Ashes burial help, please

[HP Mum]

Unmarried separated parents; minor children.

One parent dies overseas and is cremated before ex-partner and children advised of the death. The minors are the sole heirs (unfortunately of deceased's debts).

Minors have no money (probably obvious). Remaining partner has no money.

Funeral costs in overseas country are super expensive - likely to be several £000s.

Does anyone know of costs to fly ashes from Europe to UK?

And likely costs to bury ashes in the UK?

Thanks for any advice....

[i hate bailiffs]

The minors are the sole heirs (unfortunately of deceased's debts).....

 

I expect those debts are now deceased as they won't pass on

[HP Mum]

Thank You for you reply.

Unfortunately - in the country of death and by shared nationality - the minors DO inherit deceased debts

[HP Mum]

UK law does not apply in this instance

[Sparks_]

Which country did the death occur in?

[HP Mum]

Germany

[veganite]

Does anyone know of costs to fly ashes from Europe to UK?

And likely costs to bury ashes in the UK?

Thanks for any advice....

 

To fly ashes from Germany to UK? I imagine it would be quite expensive if you arranged for a third party / company to do this. It may be a lot cheaper for you to fly to Germany yourself and return to UK with the ashes. If flights are expensive this time of year, then a bus to germany would cost less than £30, a train slightly more expensive.

 

As for burying the ashes in UK, if this is done in a council cemetery then the charge is dependant upon what council you are dealing with. A cemetery is not a legal requirement, the ashes can be buried in a garden or a beauty spot, alternatively they can be scattered.

 

In relation to the debts, I am wondering whether a renunciation of German citizenship would be beneficial to the children who are now responsible for the debt of the deceased parent.

[HP Mum]

Unfortunately it appears, from recent research, that individuals are not allowed to handle ashes in Germany. It seems that the urn has to go via a company. Hence the search now...

[veganite]

Ok, i see. I've done a quick search and found information from this site: http://www.toytowngermany.com/lofi/index.php/t93138.html

Suggestion / advice from that site states:

Funeral parlours in Germany are only allowed to give out the ashes in a permissable way nad that doesn't include giving them out to an individual person.

The usual practice is to have them sent to a funeral parlour in The Netherlands and they give them to the individual as its allowed there.

They are then hand carried back to Germany and tipped out on the Wies'n field of the Giesinger Stadion for example.

 

If that above suggestion is true, then instead of carrying them back to Germany, they can then be transported from Netherlands back to UK. Sorry I can't be of any more help to you. I hope that a solution is found quickly for the remaining family since the burial of ashes will help to bring closure.