Repatriation to Turkey (Türkiye) from the UK: documents, steps and timings

Many Turkish and Kurdish families from Türkiye who live in the UK want a loved one buried in their home town. Turkish consulates run a clear procedure: they issue a funeral transport certificate (cenaze nakil belgesi) once the UK paperwork is in place. This guide explains the UK permissions, the consulate’s document list and what affects the timing.

Key points

• Register the death and get the coroner’s permission before the person leaves the UK.
• A Turkish consulate issues the cenaze nakil belgesi for burial in Türkiye. Foreign nationals to be buried there can get one too.
• In London you apply in person, by appointment, after contacting a funeral firm.
• No consular fee is shown for the certificate at the time of writing.
• A 24/7 consular call centre is available on +44 203 608 80 90.
• The Funeral Expenses Payment usually can’t be used for a funeral in Türkiye.

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).

Türkiye is a party to the Council of Europe’s 1973 Agreement on the Transfer of Corpses, but the UK isn’t, so the consulate’s own procedure applies.

The funeral transport certificate

Apply to a Turkish mission in the country where the death happened. In the UK there’s a Consulate General in London and one in Edinburgh.

The London consulate lists these documents:

• the deceased’s ID card and passport
• a medical report
• the death certificate from the register office
• an embalming certificate
• the coroner’s report
• a free-from-infection certificate
• flight details: number, date, time and destination, and the name of the person receiving the body.

Its petition form also lists certified copies of the death certificate, the removal permit, a document confirming no health threat, and the flight schedule. Your funeral director will know which UK documents match each item.

In London, applications are made in person by appointment between 14:30 and 16:30, after you’ve contacted a funeral firm. No consular fee is shown; a £10 postage charge is listed.

What affects the timing

Because the consulate needs flight details, the usual order is: register, get the coroner’s permission, book the flight, then attend the consulate. Time is taken by registration, the coroner’s notice period (up to four clear days in England and Wales unless released sooner), the afternoon appointment window and cargo space. For urgent problems, call the 24/7 consular call centre on +44 203 608 80 90.

Faith considerations: an urgent Muslim burial

Most people in Türkiye are Muslim, and Islamic practice favours washing, shrouding and burial as soon as possible.

• Tell the hospital, medical examiner’s office and coroner’s office straight away that it’s an urgent faith burial.
• The consulate’s list includes an embalming certificate. If this worries the family, raise it early with your funeral director and the consulate.
• Some families hold the janazah prayer at a UK mosque before the flight, and again in Türkiye.

Alevi and non-Muslim families follow their own customs; the consular process is the same.

Costs

Expect the funeral director’s collection, care and paperwork, embalming, a sealed coffin, air freight, relatives’ flights and burial costs in Türkiye. Ask for itemised written quotes. At the time of writing, Turkish Airlines says it gives up to two people escorting a body a 20% discount; check current terms, and don’t assume carriage of the body is free.

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 Türkiye. 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. Mosque or community funeral funds and life insurance may help.

Alternatives

• Burial in the UK, which can usually happen sooner. Many cemeteries have Muslim sections: see our cemeteries directory.
• Ashes, where the family’s beliefs allow. Cremation isn’t legally possible within Türkiye, but the ashes of someone cremated abroad can be brought in, and the urn is exempt from customs duty.

This guide covers Türkiye. If the burial will be in northern Cyprus, ask your funeral director about the arrangements, which aren’t covered here.

Where to get help

• Our repatriation guide.
• Muslim funeral directors or funeral directors near you.
• Our guide to Muslim funerals.
• See also repatriation to Somalia and Pakistan.