Bringing the deceased back from abroad

We understand that bringing the remains of a deceased person back from abroad can cause various difficulties. A lot of red tape and language barriers can seem insurmountable at a difficult moment. You have the right to mourn, and leave the organisational worries to us, the professionals. We are available 24 hours a day and can offer you qualified assistance in bringing your remains back from abroad. We will advise and assist you in obtaining the €2,900 state subsidy to cover the cost of transporting the deceased, and we will provide all the necessary documentation to make the transfer as smooth as possible. You can call us at any time of the day or night.

All you need to do:

• contact us to confirm your order;
• sign a power of attorney (the need for a power of attorney depends on the country and whether or not there are relatives there).

Guaranteed ongoing cooperation

You will be assigned a responsible person for your individual case, who you can call at any time to find out the progress of the actions (preparation of the documents, transport) at any given moment, and any other answers you may need. An experienced professional will also be able to provide you with honest advice and other relevant information, such as cremation options in foreign countries or LR support for the transport of the remains.

Our team will carry out all the procedures for you, depending on your needs and situation.

We operate widely

Our company has direct operations throughout Europe, neighbouring countries and the Middle East. Remains from far-flung exotic countries are transported with the assistance of our London-based subsidiary, „Aizz company Ltd“ (www.aizz.co.uk) (advantage: wider network of air transport partners, more flexible options). Operational decisions and actions help achieve membership of FIAT-IFTA, the international organisation of funeral directors. With the help of trusted partners, we will provide you with the information you need about the event or the situation, as well as the fastest way to prepare the necessary documents and organise the repatriation of the remains.

Bringing the deceased back from abroad

The paperwork and the arrival of the deceased’s remains from abroad usually takes between 3 days and several weeks. This depends on the country’s documentation and authorisation procedures and whether there is an investigation into the circumstances of the death. It usually takes 2-7 working days to prepare the paperwork and obtain the permits for transporting the deceased.

To ensure a smooth repatriation, our team carries out the following steps:

• Contact the necessary foreign authorities: police, prosecutors, forensic experts, embassy staff;
• You get all the necessary permits, a death certificate, and a medical examiner’s report;
• Takes care of the proper transport of the remains (special coffin for air transport; specialised transport for car transport (specialised transport with refrigeration equipment is available if needed and/or requested by the client);
• Keeps the client informed about the progress of document preparation and transport;
• After the service is completed, they submit invoices and all the necessary documents to receive the Republic of Lithuania’s support for the transport of the remains.

Our qualified team can arrange both repatriation to Lithuania and transportation of the deceased from Lithuania to another country.

The most common related actions will be organised and carried out as follows

• Gathering information, collecting and preparing the necessary documents, obtaining an apostille (if required), arranging translations into the necessary languages;
• Taking the deceased and storing it in a fridge;
• Embalming according to airline requirements (if shipped by airline);
• Preparation of the deceased’s remains for the farewell, if desired.

We also arrange funeral services in the destination country:

• Coffin pick-up, airport pick-up;
• Delivery of the coffin to the specified city;
• Funerals.

Our work speaks for us

No matter how unusual your situation, our team is ready to help professionally and sincerely so that the repatriation process is handled promptly and smoothly. We are accustomed to challenges, respond flexibly to unforeseen circumstances and also assist the TV3 programme “TV Pagalba” with repatriation cases.

We have handled repatriation in high-profile cases, including the death of mountaineers in France in 2013 and a diving instructor in the Maldives in 2015. We work with Lithuania’s largest insurance companies, helping to ensure a smooth process when the event is covered by insurance.

Useful information:

The remains of Lithuanian citizens, foreign citizens and stateless persons who die abroad may be brought to Lithuania only with permission from the Lithuanian diplomatic mission or consular office accredited to the country where the death occurred and in accordance with that country’s procedures. If no Lithuanian consular office is accredited there, the permit is issued by the nearest authorised consular office. The permit must accompany the coffin.

Government-approved procedure for compensation for repatriating the deceased from abroad