City repatriation guide
Repatriation from Karachi, Pakistan
Specific guidance for arranging repatriation from Karachi. Local documentation contacts, airport cargo routes, and the typical process for cases originating in this area.
Karachi is Pakistan’s largest city, its financial capital, and the primary origin city for a major portion of the British-Pakistani diaspora. The British-Pakistani community — the second largest British Asian group, estimated at over 1.2 million UK residents — has family roots that span the whole of Pakistan, but Karachi and Sindh province generate a significant share of British repatriation cases. Visiting family is the dominant context: British-Pakistani nationals returning for weddings, funerals, and Eid celebrations, or elderly first-generation British Pakistanis returning to the city of their birth for extended stays. Deaths on these visits — from natural causes in the main, but also accidents and hospital-related events — form the largest category.
Karachi’s scale creates specific repatriation challenges. The city of roughly 15 to 20 million people has complex police and civil administration across multiple districts (Central, East, West, South, Malir, Korangi). The jurisdiction where the death occurred determines which police station and which civil court — known as the Judicial Magistrate — has initial authority.
What the British Deputy High Commission does — and does not do
The British Deputy High Commission Karachi (20 Victoria Road, Bath Island, Karachi 75530) covers Sindh Province and Balochistan.
The BDHC can: Register the death in UK consular records. Advise on Sindh documentation requirements. Provide a funeral director referral list for Karachi.
The BDHC cannot: Repatriate the body. Pay any costs. Instruct Pakistani police or hospital authorities.
FCDO 24-hour emergency line: +44 (0)20 7008 5000.
What Pakistani law requires
Under the Code of Criminal Procedure 1898 (CrPC) as applicable in Sindh, sudden, violent, or unexplained deaths are reported to the relevant Police Station (Thana) for the area where the death occurred. The First Information Report (FIR) — if a crime is suspected — or the Inquest Report (under Section 174 CrPC) is filed. The Judicial Magistrate may order a post-mortem. Forensic post-mortems are conducted at the Medico-Legal Officer (MLO) attached to the Civil Hospital Karachi (CHK, Boulton Road) or Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC) Karachi, depending on jurisdiction.
Death certificates (Certificate of Death) in Pakistan are issued by NADRA (National Database and Registration Authority) or through the Union Council of the relevant administrative area.
The documentation chain
1. Death certificate. Issued by NADRA or Union Council / Town Municipal Administration of the relevant Karachi district.
2. Police Inquest Report (Section 174 CrPC) and written clearance from SHO (Station House Officer) or Judicial Magistrate (in sudden deaths).
3. Post-mortem report (MLO Civil Hospital Karachi or JPMC, where applicable).
4. International transport permit. Issued by the Sindh Health Department under Ministry of National Health Services framework.
5. Embalming certificate.
6. IATA cargo documentation — KHI to LHR.
Source: Code of Criminal Procedure 1898 (Sindh), Pakistan; NADRA Pakistan, 2024.
Airport and cargo routing
Jinnah International Airport Karachi (KHI, 16km from the city centre) has direct London service — Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) KHI-LHR operates regularly. British nationals’ families have historically used both PIA and Gulf carriers (via DXB or DOH) for repatriation cargo. The direct PIA route is well-known to KHI-based funeral directors for human remains cargo.
Timeline from Karachi
- Hospital-certified natural death: 10 to 18 days
- Section 174 inquest, no further investigation: 14 to 21 days
- Extended investigation or Judicial Magistrate involvement: 4 to 8 weeks
Key local considerations
The British-Pakistani community visiting Karachi during Eid-ul-Fitr and Eid-ul-Adha means peak visitor periods coincide with concentrated cases for the BDHC Karachi. Families contacting the BDHC should expect response times to be longer during these periods. Karachi has a documented security risk profile — the FCO travel advice for Sindh should be checked before and during any visit. Where a British national dies in circumstances that may be linked to a security incident, the family should contact the BDHC immediately and not accept any local police documentation without first speaking to the consular team.
For guidance on next steps, contact our team via our enquiry form or WhatsApp.
Information based on Code of Criminal Procedure 1898 (Sindh) Pakistan and NADRA Pakistan. Last reviewed May 2026.
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