When someone dies abroad, attention naturally focuses on the body and the paperwork required to bring them home. Personal effects — including medication, medical devices, and healthcare equipment — receive much less attention, but the rules around some of these items are strict, and families who handle them incorrectly can face legal difficulties.
Prescription Medication: General Position
In most cases, a deceased person’s prescription medication can be brought back to the UK by a family member as part of their personal luggage, declared if required, and then disposed of via a UK pharmacy. There is no requirement to return unused medication to the local pharmacy abroad unless you are in a country with specific rules (which the hotel or local pharmacy can advise on).
This straightforward approach applies to ordinary prescription medication: blood pressure tablets, statins, anticoagulants, inhalers, diabetes medication (except injectable insulin in some contexts), and similar. Bring the original packaging and any associated prescription documentation. Do not attempt to transfer medication into unlabelled containers.
Controlled Drugs: A Different Category
Controlled drugs — opioids, benzodiazepines, and other Schedule 1-5 medications under UK law, or their equivalents under the law of the country where the death occurred — must not simply be packed into a family member’s luggage for transport home. This applies regardless of whether they were legitimately prescribed to the deceased.
The options are:
Surrender to local authorities or pharmacy: Many countries require that controlled drugs in the possession of a deceased person be surrendered to local police, the hospital, or a registered pharmacy. This is often the cleanest solution. Request a receipt confirming surrender.
Declaration to the airline and customs: If controlled drugs are to be transported, they must be declared properly and you must carry documentation confirming the original prescription, the deceased’s details, and your relationship to them. The rules vary by country and by airline.
In practice, most repatriation companies recommend surrendering controlled drugs to local authorities in the country of death and obtaining a receipt. This avoids any risk of inadvertent drug trafficking charges, which are treated very seriously in some countries.
If the deceased was using a controlled drug that has no local equivalent and the family is concerned about evidence for legal or insurance purposes, the local police can provide a formal inventory and receipt.
Pacemakers and Implanted Cardiac Devices
A pacemaker must be removed from the body before cremation. The battery contains lithium and can explode in a crematorium furnace, posing a serious risk to staff and equipment. This is not an optional recommendation; crematoriums require removal as a standard condition.
When repatriation is to be followed by cremation in the UK, the pacemaker should either be removed in the country of death (the local funeral director should be instructed to do this), or it must be removed on arrival before the cremation date is set. The receiving UK funeral director must be told that the deceased had a pacemaker.
If repatriation is to be followed by burial, there is no requirement to remove the pacemaker.
Defibrillators (implanted cardioverter-defibrillators, or ICDs) carry the same cremation requirement and the same logic applies.
Insulin Pumps and External Medical Devices
Insulin pumps, CPAP machines, and similar external medical devices are personal property. They can be brought back to the UK as personal effects without special procedure. They should be cleaned before packing.
Implanted insulin pumps (a newer technology) should be discussed with the local funeral director, who will advise whether removal is required or recommended before preparation.
Prescription Glasses, Hearing Aids, and Mobility Equipment
Prescription glasses and hearing aids are straightforward personal effects. They can be returned in luggage.
Mobility equipment — wheelchairs, walking frames, rollators — is similarly straightforward. Airlines typically carry mobility equipment at no charge on bereavement travel. Check the airline’s policy when booking.
Rented medical equipment (hospital beds, hoists, rented wheelchairs) must be returned to the rental company. The hotel or holiday rental manager will usually know how to contact the local medical equipment rental company.
EHIC and GHIC Cards After Death
A deceased person’s EHIC (European Health Insurance Card) or GHIC (Global Health Insurance Card) becomes invalid upon their death. The cards should not be used by any other person. There is no administrative requirement to return them; simply cut and dispose of them.
Any outstanding medical bills incurred in an EU country under the EHIC can be reclaimed through the NHS Business Services Authority in the usual way, using the receipts and documentation from the treating hospital.
Sources: Home Office, Controlled Drugs: Licensing and Restrictions, gov.uk, 2024. UK Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), Importing Medicines into the UK, gov.uk, 2024. British Heart Rhythm Society, Implanted Device Removal Before Cremation: Guidelines, bhrs.com, 2023. NHS Business Services Authority, GHIC and Medical Treatment Abroad, nhsbsa.nhs.uk, 2024. FCDO, Death Abroad: Returning Personal Effects, gov.uk, accessed May 2026.