Funeral repatriation from Philippines
Bringing someone home from the Philippines
We arrange everything in the Philippines and the flight home, wherever home is, and send you one written quote before anything is booked.
- Typical time
- 3 to 6 weeks
- Local documents
- 3 to 6 weeks
Prefer to message? WhatsApp +44 7703 577246
What is different about the Philippines
- The death certificate has to be authenticated by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) and then the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA). This takes weeks.
- The Bureau of Quarantine also has to clear the body before it can travel.
- After a death on another island or in the provinces, the body is first taken to Manila.
- Embalming is standard practice in the Philippines.
What can take longer
- PSA and DFA authentication, which can add two to four weeks
- Typhoon season, June to November
- Slower provincial offices
- A police investigation, where there is one
Typical time 3 weeks in a straightforward case, 3 to 6 weeks for most, and 8 to 16 weeks with a post-mortem or investigation.
Documents usually needed
- Death certificate authenticated by the PSA
- DFA authentication
- Embalming certificate
- Clearance from the Bureau of Quarantine
- Transfer permit
- Police clearance report
- Passport of the person who died, or a copy
- Airline cargo documents
You do not need any of these to ask for a quote. We tell you what is needed for your case, and the funeral director where they died obtains most of them.
What we arrange
- Collection from the hospital or mortuary
- Mortuary care, and embalming where it is required
- A coffin suitable for air transport, usually zinc-lined
- Local registration and the export documents
- The cargo flight, with the airline's human remains service
- Collection at the arrival airport and delivery to your funeral director or chosen funeral home
If your family prefers, we can arrange cremation where they died and send the ashes home. Cremation and ashes
What it costs
From further afield, repatriation typically costs £5,000 to £12,000, sometimes more. Bringing ashes home costs much less. Cremation is available in Metro Manila, Cebu and Davao, and limited elsewhere.
Within Europe
£3,000 to £7,000
For example from Spain, France, Greece or Italy.
From further afield
£5,000 to £12,000 or more
Asia, Africa, the Americas and Australasia.
Bringing ashes home
Often £1,000 to £3,000
After cremation where they died.
Typical ranges from published UK funeral sector guides (2026) for routes to and from the UK. Routes between other countries are often in a similar range but can differ. Figures in pounds sterling. Your written quote is the figure for your case. What affects the cost
If they had travel insurance
Many travel policies cover repatriation. Some insurers want to approve the provider and the cost before anything is booked, so tell us who the insurer is. You can send our written quote to them for approval first.
Faith and timing
If your faith asks for burial within a day or two, ritual washing, or cremation by the family, tell us at the start. We plan around it as far as the local authorities and the airline allow, and tell you plainly what the timing will be.
How it works
Tell us what has happened
Where they died, where home is, and how to reach you. Documents are not needed for the quote.
We reply within the hour
By email, day or night, with the few details we still need.
We check the requirements
The official rules for leaving the country where they died and for arriving home, and any faith or timing needs you tell us about.
You receive one written quote
It sets out what is included and what is not. Nothing is booked until you accept it.
We arrange everything
When you accept, we tell you which funeral directors are carrying out each stage. Then we arrange the documents, the coffin for air travel and the flight, and keep you updated until they arrive home.
Bringing someone home from the Philippines
Send the details any time, or message us on WhatsApp. Asking costs nothing.