Repatriation
Repatriation works in both directions.
We bring people home to New Zealand when they’ve died overseas, and we send people to their country of origin when that’s where they’ll be buried or cremated.
In either direction, we coordinate the documentation, permits, airlines and the funeral director at the other end. We manage each stage and keep your family informed throughout.
A funeral director is available on (04) 385 0745 at any time. Beginning the arrangements early gives us the best opportunity to coordinate everything without delay.
If someone has died overseas
Call us and let us know where the person has died. We will coordinate with the authorities in that country, the funeral director there and the airline, and check the documentation before anything is booked.
Consulates and embassies are usually part of it, and we deal with them too. Different countries want different things, and the wrong form at the wrong stage is what causes most of the delays.
You’ll have one person here to call. They’ll tell you what’s happening and what’s next, at every stage.
If someone is going home from New Zealand
Some families want the funeral here and the burial somewhere else. Others want the whole thing to happen in the country the person came from.
Both work. We arrange the permits and the export documentation, book the flight, and coordinate with the funeral director who’ll receive them. We can hold a service here first as well, so people in Wellington get their chance to say goodbye.
If there are religious or cultural requirements around how someone is prepared or carried, tell us at the start. We’ll build the arrangements around them.
What we take care of
None of this needs anything from you beyond the first phone call and a few decisions along the way.
How long it takes and what it costs
Repatriation takes longer than a funeral arranged here. How long depends on the country, the paperwork and flight availability, and we’ll give you a realistic timeframe once we know where we’re working.
Cost works the same way. There’s no standard price, because a flight to Samoa and a flight to the United Kingdom are different jobs. You’ll get a written quote covering our fees and the third-party costs, and we’ll tell you which parts of it can move.
One phone call starts it
You do not need to gather the paperwork or flight details before calling. We will establish what is required, coordinate each organisation involved and keep your family informed.
