Repatriation from Greece
How do you bring a loved one home from Greece?
You appoint a repatriation specialist who coordinates local funeral directors, obtains all required documentation, and arranges air freight. The process typically takes 10-21 days.
Bringing someone home to a particular country? Find the guide for your route or send us the details. We arrange repatriation to any country.
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Send us the detailsFirst 24 hours
What should happen in the first 24 hours after a death in Greece?
Contact emergency services (112 or 166 for ambulance, 100 for police). A doctor certifies the death and issues a medical certificate. Contact the British Embassy in Athens or nearest consulate.
The most important step is to contact a specialist repatriation company. They will tell you exactly what to do and begin coordinating with local authorities on your behalf.
Timeline
How long does repatriation from Greece take?
In most cases, repatriation from Greece takes 10-21 days. The fastest straightforward cases complete in 8-12 days. Complex cases involving a post-mortem, criminal investigation, or a remote location can extend to 4-12 weeks or beyond.
What makes a case complex?
- Island location (adds internal transport to Athens)
- Post-mortem investigation (reports can take months or over a year)
- Tourist season backlogs (June-September)
- Small island bureaucracy with limited English
- Prosecutor permission required to release body after post-mortem
- Greek death certificate requires separate translation (no multilingual version)
- Easter and other Orthodox holiday closures
- Ferry schedule disruptions due to weather (meltemi wind in Aegean, summer)
Documentation
What documents are required to bring a body home from Greece?
All of these documents must be in place before air transport can proceed. Your appointed repatriation coordinator will obtain most of them.
- Greek death certificate (lixiarxiki praxi thanatou)
- Certified English translation of the death certificate
- Permission to remove the body, issued by a coroner
- Embalming certificate
- Passport of the deceased
- Airline cargo documentation
Documentation typically takes 8-10 days for local formalities (per gov.uk FCDO guidance) to complete.
Post-mortem
Will a post-mortem be required in Greece?
A post-mortem is carried out at the request of the Greek police, or requested by a state hospital doctor, when the cause of death needs establishing. Samples may be taken without the family's consent..
The body can be repatriated before tests finish. Permission to remove the body is issued by a coroner (GOV.UK, updated 30 Jan 2026).
If you are bringing someone home to the UK and an inquest there may be required, do not authorise cremation in Greece. Once cremation takes place, evidence is destroyed and the coroner cannot proceed. Other countries have their own rules on investigating deaths abroad; ask before agreeing to cremation.
British Embassy
What does the British Embassy in Greece do when someone dies?
For British nationals, the British Embassy provides consular assistance, which includes giving you a list of local funeral directors, helping you notify relatives, and advising on local procedures. What the Embassy cannot do is pay for repatriation, organise the funeral director, or make arrangements on your behalf. If your loved one was a citizen of another country, contact that country's embassy or consulate instead.
Full embassy guide
All British Embassy contacts in Greece
Alternative option
Can ashes be brought home from Greece instead of a full body?
Yes, cremation facilities are available in Greece. Transporting ashes home requires specific documents and must comply with airline regulations.
Documents needed to transport ashes
- Death certificate (Greek, with certified translation)
- Cremation certificate
If home is the UK, do not cremate abroad if a UK coroner may need to hold an inquest. Cremation destroys evidence.
Generally yes, with documentation. Notify airline in advance.
Getting started
How do you start the repatriation process from Greece?
Call a specialist repatriation company. Do not wait until all other steps are complete. A specialist can begin the process immediately, even before the local death certificate has been issued.
You will need to provide: the name of the deceased, the location of the body, your contact details, and the name and contact of the local hospital or authority holding the body.
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Send the details any time. We begin working on your case from the first message.
Send an enquiryMore questions
Other frequently asked questions about repatriation from Greece
Embalming is required for international repatriation. Greek funeral directors handle this. Mediterranean climate means prompt embalming is important, particularly in summer months. Embalming quality is generally good in Athens and major cities. Island facilities may be more basic.
Allow 10-21 days for a straightforward case from Greece. Where nothing is contested it can be done in 8-12 days. Where a post-mortem or a police investigation has to conclude first, expect 4-12 weeks.
There is no standard figure, and quoting one before we know the case would be misleading. The cost of bringing someone home from Greece moves with the place of death, whether an investigation has to finish first, the paperwork required, and which flights carry remains on that route. Tell us what happened and we will come back with a figure, with no obligation.
Cremation is available in Greece. Cremation was only recently legalised in Greece. Athens has a crematorium. Availability on islands is extremely limited or non-existent. The body may need to be transported to Athens for cremation. After a cremation abroad, ashes can normally be carried home to the UK in hand luggage, provided the cremation certificate travels with them; other countries set their own rules for bringing ashes in. If home is the UK, do not cremate abroad if a UK coroner may need to hold an inquest. Cremation destroys evidence.
Greek Orthodox Christianity (~90% of population) Traditionally burial was near-universal due to Orthodox Church teaching. Cremation has only recently been legalised and facilities are very limited (Athens has a crematorium). The vast majority of Greeks still choose burial. Funerals typically within 24-48 hours of death (similar to Spain). This rapid timing reflects Orthodox tradition and the warm climate.
Greece requires: Greek death certificate (lixiarxiki praxi thanatou), Certified translation of death certificate, Coroner/prosecutor permission to release body, Embalming certificate, Freedom from infection certificate, Passport of deceased (or copy), Airline cargo documentation. Greek bureaucracy can be slow, particularly during tourist season and on islands. The lack of a multilingual death certificate means translation adds time and cost. Need prosecutor permission if post-mortem was conducted. Documentation typically takes 8-10 days for local formalities (per gov.uk FCDO guidance). Most of this is gathered for you by the funeral director acting locally.
Available from larger islands (Crete, Rhodes, Corfu) to Athens. Faster but more expensive. ~40,000-60,000 British residents in Greece. Many on Corfu, Crete, and Rhodes.
The island logistics are the defining challenge of Greek repatriation. Most British deaths in Greece occur on islands. Every island death requires a transfer to Athens first. Tourist season (June-September) may create capacity issues on ferries and domestic flights.
Route guides
Repatriation routes from Greece
Each route guide covers the documentation, timeline and process for one corridor from Greece, written for the family at the receiving end.
We are here to help. Send us the details, any time
If your loved one has passed away in Greece, please do not face this alone. Send us the details and we will explain what happens next and prepare a quote for bringing them home, wherever home is.
Reviewed by the Repatriate Service editorial team. Information sourced from UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) guidance, official embassy contacts, and professional repatriation experience. Facts last checked September 2026; page updated .
Sources: FCDO gov.uk · Embassy contacts: Greece · Frequently asked questions
City guides
Repatriation from specific cities in Greece
For guidance specific to where the death occurred, see our city-level pages.