More and more elderly people spend months with a child living abroad, travel in retirement or move abroad for good. If death occurs there, the family has to find answers to two questions at once, and they are not the same: does funeral insurance pay if the death did not occur in Hungary – and who pays for the repatriation of the body, the cost of which can be significant in itself? As a broker, I see that many people blur the two questions: they believe that funeral insurance “arranges” the repatriation, or, the other way round, that it does not pay at all for a death abroad. Neither is true. This article covers the territorial scope, who actually bears the cost of repatriation, the consul's role and the documents; the practical questions facing family members living abroad are discussed in the article on families living abroad.
- The territorial scope of Hungarian funeral insurance conditions typically extends to the whole world – according to one Hungarian set of conditions, cover applies to “insured events occurring anywhere on Earth” – so the fixed sum is also payable for a death abroad, subject to the contract's exclusions.
- The cost of repatriation of the body is not a separate benefit of funeral insurance, and the consular service does not bear it either: it may be covered by travel insurance, if there was a policy in force, otherwise it falls on the family – the funeral insurance sum can be freely used for it, but it does not increase because of it.
- For a death abroad, the insurer asks for a certified Hungarian translation of the foreign authority's document; repatriation of the body requires a permit to transport the body from the Hungarian mission abroad, but an urn containing the ashes does not.
Does funeral insurance pay if the death occurred abroad?
Legally, funeral insurance is life insurance, and the territorial scope of Hungarian policy conditions is typically not limited to Hungary. One Hungarian set of funeral insurance conditions, for example, puts it this way: “The Insurer's cover extends to insured events occurring anywhere on Earth.” This wording is typical of the market, but it is not a legal requirement, so it is worth checking the “territorial scope” clause in your own contract – it may differ from insurer to insurer, and some accident riders may follow a different rule. If the scope covers the whole world, the fixed sum is payable for a death abroad just as it is at home; the contract's exclusions and grounds for exemption (where the insurer is released from paying) – for example, acts of war or terrorism, or an event connected with intoxication – naturally apply abroad too, as does the rule on the reduced benefit payable for death from illness within the waiting period; these are discussed in the article on when funeral insurance does not pay. Importantly, funeral insurance is not tied to the place of the funeral: the insurer does not examine where and how the farewell will take place, but the fact and circumstances of the death, and it pays the beneficiary, who can use the sum freely – for a funeral abroad, for repatriation of the body or for a ceremony in Hungary.
Who pays for repatriation? Four parties everyone assumes will pay
The cost of repatriation is the biggest source of misunderstanding, so it is worth going through who does not pay for it. The funeral insurer does not: funeral insurance provides a fixed sum, and Hungarian products typically include no repatriation service or separate reimbursement of costs – the sum can be spent on it, but it does not increase because transport costs more than a funeral at home. Nor does the consular service: the Hungarian mission abroad notifies the next of kin, helps on request to make contact with the organisation transporting the body, and issues the permit to transport the body, but it does not bear the cost of the transport or the funeral, nor does it initiate probate proceedings. Nor does the European Health Insurance Card (EHIC): it covers medically necessary state healthcare, not repatriation. The one that typically pays is travel insurance – the benefits of Hungarian travel insurance policies include repatriation of the deceased or the cost of a local funeral, up to the contract's limit – but travel insurance applies only if it was taken out, it covers the duration of the trip, and many products have an upper age limit or a higher premium at an older age. For a parent living abroad long-term, this cover is usually missing. If there is no travel insurance, the family bears the cost of repatriation; the funeral insurance sum is then the greatest help, which is exactly why it is worth considering this possibility when setting the sum insured. There is also a common, cheaper route: local cremation and bringing the urn home – according to the Hungarian mission's guidance, no consular permit is required for this, although at the cemetery's request it may be advisable to obtain a “No objection” statement from the mission.
The consul's role and the permit to transport the body
Transporting a body from abroad to Hungary requires an official permit from the Hungarian mission abroad. According to the mission's guidance, the application requires the deceased's details, the cause of death, the route and method of transport, the foreign medical certificate of death, a public health certificate and the receiving Hungarian cemetery's statement of acceptance; the procedure is subject to a fee and is conducted by appointment. The transport itself is carried out by a funeral director equipped for the international transport of human remains – on the Hungarian side, the conditions for transporting bodies are governed by Government Decree 145/1999, the implementing decree of the Act on cemeteries and burial. In practice, the family can take one of two routes: instruct a funeral service provider in the foreign country, which organises the transport together with its Hungarian partner, or a Hungarian provider that also handles the foreign side. When choosing, the points in the article on the funeral service provider apply, with one addition: ask for a written, itemised quote, because for international transport the price is made up of several elements – local administration, transport coffin, air or road freight, reception in Hungary.
Documents for the insurer: the foreign document and its translation
Filing a claim for a death abroad works the same way as at home, only with more documents and more time. For a death that occurred abroad, Hungarian funeral insurance conditions typically require a certified translation of the foreign document – in the words of one Hungarian set of conditions, “a certified Hungarian translation of the document issued by the foreign authority on the circumstances of the death” – so the family has to have the translation made; in Hungary, unless the law provides otherwise, certified translations are produced by the Hungarian Office for Translation and Attestation (OFFI). Insurers typically accept the foreign death certificate with a translation, but some also ask for the death to be registered in Hungary; this differs from insurer to insurer, so it is worth asking when reporting the claim, before the family waits unnecessarily. Registration in Hungary – entering the death abroad in the Hungarian civil register – can be requested at the Hungarian mission abroad or in Hungary; the application requires a copy of the foreign certificate – legalised or bearing an apostille depending on the country, and typically accepted without legalisation if issued in an EU member state – together with the deceased's birth certificate and proof of their citizenship and marital status, and it can take weeks or months. So the most important advice is this: do not postpone reporting the claim until all the documents have been collected. The conditions typically set a short deadline for reporting, but the claim can be supplemented later with documents submitted afterwards – report the death on the insurer's claims line, and send the documents as they arrive. The insurer may also ask for the foreign equivalent of the medical certificate of death, the hospital records and the document certifying the cause of death, especially for a death within the waiting period. The documents needed in Hungary are described in the article on the death certificate.
If the insured person lives abroad long-term
If someone moves abroad for a longer period or permanently, their funeral insurance contract typically remains in force – premium payments continue, and the cover applies in line with the territorial scope. There are, however, two things the policyholder cannot pass on to anyone: reporting changes of address and contact details, and keeping the beneficiary designation up to date. If the insurer's letters go to an abandoned Hungarian address, the premium reminder will arrive there too, and the consequences of an interruption in premium payments will come as a surprise to the family. It is also worth thinking about whether the beneficiary wants the payment made to a Hungarian or a foreign bank account: under a contract concluded in forints (HUF), the insurer pays in forints, and the cost of a foreign transfer and the currency conversion depend on the policy conditions and the bank. Both points are covered in the article on changes to your details.
What should the family do – in advance and when it happens?
In advance: alongside the funeral insurance policy, the “papers in one place” folder should contain the travel insurance policy, if there is one, the address of the stay abroad and the contact details of the nearest Hungarian mission, as well as a sentence about what the insured person would like – repatriation of the body, a local funeral, or cremation and bringing the urn home. In the hardest days, that sentence is worth more than any document. When it has happened: notify the Hungarian mission, ask the local authority for several copies of the death certificate, instruct a provider experienced in international transport, and report the claim to the insurer – documents can be submitted later. If the case gets stuck or is disputed, I help where I can, acting on your behalf – for example, in clarifying exactly which foreign document the insurer accepts and in what form. The insurer pays only for what is an insured event under your contract – abroad too, but only in accordance with the contract.
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Sources
- MVM Biztosítás – funeral insurance general terms and conditions (point 6: territorial scope – “anywhere on Earth”; 17.4.8–17.4.9: medical certificate of death, certified Hungarian translation of the foreign authority's document)
- Hungarian Consular Service (Konzuli Szolgálat) – Death abroad (the consul's tasks, permit to transport the body, registration in Hungary)
- Embassy of Hungary (Addis Ababa) – Death abroad: the consular service's tasks, documents required to apply for the permit to transport the body, bringing an urn home without a permit
- Government Decree 145/1999 (X. 1.) implementing Act XLIII of 1999 on cemeteries and burial (transport of human remains)
- European Commission – European Health Insurance Card: covers medically necessary state healthcare, not the cost of repatriation
- Council of Ministers Decree 24/1986 (VI. 26.) on specialist translation and interpreting, Section 5 – certified translations, as a rule, only by OFFI
- Alfa Vienna Insurance Group – Alfa Gondoskodás FAQ: When and how much does the insurer pay? (tiered benefits for death from illness in the first two years)
