SITUATION
A Thai national on a business assignment in Korea passed away at a hotel following an illness. His family was all in Thailand; apart from colleagues he worked with, he had no relatives in Korea.
THE FAMILY’S CIRCUMSTANCES
The family could not afford to come to Korea, and communication was carried out through the insurance company.
REQUEST
The family asked that the deceased be repatriated to Bangkok, so that the funeral could be held in the arms of his family.
WHAT WE DID
01 Obtained the death certificate from the hospital, then arranged English translation and notarization.
02 Received the documents following the police investigation, then coordinated with the Thai Embassy in Korea and completed the consular verification.
03 Embalmed the deceased to international standards and placed him with care in a casket meeting transport requirements.
04 Completed the airline cargo booking and customs procedures.
05 Confirmed that he was received by his family on arrival at the destination airport.
CHALLENGES AND HOW WE RESOLVED THEM
The family’s letter of authorization took longer than expected. Because we organized all the required documents in advance and submitted them in one visit, the process was completed without any return trips — and we updated the family on the progress every day to ease their anxiety.
TIMELINE
Police investigation, 2 days; document preparation and translation, 1 day; consular verification, 2 days; embalming and transport preparation, 2 days — approximately 7 days in total.
CLOSING
The family wished for the deceased to be sent home dressed in the company uniform he had loved to wear, and so he was. We brought him safely back to his family. Helping the family share a final farewell — that is our work.
This case has been written without personally identifying information, to protect the privacy of the family.