Repatriation to Ireland

This page is for families bringing someone home to Ireland after a death in another country. It covers who to call first, what the Irish authorities can and cannot do, what happens when your loved one arrives, and where to find help with the cost. It is about the Republic of Ireland. Northern Ireland is part of the United Kingdom and has its own coroner service.

The first call

If the person who died was an Irish citizen, contact the Department of Foreign Affairs or the nearest Irish embassy or consulate. For urgent help outside office hours, the Department’s number is +353 1 408 2000 (Department of Foreign Affairs, consular assistance, page updated 9 January 2025).

If the person was a citizen of another country and is being brought to Ireland for the funeral, contact the embassy or consulate of their own country as well. Their government’s consular service is the one that can act for them.

What the Department of Foreign Affairs can and cannot do

The Department’s guidance on a death abroad (Department of Foreign Affairs, death abroad, page updated 11 June 2025) says it can:

• arrange with An Garda Síochána for the next of kin in Ireland to be told
• give practical advice on local procedures and work with the local authorities
• provide a list of English-speaking local funeral directors, who can then work with your funeral director in Ireland
• liaise with the local police or judicial authorities where they are involved

It cannot pay for repatriation, pay funeral costs or relatives’ travel, investigate a death, give legal advice, or represent the family in an investigation or in court. It may refer families to organisations that can help.

How long it takes

The Department says repatriation to Ireland takes 10 to 14 days on average, and often longer. The country where the death happened sets most of the pace: a post-mortem, a police inquiry, a weekend or a public holiday can each add days. Our route guides give the typical timeline for each country.

When your loved one arrives in Ireland

A funeral director in Ireland collects your loved one from the arrival airport and takes over the funeral arrangements. The Department of Justice says the Coroner is not usually involved when a body is brought back to Ireland. The exception is a death in unnatural circumstances abroad. The Coroner may then order a post-mortem examination, or a further one, and grants the funeral director authorisation for the burial or cremation (gov.ie, what to do if someone dies away from home, checked 8 October 2026).

After an unexplained or suspicious death abroad, the family can ask the coroner’s office for a further examination once the remains are back in Ireland. The Department of Foreign Affairs guidance lists the coroner contacts.

Recording the death in Ireland

A death abroad is normally registered in the country where it happened, and that country’s death certificate is the document used for legal purposes. Ireland also offers a Record of Death Abroad. It is voluntary and free, and it applies where the person was an Irish citizen who was ordinarily resident in Ireland within the 5 years before the death. A relative, civil partner or cohabitant applies to their local Civil Registration Office with the foreign death certificate (translated if needed), proof of Irish citizenship and proof of residence. The certified copy it produces is not a legal death certificate (gov.ie, Record of Death Abroad, checked 8 October 2026).

Bringing ashes home to Ireland

Where a family chooses cremation in the country of death, the Department of Foreign Affairs says ashes can generally be brought to Ireland, usually with the death certificate and the cremation certificate. Check the airline’s own rules before travelling. Local laws on cremation differ, so check them first. Our guides to bringing ashes home cover the rules country by country.

Help with the cost

Travel insurance is the first place to look: contact the insurer on the first day, before anything is arranged. Our cost page sets out the price ranges repatriation firms publish, with their sources and dates.

If there is no insurance, the Kevin Bell Repatriation Trust, a charity, may be able to help. It was set up after Kevin Bell died in New York in June 2013, and it pays for the repatriations it arranges. By May 2026 it had helped bring home almost 2,500 people (The Irish Times, 24 May 2026). Contact the Trust directly to ask whether it can help in your case.

Route guides to Ireland

We have a guide for bringing someone home to Ireland from each country we cover, with that country’s documents, authorities and timeline. The most requested include:

• Spain to Ireland
• The United Kingdom to Ireland
• USA to Ireland
• Australia to Ireland
• Portugal to Ireland
• France to Ireland
• Thailand to Ireland
• Canada to Ireland

Every other country is in the full list of route guides.

How we help

We arrange repatriation to Ireland from any country: the local funeral director and paperwork where the death happened, the flight, and the handover to your funeral director at home. Send us the details through the enquiry form below and we will explain what happens next.