About Us

AIM Group International Funeral Shipping Services is a professional and globally operating funeral repatriation company with headquarters in Germany and multiple locations around the globe. We have specialized in worldwide repatriation and return transport of deceased persons and urns to Congo – and have been doing so since 2007.

With our extensive global network of first-class cooperation partners, we also have the exclusive ability to reliably and quickly transport the deceased from abroad back to their homeland.

With our many years of experience in the repatriation of deceased persons and urns to Congo, you are in the best hands with us.

How does the process of body transport or urn repatriation to Congo generally work?

• Commissioning

• Transmission of required documents, completion of necessary official procedures, and document issuance.

• Subsequently, the deceased/body/ashes/urn is collected, properly placed in a coffin, and hermetically sealed.

• Application for flight authorization as well as transmission of documents and flight data and the AWB/air waybill are also part of the process. Handling, customs clearance, and X-ray scanning are also carried out at the airport.

• Subsequently, the coffin is handed over to the airline's handling partner.

   

What documents and information are required to initiate transport or repatriation to Congo in case of death?

• To process your request, we require the completed order form as well as the data protection declaration, which we would send you by email as an attachment after your inquiry.

• If cremation is desired, the completed consent declaration of the next family member is additionally required. We are happy to send this to you by email.

• An identity document, such as an ID card or passport, is required. The validity is irrelevant, as it is only about identity. For a deceased person, a replacement travel document is issued, which is called an international corpse passport. This is required for repatriation abroad. We handle the issuance of all required documents.

• For the issuance of the final death certificate, the responsible registry office depends on additional documents, which vary depending on the marital status of the deceased person. For unmarried deceased persons, the birth certificate is required, and for married persons, the marriage certificate as well as a copy of the spouse's ID. The documents must be submitted in the official language of the responsible registry office. Submission by family members is also possible at a later date. For body repatriation to Congo, a preliminary death certificate is issued, ensuring smooth transport of the deceased.

• For body transport to Congo, essential information is additionally required, particularly the complete details of a recipient or collector in the destination country to which the deceased is being repatriated. The details should include the full name, email address, and telephone number. Generally, commissioning a funeral director is preferred, however, numerous special regulations in the destination country may require deviation from this procedure. Furthermore, there is the possibility that the body may be collected by family members or acquaintances. At the same time, it is necessary to inform us of the desired destination airport. It should be noted that not every airport approves the receipt of so-called HUMs (Human Remains/deceased/ashes). For this reason, it is necessary to separately inquire about the desired airport in Congo.

Within what timeframe does the return or repatriation of the deceased to Congo occur in case of death?

Generally, the entire process of body repatriation to Congo, depending on the circumstances of the death, requires a timeframe of three to ten business days. In certain cases, such as an unnatural cause of death with release by the public prosecutor's office or difficult approval processes by the airline due to weather, war, or similar political developments, the timeframe may be extended.

What services do we generally offer and what are our main services?

• Within the following list, we first want to outline which services our company generally offers and which services are to be considered main services.

• Worldwide repatriation of deceased persons in coffins abroad, particularly to Congo.

• Worldwide transport of urns or ash capsules abroad, in this case specifically to Congo, can be done by commercial aircraft or premium postal service. The duration is approximately 28 days.

• Furthermore, our range of services includes the organization and handling of return transport of a deceased person or urn/ashes. The repatriation of a deceased person or ashes is carried out in cooperation with our partner network around the world. Particularly in case of death abroad, for example during a vacation, we offer fast and reliable organization of return transport of the deceased to their home country.

• Furthermore, our range of services includes the reburial or exhumation of already interred remains, urns, and deceased persons as well as subsequent repatriation to Congo or to all other countries in the world.

• For special requests, we also offer body transport to Congo in the company of the family with special private jets and private aircraft. The organization of transport is done promptly, so that family members can arrange according to their individual needs. In addition, all airports in the world are conveniently and easily accessed. Check-in and waiting times at the airport are thereby minimized for family members, so they can say goodbye to their loved one in peace.

   

How are you informed about the status of the body or urn repatriation process to Congo?

We ensure that you are informed about the current processing status via your preferred communication channel. This can be done by email, telephone, SMS, or WhatsApp.

Is it possible to fly to any airport in Congo with a deceased person in a coffin or urn?

In principle, it is possible to fly to any international airport with a so-called HUM (deceased in coffin, urn), provided the respective airline approves this and the respective airport has appropriate equipment, so that the runways are suitable for somewhat larger aircraft that can carry a coffin on board. It should be noted that sometimes for political reasons, in the context of armed conflicts or pandemic events, there may be restrictions on air traffic, which are limited to certain periods. In such cases, we are available to you with a range of alternative offers.

Death abroad / on vacation - what to do?

The desire to get to know new cultures, people, and culinary specialties motivates numerous people to spend a beach vacation in various countries around the world, although unexpected deaths due to various factors such as heat, virus, accident, etc., during a vacation cannot be completely ruled out. In this context, the question arises as to how the body or ashes of a deceased person can be repatriated from a foreign vacation country to the Federal Republic of Germany without unnecessary complications.

This is where we come in as experienced professionals. Since 2007, our company has been dedicated to the repatriation and return of deaths around the globe. Due to many years of cooperation with German embassies, partner companies abroad, as well as various international travel health insurance providers, we are able to repatriate a person who died abroad quickly, reliably, and properly to Congo.

We recommend that you contact us immediately in case of death abroad to commission us with the entire process. As highly experienced partners, we stand by your side until the deceased arrives on German soil and support you in this difficult situation.

If the deceased had international travel health insurance or a similar insurance product, we handle the billing with the responsible international travel health insurance. It should be noted that a smooth billing process can only be ensured if consultation with us occurs before contacting the travel health insurance. Cooperation with the following international travel health insurance providers has been established repeatedly.

It is possible to work with various insurance companies, including ERGO Reiseversicherung, Signal Iduna, Hanse Merkur, ADAC, INTER Versicherungsgruppe, Travelsecure, NEXIible Kranken Schutz, LTA LIFECARD TRAVEL ASSISTANCE, SOS International, Allianz Travel.

ASTRA VERSICHERUNG AG, MDT TRAVEL, EUROP ASSISTANCE, TAS, TRAVEL PROTECT, COVERWISE, UKV, CONCORDIA VERSICHERUNGEN, BERLIN DIREKT VERSICHERUNG, GOTHAER, BARMENIA DIREKT, URV UNION VERSICHERUNG.

The expected costs incurred in case of repatriation of the mortal remains of a deceased person or ashes abroad, particularly to Congo.

The amount of costs for repatriation of a deceased person or urn to Congo or other countries abroad is an important question that needs to be answered for those affected. Since the costs for body transport or urn repatriation to Congo or other countries cannot be stated as a flat rate, individual consultation by us as a specialized service provider is essential. The amount of costs depends on various factors. It can be observed that some providers advertise with very low prices, only to make a significant increase when issuing the invoice, which represents an unexpected and negative surprise for the bereaved. It is therefore advisable to be clear in advance about which services are specifically desired. The question arises whether a very well-organized, reliable, and high-quality service should be used from a company that has even been included by all German embassies worldwide in the list of funeral and repatriation companies on their websites and thus enjoys the highest recommendation and trust, or a service that would cause a lot of headaches and where there is no trace of smooth, reliable, and dignified repatriation of a deceased person to Congo.

In case of death that is to be repatriated to Congo, it must first be checked whether there is insurance that covers the costs, or whether insurance exists that assumes the costs. In this case, our insurance is provided with the contact details so that they can clarify the matter internally with the insurance. The costs for body repatriation to Congo vary considerably and depend on various factors. These include the weight and size of the deceased, as longer or wider repatriation coffins are required for larger bodies. Another factor is whether the deceased has identity documents. The costs for repatriation of a deceased person in a coffin to Congo can generally be quantified in a very rough range of 3,500 to 15,000 euros. This also applies if the deceased is first cremated and the urn is subsequently to be repatriated abroad. The effort is the same in both cases. In some cases, airlines no longer make a distinction between repatriation of an urn weighing 5 kg and that of a coffin weighing 160 kg. Both are handled as so-called HUMs (Human Remains / human mortal remains) with a flat rate. If you have a current death case or an imminent one that would need to be transported to Congo, it is recommended to contact us immediately and answer some questions about the death case. In this way, our experienced team can be consulted to receive free consultation and a non-binding cost estimate. Only in this way can an exact cost offer for the respective death cases be determined.

The question arises whether private individuals are permitted to repatriate an urn abroad.

Repatriation of an urn to Congo or abroad by a private individual is not permitted. This applies to both the urn itself and the ash capsule. Furthermore, German funeral law prohibits handing over an urn to a private individual. However, airlines show themselves to be cooperative on this issue. For private individuals, there is the possibility to carry urns with the required documents on board from the airport. However, airlines have no obligation to adhere to the requirements of German funeral law, as the airport is located on international territory. The greatest challenges of these practices lie with the customs authorities of the destination country. The customs authorities in Congo, for example, require that urns have security documents as well as an X-ray report issued by the customs authorities at the airport of the departure country. This is checked by our forwarding companies as well as the customs authority at the airport before departure for customs-dutiable and prohibited items. Without an X-ray report with the release stamp of the local customs authority at the departure airport, seizure of the urn and legal action against the carrier can be punished at the destination airport in Congo, for example. Based on our 20 years of professional experience, we can say that we have experienced this quite often.

Commission us now!

After carefully reading our detailed information listed above, have you come to the conclusion that we are the ideal partner for repatriation of bodies or transport of urns to Congo? Then do not hesitate to contact us at the following email address: info@aimfunerals.com

For further information, our team is available to you.

You can also contact us by phone at +49 (0)89 / 379 85 331 .

Our service is available throughout Germany, as we have multiple locations in Germany.