Repatriation to Somalia or Somaliland from the UK: documents, steps and timings

Some Somali families in the UK wish to bury a loved one in Somalia or Somaliland, near relatives. It can be arranged, but there’s little official guidance, travel is difficult and repatriation adds time to a Muslim burial. Many families decide on a UK burial instead. This guide sets out what is confirmed, what to check and the alternatives.

Key points

• Register the death and get the coroner’s permission before the person leaves the UK.
• There’s no official published list of Somali arrival requirements. Contact the Somali Embassy or, for Somaliland, the Somaliland mission in London.
• At the time of writing, the FCDO advises against all or all but essential travel to every part of Somalia, including Somaliland.
• Flights involve a connection, and whether the airline accepts remains as cargo must be checked.
• Islamic practice favours quick burial, and many families bury in the UK.
• The Funeral Expenses Payment usually can’t be used for a funeral in Somalia.

The UK side: permission to move the person

Register the death first: within five days of the medical examiner’s office confirming it can be registered (England and Wales), eight days (Scotland) or five days (Northern Ireland). Ask for urgent help with registration if needed.

Somalia and Somaliland: who to contact

Documents

We couldn’t find an official list of what Somalia or Somaliland requires. Some UK funeral directors say families may need:

• an embalming certificate
• a free-from-infection certificate
• a sealed coffin certificate
• a death certificate authenticated by the embassy or mission.

Treat this as a starting point only. Check with the embassy or mission and your funeral director before booking anything.

FCDO travel advice

At the time of writing (advice updated 4 June 2026), the FCDO advises against all travel to Somalia, including Somaliland, except the Awdal, Maroodijeh and Sahil regions, where it advises against all but essential travel. Hargeisa is in Maroodijeh. Consular support is severely limited. This affects relatives travelling with the body and may affect travel insurance. Always read the latest advice before booking.

Flights and timing

Routes from the UK involve a connection, for example Turkish Airlines via Istanbul to Mogadishu, or Ethiopian Airlines via Addis Ababa to Hargeisa or Mogadishu. Whether an airline will accept human remains as cargo on a given route isn’t published, so your funeral director must confirm it.

Time is taken by registration, the coroner’s notice period (up to four clear days in England and Wales unless released sooner), the embassy or mission paperwork, and finding a route.

Faith considerations: an urgent Muslim burial

Islamic practice favours washing (ghusl), shrouding and burial as soon as possible.

• Tell the hospital, medical examiner’s office and coroner’s office straight away that this is an urgent faith burial.
• If embalming is required, discuss it with your imam, as many Muslim families prefer to avoid it.
• The janazah prayer can be held at a UK mosque before the flight.

Cremation isn’t an option in Islam.

Costs

Repatriation to Somalia or Somaliland is likely to cost far more than a UK burial: the funeral director’s care and paperwork, embalming if required, a sealed coffin, air cargo on a connecting route, authentication, relatives’ flights and burial costs there. Get itemised written quotes.

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. 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. Relatives and the wider community often help with costs, a tradition sometimes called qaaraan, and some mosques run burial funds.

Alternatives

Burial in the UK is the choice many Somali families make. It can usually happen far sooner, many cemeteries have Muslim sections, and relatives can visit the grave. Family abroad can hold prayers and receive condolences at home. Search our cemeteries directory.

Where to get help

• Our repatriation guide and Somali funerals in the UK.
• Muslim funeral directors or funeral directors near you.
• Our guide to Muslim funerals.
• See also repatriation to Turkey and Pakistan.