If you are in the Netherlands and a loved one dies during a stay abroad, please contact the emergency centre of the travel insurance as soon as possible and report the death immediately to the funeral insurance company. The travel insurance can arrange the registration of death on the spot, the necessary paperwork and transport back to the Netherlands. A local funeral director must prepare the deceased for transport. The body is often embalmed first. These costs are usually covered by travel insurance.

Was the deceased not insured for repatriation? Then you can contact the Dutch embassy, consulate or local police for help and advice. In any case, it may be useful to contact the Dutch embassy or consulate, for example if you need an interpreter or help with other matters. Without travel insurance, you can only retrieve the deceased at your own expense. For this, you can use an international funeral home or a professional repatriation company. Repatriation companies are available 24 hours a day. Transportation can be done by car or plane. Keep in mind that the cost can run into many thousands of euros, depending on the country and how the body is transported.

Within 1500 km of the Netherlands, the deceased is usually repatriated by car.

Within the European Union (except the Benelux), an international corpse pass is required for the transport of the remains. You are not allowed to repatriate the deceased yourself, this is done in an official hearse.

In case of longer distances, the deceased will be repatriated by plane. The body is transported in a zinc coffin that is airtight and watertight. You cannot be with the deceased during the journey home. The passport or a copy of the passport must remain with the deceased. It is wise to remove jewelry and other valuable objects from the deceased and bring them with you.

If the deceased arrives at Schiphol, the airport chaplaincy can be used. This helps with the guidance of the next of kin and peaceful reunion with the family.

Is repatriation too expensive or not possible for another reason? Then the only option is a burial or cremation in the country of death. You can contact a local funeral director to arrange the funeral. Does the deceased have funeral insurance in the Netherlands? Please also contact the relevant insurer. Keep all foreign invoices and the death certificate safe and ask if it is possible to receive them in a common language, such as English. The costs of a funeral abroad are usually (fully or partially) reimbursed from funeral insurance. In case of cremation, the ashes can be taken to the Netherlands. No special import documents are required for this, but just to be on the safe side, keep the death certificate and/or cremation certificate at hand.

Documents from certain countries must first be legalised. This shows that the document has been issued by the correct organization. Legalisation is usually done in the country where the document comes from. Sometimes you also need an official (sworn) translation of the document. That's an official translation.

You can have the foreign death certificate converted into a Dutch certificate by your municipality. Although not mandatory, it makes it easier if you need the copy in the future to report the death to organizations.