accra for cargo clearance and international departure. The road transfer is four to five hours by hearse. Alternatively, Kumasi Airport (KMS) operates domestic flights to Accra (ACC), taking approximately 45 minutes, but cargo capacity on these domestic services for human remains is limited and must be pre-arranged.

Most repatriations from Kumasi use the road transfer to Accra. This is standard practice and is managed by the Kumasi funeral director in coordination with an Accra-based counterpart.

Documentation for repatriation

Documents required for UK customs:

• Death certificate from Births and Deaths Registry (BDRB5 form)
• Coroner’s authority for disposal
• Police clearance
• Ghana Health Service international transport certificate
• Ministry of Foreign Affairs authentication stamp
• Embalming certificate
• Zinc-lined coffin certificate
• British High Commission Accra death registration

All Ghanaian official documents are in English. No translation is required.

Flight routing from Accra

Kotoka International Airport (ACC), Accra: British Airways operates direct ACC-LHR services. This is the standard routing for all repatriations from Ghana, including those originating in Kumasi. Cargo capacity is reliable and the ACC-LHR direct route eliminates transit complications.

Allow 14 to 21 days from death to arrival in the UK for straightforward cases. Cases involving extended Coroner’s inquest or document authentication delays take longer.

Diaspora heritage visit context

Deaths during heritage visits by British nationals of Ghanaian descent sometimes involve specific complexities. Ghanaian customary funeral rites — which often include extended lying-in-state periods before burial — may be performed alongside the formal legal process. Families need to be clear about whether the intention is local burial (under Ghanaian customary practice) or repatriation to the UK for funeral rites there.

The two processes are not always mutually exclusive in terms of family wishes, but the legal path differs. If repatriation to the UK is the primary intention, this must be stated at the outset and the body must not be buried or cremated in Ghana before the Coroner’s process completes.

Contact Repatriate Service to coordinate with the British High Commission Accra, the Kumasi funeral director, KATH, and the Births and Deaths Registry — managing the process from Kumasi through to Accra and onto the BA flight to London.

Source: British High Commission Accra official website, accessed 2025. Ghana Criminal and Other Offences (Procedure) Act, 1960 (Act 30). Vital Registration Act, 2020 (Act 1027), Ghana Statistical Service. Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital, institutional profile, 2024. FCDO Travel Advice: Ghana, updated 2025.