When Your Child Has Died Abroad

One of a series of leaflets published by The Compassionate Friends 14 Travel or personal accident insurance If your child had travel insurance or a personal accident policy of their own, then it is possible that costs for their repatriation will be covered, perhaps along with other expenses. Some insurance companies will even help with practical arrangements. However, depending on the policy and the circumstances, insurance companies may refuse to pay some costs. This can be frustrating and upsetting. Be aware that insurance companies generally have separate departments for claims and sales, and they do not always communicate between themselves. It is not unheard of for sales departments to try to contact the policy holder for renewals, even after that policy holder has died. Bringing your child home Even if repatriation is being arranged, it is not always possible for your child’s body to be flown home with you, as legal permission can take weeks rather than days. A post-mortem may need to be carried out, any investigation completed and a death certificate issued. Once legal permission has been obtained, it is usually the captain of the plane who makes the final decision on whether or not to accept a coffin. For this reason, even if you book your flight home with an expectation that your child will also be on board, this may not be the case. If you are bringing or sending your child home, you should be aware that it is a legal requirement for their body to be embalmed to fly. Embalming is not common in some countries and may not be done as skilfully as it would be in the UK. A coffin travels in the hold of the plane, along with baggage and other cargo. The sense that your precious child is being treated as freight is hard to bear. If your child has been cremated, you may have the comfort of being able to carry their ashes with you on the flight home. Airlines have different policies about what they permit. Some allow the carriage of cremated ashes as carry on, whereas others require that the cremated ashes are checked in with hold luggage. You should contact the airline for their requirements, although at a minimum, a death certificate will be required and the ashes will have to be in a sealed container.