Repatriation from Portugal
How do you bring a loved one home from Portugal?
You appoint a repatriation specialist who coordinates local funeral directors, obtains all required documentation, and arranges air freight. The process typically takes 7-14 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 Portugal?
Contact emergency services (112 for all emergencies). A doctor must certify the death and issue a certificate of death (certificado de obito). If death occurs outside a hospital, contact the local PSP (Policia de Seguranca Publica) in urban areas or GNR (Guarda Nacional Republicana) in rural areas. Contact the British Embassy in Lisbon.
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 Portugal take?
In most cases, repatriation from Portugal takes 7-14 days. The fastest straightforward cases complete in 5-7 days. Complex cases involving a post-mortem, criminal investigation, or a remote location can extend to 3-6 weeks or beyond.
What makes a case complex?
- Post-mortem investigation (prosecutor involvement)
- Death in Madeira or Azores (adds internal transport leg)
- Weekend or public holiday closures
- August holiday season (reduced staffing, similar to Spain)
- Remote rural areas with limited English-speaking funeral directors
- Missing documents or identification issues
Documentation
What documents are required to bring a body home from Portugal?
All of these documents must be in place before air transport can proceed. Your appointed repatriation coordinator will obtain most of them.
- Portuguese death certificate (certidao de obito, multilingual if possible)
- Embalming certificate
- Freedom from infection certificate
- Passport of deceased (or copy)
- Transit authorisation from Portuguese health authority
- Airline cargo documentation
Documentation typically takes 3-7 days for full documentation to complete.
Post-mortem
Will a post-mortem be required in Portugal?
Post mortem ordered by the public prosecutor (Ministerio Publico) if death is sudden, violent, suspicious, or cause of death is unknown..
Can delay repatriation by 1-4 weeks. Prosecutor must authorise release of the body.
If you are bringing someone home to the UK and an inquest there may be required, do not authorise cremation in Portugal. 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 Portugal 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 Portugal
Alternative option
Can ashes be brought home from Portugal instead of a full body?
Yes, cremation facilities are available in Portugal. Transporting ashes home requires specific documents and must comply with airline regulations.
Documents needed to transport ashes
- Death certificate (certidao de obito)
- Cremation certificate
- Health authority authorisation
If home is the UK, do not cremate abroad if a UK coroner may need to hold an inquest. Cremation destroys evidence.
Generally yes, with documentation. Notify airline in advance. Non-metallic container recommended for security screening.
Getting started
How do you start the repatriation process from Portugal?
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.
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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 Portugal
Allow 7-14 days for a straightforward case from Portugal. Where nothing is contested it can be done in 5-7 days. Where a post-mortem or a police investigation has to conclude first, expect 3-6 weeks.
There is no standard figure, and quoting one before we know the case would be misleading. The cost of bringing someone home from Portugal 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.
British Embassy in Lisbon must be notified. Portugal also has a consulate in Portimao (Algarve), which handles a significant proportion of British death cases due to the large expat community in the region.
Cremation is available in Portugal. Available in Lisbon, Porto, and most major cities. Growing availability. The Algarve has cremation facilities. 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. If home is the UK, do not cremate abroad if a UK coroner may need to hold an inquest. Cremation destroys evidence.
Good flight connectivity between Portugal and the UK, particularly from Faro to multiple UK regional airports. This makes Algarve repatriations relatively straightforward logistically. TAP Air Portugal has dedicated cargo capacity. Madeira and Azores deaths add an internal transport leg to Lisbon.
Portugal requires: Portuguese death certificate (certidao de obito, multilingual if possible), Embalming certificate, Freedom from infection certificate, Passport of deceased (or copy), Transit authorisation from Portuguese health authority, Airline cargo documentation. Portuguese bureaucracy is generally efficient for repatriation, similar to Spain. The availability of multilingual death certificates simplifies the process. Algarve funeral directors experienced with British repatriations can often expedite paperwork. Documentation typically takes 3-7 days for full documentation. Most of this is gathered for you by the funeral director acting locally.
Route guides
Repatriation routes from Portugal
Each route guide covers the documentation, timeline and process for one corridor from Portugal, 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 Portugal, 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: Portugal · Frequently asked questions
City guides
Repatriation from specific cities in Portugal
For guidance specific to where the death occurred, see our city-level pages.