Repatriation to Pakistan from the UK: documents, steps and timings

Many British Pakistani families want a loved one buried in Pakistan, close to relatives and in their home town or village. This can be arranged, but it needs permission in the UK and a No Objection Certificate (NOC) from Pakistan’s High Commission or a consulate. This guide sets out the steps, the documents and what affects the timing.

Key points

• Register the death first and order several certified copies of the death certificate.
• In England and Wales, the coroner must give permission before the person leaves the country, even if the death was never reported to a coroner.
• Pakistan’s missions issue a free NOC for transporting the body. You’ll need the death certificate, the deceased’s Pakistani ID and confirmed flight details.
• Don’t book flights until the coroner has given permission.
• Islamic practice favours quick burial, so tell everyone involved early that it’s urgent.
• The Funeral Expenses Payment usually can’t be used for a funeral in Pakistan.

The UK side: permission to move the person

Register the death within the usual time limit: in England and Wales, within five days of the medical examiner’s office confirming it can be registered; in Scotland, within eight days; in Northern Ireland, within five days. Our death registration deadline tool can help.

Documents from Pakistan’s High Commission or consulates

The key document is a No Objection Certificate (NOC) for transporting the body. Each mission publishes its own list, and they differ slightly. At the time of writing:

Opening hours differ between missions and on Fridays, so check the mission’s website before you travel. If the person was a British citizen without Pakistani ID, ask the mission what it will accept, as we could not confirm this.

What affects the timing

The consulates want confirmed flight details, but you shouldn’t book until the coroner has given permission. So the order is usually: register the death, get the coroner’s permission, book the flight, then collect the NOC. A specialist funeral director will run these steps side by side where they can.

Time is mostly taken by registration, the coroner’s notice period (up to four clear days in England and Wales, unless released sooner), mission opening hours and airline cargo space. No Pakistani mission’s UK page promises a same-day or out-of-hours NOC, and weekends and bank holidays can add delay.

Faith considerations: an urgent Muslim burial

Islamic practice favours washing (ghusl), shrouding and burial as soon as possible, so repatriation always involves a trade-off with time.

• Tell the hospital bereavement office, medical examiner’s office and coroner’s office straight away that this is an urgent faith burial. The coroner can release the person before the four days are up.
• Some families hold the janazah prayer in the UK before the flight, and again in Pakistan.
• Ask your funeral director whether the airline requires embalming. Many Muslim families prefer to avoid it, and the Pakistani missions’ document lists don’t mention an embalming certificate.
• Cremation isn’t an option in Islam, and the missions’ pages don’t cover ashes.

Costs

Costs vary with the airline, route and time of year. Expect to pay for the funeral director’s collection, care and paperwork, a coffin suitable for air freight, air cargo charges, relatives’ flights, and burial costs in Pakistan. The NOC itself is free. Ask at least two specialists for itemised written quotes.

The Overseas Pakistanis Foundation (OPF) has said that PIA carries the bodies of overseas Pakistanis free on routes it operates, and that OPF runs a free 24-hour ambulance from Pakistan’s international airports to the home town. PIA has since been privatised, so check whether this still applies.

State help is limited. The GOV.UK Funeral Expenses Payment needs the funeral to be in the UK, the EEA or Switzerland, so it usually can’t be used for a funeral in Pakistan. In Northern Ireland the funeral must usually be in the UK, and Scotland’s Funeral Support Payment covers a funeral abroad only in some circumstances. Check any life insurance, and whether the person belonged to a mosque or community funeral scheme.

Alternatives

• Burial in the UK. Many cemeteries have Muslim sections, and a UK burial can usually happen sooner. Relatives can also visit the grave more easily. Search our cemeteries directory.
• A funeral in the UK, with relatives in Pakistan holding prayers and gatherings at home.

Where to get help

• Our repatriation guide covers the whole process.
• Find specialists in our Muslim funeral directors listings, or search funeral directors near you and ask about Pakistan experience.
• Read about Muslim funerals.
• Also see repatriation to Bangladesh and repatriation to India.