City repatriation guide
Repatriation from Bergen, Norway
Specific guidance for arranging repatriation from Bergen. Local documentation contacts, airport cargo routes, and the typical process for cases originating in this area.
Bergen is Norway’s second city and the main gateway to the Western Fjords. British visitors come in two main streams: independent travellers on the Fjordland circuit (Flåm, Nærøyfjord, Sognefjord, Hardangerfjord) and cruise ship passengers (Bergen is one of northern Europe’s busiest cruise ports, receiving well over 300 cruise calls per year). The fjord hike and ferry routes include some of the most visited trails in Norway: Trolltunga, Preikestolen (Pulpit Rock), and the Kjerag hiking routes are all within the Western Norway region, though Preikestolen and Kjerag fall under Rogaland Statsforvalter rather than Vestland.
Deaths in Bergen and the surrounding fjord region are primarily among the older visitor profile typical of cruise tourism, and among younger visitors on adventure hikes. Trolltunga fatalities occur every few years, and the combination of rapidly changing weather, exposed ridge terrain, and varying fitness levels among visitors means mountain rescue and recovery operations are a part of the Norwegian Rescue Service’s workload.
Consular coverage
The British Embassy Oslo (Thomas Heftyes gate 8, Oslo) is the UK diplomatic mission for Norway. There is no British consular presence in Bergen. The Embassy handles all consular matters for the Bergen and Vestland region.
British Embassy Oslo: +47 23 13 27 00. FCDO 24-hour emergency line: +44 (0)20 7008 5000.
What Norwegian law requires
The Burial Act (Begravelsesloven, Lov om gravplass, kremasjon og gravferd 1996 nr 68): Deaths must be notified to the municipality. The municipality’s doctor (kommunelege) certifies the death and issues the cause of death certificate (legeerklæring om dødsfall).
Police notification: Sudden, violent, or unexplained deaths are reported to the local police district. Bergen falls under Vest politidistrikt. Trolltunga and the Odda municipality fall under the same district. Police may request a forensic post-mortem if cause of death is unclear or if criminal circumstances are suspected. Post-mortems are conducted at the Department of Forensic Medicine, Haukeland University Hospital (Haukeland universitetssjukehus) in Bergen.
Folkeregisteret (the National Population Register): For foreign nationals, the death is noted at the National Population Register (Skatteetaten).
Permit to export: Issued by the National Board of Health and Welfare (Statsforvalteren) for Vestland, which has replaced the former County Governor functions. Under Forskrift om gravferd (the Burial Regulations), international transport of human remains requires a burial permit (gravferdstillatelse) and health documentation.
Source: Begravelsesloven 1996 nr 68 (Norway); 2024.
Medical coverage
Haukeland University Hospital (Jonas Lies vei 65, Bergen) is the main hospital for Vestland county and the regional trauma centre. It includes the Department of Forensic Medicine, which conducts post-mortems for the Bergen area. Haraldsplass Deaconess Hospital is Bergen’s other significant hospital. Trail and mountain deaths in the fjord hiking areas involve Norwegian Air Ambulance (Norsk Luftambulanse) or the Norwegian Rescue Service (Redningsselskapet) for initial recovery before transfer to Haukeland.
The documentation chain
1. Cause of death certificate from kommunelege or treating physician (Haukeland). 2. Police clearance (Vest politidistrikt, in sudden/unexplained deaths). 3. Forensic post-mortem (if required — Haukeland). 4. Gravferdstillatelse (burial/export permit) from Statsforvalteren Vestland. 5. Health certificate for international transport. 6. Embalming certificate. 7. IATA cargo documentation — BGO (Bergen Airport Flesland) to LHR.
Bergen Airport Flesland (BGO) operates direct services to London Gatwick (LGW) and London Heathrow (LHR). SAS and Norwegian operate BGO-LGW or BGO-LHR. Flight time approximately 2.5 hours.
Timeline from Bergen
- Natural death, expected: 7 to 14 days
- Police investigation, uncomplicated: 14 to 28 days
- Mountain recovery, complex case: 4 to 10 weeks
For repatriation guidance, contact our team via our enquiry form or WhatsApp.
See also the Norway repatriation guide.
Information based on Begravelsesloven 1996 nr 68 (Norway). Last reviewed May 2026.
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