Our Story
At W. Uden & Sons, we have been honoured to support and guide families through the process of funeral arrangements for over 140 years. As a family-owned and operated company, our commitment to compassionate service has remained steadfast across generations.
Over the past 40 years, we have expanded our services to include the careful repatriation of loved ones to their countries of birth. This experience has taken us to destinations around the globe, allowing us to build an extensive network of contacts and a comprehensive database of countries, consulates, embassies, airports, and airlines.
Our goal is to provide families with the highest level of care and the most accurate information, ensuring that their loved ones are in trusted hands throughout the repatriation process.
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Most Visited Destinations
We specialise in repatriation to all parts of the world. At your request we will make all the necessary arrangements and ensure the appropriate level of care and dignity for your loved one throughout this process.
Our friendly and experienced staff are able to offer advice on a wide range of subjects, and we are happy to visit you in the privacy of your own home to discuss your specific wishes. Our aim is to support you and your family throughout this difficult time, and to provide a lasting legacy for your loved ones.
Since our foundation, five generations of the Uden family have been privileged to help bereaved families deal with their grief, by offering the support that has evolved over the last 140 years.
We are available 24 hours a day to assist you at your time of need, and this includes providing a compassionate ear and supplying practical advice even if you do not use our services.
Repatriation can appear to be an overwhelming process, but we will do all that we can to make this process as straight-forward as possible. That’s why we’ve written comprehensive guides to the steps you need to take when arranging the repatriation of a loved one.
How the repatriation process works
If you wish to repatriate your loved one abroad, we will firstly require from you an original death certificate and original copy of their passport. This will enable us to begin obtaining essential paperwork in order to send the body outside the UK and to bring the person into our chapel of rest. In some instances, we may be required to liaise with an Embassy or Consulate to obtain additional paperwork.
We shall then appropriately prepare the deceased for travel, which will include embalming and dressing, if you have elected to supply clothing, or a tasteful gown will be provided. Nearer to the date of repatriation, we will liaise with you in greater detail regarding flight times and any additional requirements such as a service at a place of worship or viewing in the chapel of rest. You will need to have given us full detail of the “consignee”, the funeral director or person receiving the body in the country concerned, and they must be contactable at the time.
Please note that in some instances, additional paperwork is required such as a Waiver (especially for repatriation to Nigeria) which you will need to personally obtain. We are of course available to guide you through these procedures should they be relevant to your arrangements. We may also need to liaise with the Embassy or Consulate here in London that is relevant to the country of destination, to obtain the required paperwork and official stamps that will allow us to proceed with the repatriation.
If a death happens overseas and you would like your loved one to be buried or cremated in the UK, we can advise you on how to get them back to the UK to the best of our ability. If your loved one has passed away while travelling, we would strongly advise that you check to see if they have travel insurance. If so, most insurance policies will cover the costs of repatriation back to the UK. The insurance company will also liaise with a funeral director in the country where the death occurred, to make all the preparations for the flight back and to arrange a funeral director to collect your loved one from a London airport, and to deliver them to our chapel of rest. If your loved one did not have travel insurance or was living abroad, you will have to liaise with your chosen funeral director in the country concerned to arrange the repatriation back to the UK. We would then act as the consignee and collect your loved one from any London airport. Once your loved one is in our care, we can start proceedings on the documentation for the funeral to take place. We will liaise with the local coroner to issue the formal documentation required and, if necessary, to translate all documents received from the consignor. Once this has all been completed, the funeral arrangements can continue as normal.
How the repatriation process works
If you wish to repatriate your loved one abroad, we will firstly require from you an original death certificate and original copy of their passport. This will enable us to begin obtaining essential paperwork in order to send the body outside the UK and to bring the person into our chapel of rest. In some instances, we may be required to liaise with an Embassy or Consulate to obtain additional paperwork.
We shall then appropriately prepare the deceased for travel, which will include embalming and dressing, if you have elected to supply clothing, or a tasteful gown will be provided. Nearer to the date of repatriation, we will liaise with you in greater detail regarding flight times and any additional requirements such as a service at a place of worship or viewing in the chapel of rest. You will need to have given us full detail of the “consignee”, the funeral director or person receiving the body in the country concerned, and they must be contactable at the time.
Please note that in some instances, additional paperwork is required such as a Waiver (especially for repatriation to Nigeria) which you will need to personally obtain. We are of course available to guide you through these procedures should they be relevant to your arrangements. We may also need to liaise with the Embassy or Consulate here in London that is relevant to the country of destination, to obtain the required paperwork and official stamps that will allow us to proceed with the repatriation.
If a death happens overseas and you would like your loved one to be buried or cremated in the UK, we can advise you on how to get them back to the UK to the best of our ability. If your loved one has passed away while travelling, we would strongly advise that you check to see if they have travel insurance. If so, most insurance policies will cover the costs of repatriation back to the UK. The insurance company will also liaise with a funeral director in the country where the death occurred, to make all the preparations for the flight back and to arrange a funeral director to collect your loved one from a London airport, and to deliver them to our chapel of rest. If your loved one did not have travel insurance or was living abroad, you will have to liaise with your chosen funeral director in the country concerned to arrange the repatriation back to the UK. We would then act as the consignee and collect your loved one from any London airport. Once your loved one is in our care, we can start proceedings on the documentation for the funeral to take place. We will liaise with the local coroner to issue the formal documentation required and, if necessary, to translate all documents received from the consignor. Once this has all been completed, the funeral arrangements can continue as normal.
Please contact our Repatriations Team, mainly located at the Camberwell Office, for a discussion of your personal requirements on 0207 703 3212.
