Which Documents to Prepare for a Medical Repatriation?

Why documents matter

A medical repatriation depends on a file. Before any decision, the doctors who will approve the transfer need a clear picture of the patient's condition. The insurer or assistance company needs proof to organize and finance it, and the air ambulance or the airline needs the information to prepare the equipment and the crew. A well-prepared file saves hours, and sometimes days.

At the first call: what to have at hand

When you call the assistance company, the first things asked are generally the contract number, then the situation: where the patient is, what happened and how the patient is. Prepare:

• the policy or contract number (travel insurance, bank card, employer's contract) and the assistance phone number;
• the patient's identity: full name, date of birth, nationality, and a copy of the passport or identity document;
• the exact location: country, city, name and address of the hospital;
• the circumstances: accident, sudden illness, date and time;
• the contact details of the treating physician and a phone number where the family can be reached at any hour.

The medical documents

The treating physician on site provides the medical information that will allow the assistance company's doctors, and ours, to decide. Ask the hospital for:

• a medical report with the diagnosis, the treatment given and the current condition;
• an opinion on fitness to travel, when the doctor can give one;
• the imaging and test results (scans, X-rays, blood tests), ideally with a copy on disc or by secure transfer;
• the operative reports and the discharge summary, if the patient has been operated on;
• the list of current treatments, with doses, and the known allergies;
• the contact details of the patient's family doctor and usual specialists, who can complete the history.

If the reports are not in a language that the receiving team reads, ask the hospital whether an English version can be provided. Do not wait for a perfect file to call the assistance company: the first call can be made with partial information.

The administrative documents

• The insurance or assistance contract, and, for a bank card, the card used and the proof that the trip was paid with it.
• The travel documents: passport, tickets, and the booking of the accompanying relatives, if they travel too.
• The authorizations required for a relative to travel with the patient, where applicable.
• Where the patient is a minor or cannot decide, the documents of the legal representative.

Medical confidentiality and consent

Medical information is confidential. To allow the hospital to share the file with the assistance doctors and with the transport team, the patient, or the person entitled to decide for the patient, generally has to agree. Ask the hospital which form it requires, and give the consent early.

If the transfer is on a scheduled flight

When the patient travels on a commercial flight with a medical escort, the airline's medical department generally has to approve the patient's fitness to fly, usually through a medical information form completed by the physician. Airlines often ask for a recent medical report: Turkish Airlines, for example, asks for a report issued less than 10 days before the flight. Each airline has its own rules, so we check them case by case.

Practical tips

• Take a photo of every document and keep it on your phone, in addition to the originals.
• Keep a logbook: date, time, name of each person spoken to, and the case number given by the assistance company.
• Keep every invoice, including taxis, calls and hotels: a reimbursement request may need them later.
• Do not pay large amounts or sign a financial commitment before speaking to the assistance company, unless the patient's care requires it.

How we can help

If you do not know where to start, call us. Our team is available 24/7. We tell you which documents are really needed in your case, we collect the medical file with the local team, and we work directly with the insurer or the assistance company. We then organize the transfer from bed to bed.

To go further, read what to do in the first hours when a relative is hospitalized abroad and how long it takes to organize a medical repatriation.

General information only — not personalized medical, legal or insurance advice. Your insurance contract and the treating physician's opinion prevail in your situation.