Repatriation from Pune, India

Pune is one of India’s major IT cities. Hinjewadi IT Park (home to Wipro, Infosys, Cognizant, and dozens of global technology companies), the Pune Metropolitan Region’s engineering institutes, and the proximity to Mumbai’s financial corridor have generated a significant British-Indian professional and diaspora community. Deaths of British nationals visiting family in Pune — extended stays, religious ceremonies, elderly relatives — account for the majority of cases the British Deputy High Commission Mumbai handles from the city.

What the British Consulate does — and does not do

The British Deputy High Commission Mumbai (Naman Chambers, C-32, G Block, Bandra-Kurla Complex, Bandra East, Mumbai 400051) covers Maharashtra including Pune.

The BDHC can: Register the death in UK consular records. Advise on Maharashtra documentation. Provide a funeral director referral list.

The BDHC cannot: Repatriate the body. Pay any costs. Instruct Indian or Maharashtra state authorities.

FCDO 24-hour emergency line: +44 (0)20 7008 5000.

What Indian and Maharashtra law requires

Under the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita 2023 (BNSS), sudden or unexplained deaths are reported to Pune City Police (Pune Police Commissionerate) and referred for a post-mortem. Post-mortems for Pune cases are conducted at Government Medical College and Sassoon General Hospital (Pune 411001), which houses the Maharashtra state forensic medicine department for Pune district.

Death certificates are issued by the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) through the attending hospital or local registrar.

The documentation chain

1. Indian Death Certificate. Issued by PMC registrar.

2. No-Objection Certificate from Pune City Police. Required for sudden deaths before body release.

3. Post-mortem report and clearance (where applicable).

4. International transport clearance. Issued through the Maharashtra Directorate of Health Services.

5. Embalming certificate.

6. Freedom from infection certificate.

7. IATA cargo documentation — covering PNQ to BOM domestic leg and BOM-LHR international leg.

Source: Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita 2023 (BNSS); Ministry of Health and Family Welfare India, Guidelines for Transportation of Dead Bodies Out of India, 2024.

Airport and cargo routing

Pune Airport (PNQ, also known as Lohegaon Airport) has no direct London service and limited international cargo infrastructure for human remains. Standard routing: PNQ to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport Mumbai (BOM, approximately 40 minutes by air or 2.5 to 3 hours by road depending on traffic) then BOM-LHR British Airways direct (approximately 10 hours). The BOM-LHR route carries strong cargo capacity. Road transfer Pune to Mumbai is often more reliable than the short air leg given flight scheduling.

Timeline from Pune

• Hospital-certified natural death: 10 to 18 days
• Police investigation and post-mortem: 21 to 35 days
• Extended investigation: 4 to 8 weeks

Key local considerations

British nationals who die during extended family visits in Pune sometimes hold Indian property jointly with Indian family members. As with Hyderabad, Indian estate matters run parallel to and independently of the repatriation documentation process. The repatriation can proceed without waiting for estate resolution, but the family needs separate legal advice on the Indian property dimension.

For the full repatriation process from India, see our India repatriation guide.

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Information based on Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita 2023 (BNSS) and Pune Municipal Corporation registration procedures. Last reviewed May 2026.