We are a reputable, international, China-based Funeral Director, exclusively dealing with organizing, coordinating and managing repatriations of human remains worldwide

Based in China, we render services to foreign funeral directors, insurers, assist-companies, bereaved families, employers, law offices and embassies

Adding onto 15 years of experience in Europe, we started up services in China, 18 years ago, and our Chinese-English speaking field staff can represent or assist the bereaved next-of-kin, anywhere in China

Our coordination may involve the hospital, the Emergency Intervention Team, the Hospital morgue, the Forensic Medical Center, the Funeral Home, the Crematory, the Public Security Bureau at local-, district- and city level, Civil Affairs, the Notary Public, the China Foreign Affairs, the Funeral Association, the local and inter-provincial hearse company, the City- and Airport Quarantine inspection, the Export/Import Customs, the cargo agent, the airline handling agent, the consignee

Do you need our best cost estimate for a repatriation
Please send us an email mentioning the current location of the deceased, his/her nationality, the mode of repatriation (body or ashes) and the airport of destination

Payments
Full payments are due in advance before shipping, and can be made either in China in CNY or to REPAT-ASSIST LTD in Hong Kong, in USD or EUR; our invoice is issued by REPAT-ASSIST LTD.
We shall not disclose any bills or receipt notes from our subcontractors, if any

Other services
Application for autopsy, exhumation, unofficial translations, shipping of personal belongings

Important to know and to agree with !
– all funeral homes (including crematoria) in China are 100% government-owned, and government-run
– rules, practices, procedures and prices can be substantially different, depending on the place of death, and even on the officer in charge
– in general there is only one funeral home per province that is authorized to embalm a foreign body
– Roseates shall not bear any responsibility for wrongdoings or negligence (embalming quality, coffin quality) by Chinese funeral homes, neither for missing deceased’s personal belongings

OPERATIONS – contacts
Tel: +86 15300309219 (CN & EN)
Tel: +86 18910261509 (CN & EN)
Email: info@roseates.com or info_roseates@163.com

Questions & Answers
How to make an inquiry (quote request) ?
In order to estimate the total cost, we need to know deceased’s current location, airport of destination, repatriation mode (body or ashes). Repatriation costs all depend on where death occurred

Should we, if not present at the place of death, travel to China in person ?
No. Not necessary.

How long the repatriation will take ?
Starting from the moment your mandate is received by the Chinese authorities and the Chinese death certificate is issued, cremation could be instantly done, and packing the remains for export could be done in one week time (+ transportation arrangements/time, if the remains is not in Beijing, Shanghai or Guangzhou); another 4 to 8 days are to be added till flight date. Bottlenecks may occur just before or just after Chinese national holidays

How can we mandate Roseates to proceed with all arrangements ?
When you send us a copy of your passport and a proof of your relationship with the deceased (your birth certificate in case of a child, deceased’s birth certificate in case of a parent, a marriage certificate in case of a spouse, the birth certificates of yourself and the deceased in case of siblings), we will send the mandate form to be signed.

What payment terms are in force ?
While we do not ask for an advance payment, the full payment is due prior to shipping the remains.
The payment currency from a Chinese account to our Chinese account is the Chinese Yuan (CNY), while payments from abroad to our Hong Kong account can be done in multiple currencies, like EUR, USD, GBP, CAD, AUD etc

Is a clinical autopsy obligatory in China ?
NO. Nobody else but the closest relative can, with a proper motivation, apply for a clinical autopsy, which implies removal of all major organs, while the result and report will take at least a month. And it is to be noted that the report is a medical opinion.

Can Roseates ship personal belongings ?
YES we can, but pretty expensive as we have to ship, export and import in Hong Kong (China mainland couriers do not accept electronics). Separate shipments are due for non-electronics, electronics and (bank) cards.
Cash money shall not be shipped, though subtracted from our invoice or transferred to your bank account

Can family and friends view the remains ?
The family can, wherever the body is stored,  view the remains, unless during a possible Police investigation and preferably after embalming. Friends and/or colleagues can view the remains before cremation or before coffin closing in case of body repatriation

Is embalming human remains a must ?
YES, both for export and import, the body shall be embalmed

Will embalming be done in due time ?
Per standard procedure the remains shall be deep-frozen (minus 10 degrees Celsius) until the administrative formalities and documentation are finalized; 4 to 5 days before the flight date, the body is brought to room temperature (takes 1 to 2 days) and embalmed (arterial embalming with preservation chemicals). The effect of the embalming will last for about 10 to 15 days, depending on the cause of death and the time that has passed between death and deep-frozen status.

Can we select the coffin for repatriation ?
NO. Every Chinese funeral home has only one standard but different coffin/container

Can we use the repatriation coffin for burial in my country ?
The coffin (holding the bed) needs, to export from China, a zinc liner (exceptionally it is put in a zinc box); and is then put in a wooden case. Upon arrival it gets impossible to remove the zinc liner (as in most countries zinc cannot be buried for environmental reasons) without seriously damaging the coffin. Besides most of the coffins are shipping containers, meant for a one-time transport only.

Can we accompany the remains on the same flight ?
Yes, as long as you can book a flight ticket, and the flight is not operated by a full freighter !

Is the People’s Republic of China an Apostille member country ?
YES, so that, if the destination country an Apostille member country as well, the in China issued documents are no longer to be authenticated by your Consulate

Can foreign remains be buried in China ?
The short answer is NO. The only exception would be if deceased’s direct relative (spouse) is a Chinese citizen living in China; in that case the ashes could be kept in China; a body burial would require the spouse to prove he/she belongs (registered) to an ethnic minority.