Repatriation from Varanasi, India

Varanasi (also known as Benares and Kashi) is Uttar Pradesh’s spiritual capital and the holiest city in Hinduism — one of the world’s oldest continuously inhabited cities, on the western bank of the Ganges (Ganga). British visitors include British-Indian Hindus on pilgrimage (Ganga snan, puja at Kashi Vishwanath temple, Manikarnika and Harishchandra ghats), overseas visitors on cultural and spiritual tours, and academic researchers. The city generates a specific and recurring category of British deaths that other Indian cities do not: cases where an elderly British-Indian national was brought to Varanasi in the late stages of terminal illness, with the intention of dying at Kashi.

Dying in Varanasi is believed in Hindu tradition to bring moksha — liberation from the cycle of rebirth. Families sometimes bring elderly relatives to Varanasi when death is expected. A death in this context is not sudden or suspicious in the forensic sense, but it creates a specific documentation challenge: the death may occur at a dharamshala (pilgrim lodging), a hospice run by religious organisations, or at a ghat-side location rather than in a hospital, which affects how the initial certification process begins.

Consular coverage

The British Deputy High Commission Lucknow (No.1 Sapru Marg, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh 226001) covers all of Uttar Pradesh including Varanasi. The BDHC Lucknow is the correct first consular contact for deaths in Varanasi.

BDHC Lucknow: +91 522 262 5200. FCDO 24-hour emergency line: +44 (0)20 7008 5000.

What Indian law requires

Registration of Births and Deaths Act 1969 (as amended) and Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) 2023: Deaths must be reported and registered. In Varanasi, the Registrar of Births and Deaths is the Nagar Nigam Varanasi (Varanasi Municipal Corporation). For hospital deaths, the attending physician certifies the cause and the hospital provides the initial documentation. For non-hospital deaths (dharamshala, ghat-side), the Varanasi Police and a government medical officer are involved in certification.

BNSS 2023 (replacing the Code of Criminal Procedure): Sudden or unnatural deaths must be reported to the local police station. In Varanasi, the Varanasi Police Commissionerate (established 2021) covers the city. For cases requiring post-mortem, the magistrate orders the examination.

Forensic pathology — Institute of Medical Sciences, Banaras Hindu University (IMS-BHU, Lanka, Varanasi): The IMS-BHU Department of Forensic Medicine (Vidhi-Vigyan Vibhag) is the forensic pathology resource for Varanasi district. BHU is one of India’s premier medical universities, and its forensic department handles court-referred post-mortems.

International transport permit: The Chief Medical Officer (CMO) of Varanasi District issues the No Objection Certificate (NOC) for international transport of human remains. The Directorate General of Medical and Health Services, Uttar Pradesh (DGMHS UP) handles state-level clearance. BDHC Lucknow confirms for UK purposes.

Source: Registration of Births and Deaths Act 1969 (India); Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) 2023; 2024.

Ghat cremation and repatriation

Manikarnika Ghat and Harishchandra Ghat are the main cremation sites in Varanasi, where open-air cremations take place continuously. If the family’s intention is repatriation to the UK, the body must NOT enter the ghat cremation process. Once cremation begins at the ghat, the process cannot be reversed and repatriation of the body is no longer possible (ashes only can be repatriated instead, under bringing ashes home arrangements).

Families should communicate their intention to repatriate to the hospital, dharamshala, or care facility before death occurs — if the death is anticipated. If this was not done and the death is sudden, the family should contact BDHC Lucknow and a repatriation specialist before releasing the body to the ghat authority.

Medical coverage

Sir Sunderlal Hospital, Banaras Hindu University (SS Hospital, Lanka Road) is the main hospital for Varanasi and eastern UP. Heritage Hospital (Nautanwa, Varanasi) and Shubham Hospital are among the private facilities. Serious trauma cases may require transfer to Lucknow (approximately 3 hours road) or Delhi (approximately 8 hours road or 1 hour by air via VNS-DEL).

The documentation chain

1. Death certificate from IMS-BHU/SS Hospital or government medical officer. 2. Varanasi Police report (in sudden/non-hospital deaths). 3. IMS-BHU forensic post-mortem (if ordered by magistrate). 4. CMO Varanasi NOC for international transport. 5. Embalming certificate. 6. BDHC Lucknow documentation. 7. IATA cargo documentation — VNS (Lal Bahadur Shastri International Airport, Babatpur, 25km from Varanasi) to DEL (Delhi Indira Gandhi International) then DEL-LHR.

Varanasi Airport (VNS) has domestic connections to Delhi (DEL, approximately 1 hour). From Delhi, British Airways operates DEL-LHR direct (approximately 9 hours). Some Middle East carriers (Qatar Airways, Air Arabia) also fly from VNS.

Timeline from Varanasi

• Natural death, expected, hospital: 10 to 21 days
• Non-hospital death with magistrate inquiry: 14 to 28 days
• Complex case: 4 to 8 weeks

For repatriation guidance, contact our team via our enquiry form or WhatsApp.

See also the India repatriation guide and repatriation from Delhi.

Information based on Registration of Births and Deaths Act 1969 and Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) 2023 (India). Last reviewed May 2026.