Repatriation from Malta
How do you bring a loved one home from Malta?
You appoint a repatriation specialist who coordinates local funeral directors, obtains all required documentation, and arranges air freight. The process typically takes 8-12 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 Malta?
Call 112 for police and ambulance. A doctor must certify the death before the body can be moved. If the death is sudden or unnatural, the Maltese police will involve the duty magistrate, who may order a post-mortem. Contact your travel insurer and FCDO within 24 hours.
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 Malta take?
In most cases, repatriation from Malta takes 8-12 days. The fastest straightforward cases complete in 5 days. Complex cases involving a post-mortem, criminal investigation, or a remote location can extend to 21+ days or beyond.
What makes a case complex?
- Post-mortem ordered by Maltese coroner
- Weekend or public holiday delays
- Documentation missing from the deceased's home country
- Insurance disputes causing hold
Documentation
What documents are required to bring a body home from Malta?
All of these documents must be in place before air transport can proceed. Your appointed repatriation coordinator will obtain most of them.
- Ċertifikat tal-Mewt (Maltese death certificate)
- Freedom from infection certificate (embalmer's certificate)
- Permission to remove remains from Malta (issued by Maltese authorities)
- Passport of deceased
- Embalming certificate
Documentation typically takes 2-5 working days to complete.
Post-mortem
Will a post-mortem be required in Malta?
Required when death is sudden, unnatural, or the cause is unclear. The duty magistrate in Malta orders post-mortems for these cases. Common triggers include road accidents, drowning, and deaths without a treating physician..
Adds 3-10 days depending on pathologist availability and magistrate scheduling. Post-mortem results must be certified before the permission to remove is issued.
If you are bringing someone home to the UK and an inquest there may be required, do not authorise cremation in Malta. 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 Malta 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 Malta
Alternative option
Can ashes be brought home from Malta instead of a full body?
Yes, cremation facilities are available in Malta. Transporting ashes home requires specific documents and must comply with airline regulations.
Getting started
How do you start the repatriation process from Malta?
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.
Get in touch now
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 Malta
Allow 8-12 days for a straightforward case from Malta. Where nothing is contested it can be done in 5 days. Where a post-mortem or a police investigation has to conclude first, expect 21+ days.
There is no standard figure, and quoting one before we know the case would be misleading. The cost of bringing someone home from Malta 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.
Malta requires: Ċertifikat tal-Mewt (Maltese death certificate), Freedom from infection certificate (embalmer's certificate), Permission to remove remains from Malta (issued by Maltese authorities), Passport of deceased, Embalming certificate. Documentation typically takes 2-5 working days. Most of this is gathered for you by the funeral director acting locally.
Cremation is available in Malta. 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.
Call the insurer first, before anything is booked. Most policies will only pay where they authorised the arrangement, and many name the funeral director they want used. In the policy schedule, the benefit to look for is repatriation of remains. With no policy in place the family meets the cost directly, and we can set out what the options are.
Route guides
Repatriation routes from Malta
Each route guide covers the documentation, timeline and process for one corridor from Malta, 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 Malta, 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: Malta · Frequently asked questions
City guides
Repatriation from specific cities in Malta
For guidance specific to where the death occurred, see our city-level pages.