Repatriation from Cusco, Peru

Cusco sits at 3,400 metres above sea level in the Peruvian Andes and is the most visited city in South America after Buenos Aires. For British tourists, Cusco is primarily a staging point for the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu (2,430m), the Salkantay Trek (maximum elevation 4,600m), the Choquequirao route, and access to the Sacred Valley. The altitude itself is a significant medical factor — acute mountain sickness (AMS) is common among British visitors arriving directly from sea level, and cardiac events at altitude among older visitors and those with pre-existing conditions are a documented category. Deaths here are not rare events.

What the British Embassy does — and does not do

The British Embassy Lima (Torre Parque Mar, Piso 22, Av. José Larco 1301, Miraflores, Lima 18) covers all of Peru including Cusco. There is an Honorary British Consul in Cusco (confirm current appointment with the Embassy), but all substantive consular assistance is managed from Lima.

The Embassy can: Register the death in UK consular records. Advise on Peruvian documentation requirements. Provide a funeral director referral list for Cusco.

The Embassy cannot: Repatriate the body. Pay any costs. Instruct Peruvian authorities.

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

What Peruvian law requires

Under the Código Procesal Penal (CPP 2004, Peru), sudden, violent, or unexplained deaths are reported to the Policía Nacional del Perú (PNP) Cusco and referred to the Fiscalía Provincial Penal (District Prosecutor’s Office) for Cusco. Forensic post-mortems are conducted by the Instituto de Medicina Legal y Ciencias Forenses (IML) through the Ministerio Público, at the IML Cusco office (Jr. Tomasa Tito Condemayta, Cusco).

Death certificates (Partida de Defunción) are issued by the Registro Nacional de Identificación y Estado Civil (RENIEC) through the Municipalidad Provincial del Cusco.

The documentation chain

1. Partida de Defunción (death certificate). Issued by RENIEC / Municipalidad Provincial del Cusco.

2. Fiscal release (required in sudden or violent deaths — the Fiscal must authorise body release).

3. IML post-mortem report (where applicable).

4. International transport permit. Issued by the Dirección Regional de Salud Cusco (DIRESA Cusco) under Ministerio de Salud authority.

5. Embalming certificate.

6. IATA cargo documentation — covering CUZ to LIM domestic leg and LIM-LHR international leg.

Source: Código Procesal Penal Peru 2004; RENIEC Peru; Ministerio de Salud Peru, Procedimientos para traslado de restos mortuorios al extranjero, 2024.

Airport and cargo routing

Alejandro Velasco Astete International Airport Cusco (CUZ) has no direct London service. Standard routing: CUZ to Lima (LIM, Jorge Chávez International, approximately 1.5 hours on LATAM Peru or Sky Airline) then LIM-LHR British Airways direct (approximately 12.5 hours). The LIM-LHR BA direct is a well-established cargo route. The funeral director in Cusco manages the domestic leg and coordinates with the Lima funeral director or cargo agent for the international leg.

Timeline from Cusco

• Hospital-certified natural death: 10 to 18 days
• IML investigation: 14 to 21 days
• Extended investigation: 4 to 8 weeks

Key local considerations

Arrivals to Cusco directly from the UK — with no acclimatisation period at a lower-altitude city such as Lima or Arequipa — have the highest AMS risk in the first 24 to 48 hours. Deaths at Machu Picchu itself are handled through the Aguas Calientes (Machu Picchu Pueblo) municipal authority — a 1.5-hour train journey plus bus from Cusco — before transfer back to Cusco for the documentation chain. Inca Trail deaths involve the park ranger authority (Sernanp) and the licensed guide operator.

For guidance on next steps, contact our team via our enquiry form or WhatsApp.

Information based on Código Procesal Penal Peru 2004, RENIEC, and Ministerio de Salud Peru procedures. Last reviewed May 2026.