Issuing authority and document: Bosnia and Herzegovina is not listed among the parties to the 1973 Strasbourg Agreement on the Transfer of Corpses in the public list we consulted on 13.10.2026. UK government guidance (published 14 August 2026) says the permission to remove the body is issued by a "coroner"; what this body is called and how it works in local practice we establish at the start. The mortuary passport is issued by embassies or consulates of the Republic of Moldova; on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs website Bosnia and Herzegovina appears under the embassy in Budapest.
Transport: By air or by road. The public table we consulted shows no scheduled direct Sarajevo — Chișinău flight; by road the route crosses several transit states, which may have requirements of their own. We choose the route together with the family.
Timing: We confirm the timeline once we have the documents. Most relevant are the local body that permits removal of the body, the embassy in Budapest and, if the family chooses cremation, the extra trip to a crematorium outside the country.
Price: Body (repatriation of remains): from 1 800 €
Ashes (urn): from 800 €

Country status under the 1973 Strasbourg Agreement on the Transfer of Corpses: per the Council of Europe list (archived 20.05.2014) and the Netherlands treaty database; checked 11.10.2026.

Procedure

The death is registered at the local registry in Bosnia and Herzegovina; a death certificate ("Smrtni list") follows, and an international multilingual version, including English, can be requested. According to UK guidance (14 August 2026) the certificate does not state the cause of death, which is in the medical report ("Potvrda o smrti") from the hospital or pathologist.

The same guidance lists among the repatriation documents the death certificate, the permission to remove the body, the deceased's passport and others. Embalming is not obligatory but can be requested by the family, especially for repatriation. The exact list for Moldova we agree with the embassy.

Required documents

Usually needed: the Bosnian death certificate with an apostille, the identity document of the deceased, the permit to remove the body, the funeral service's documents and the mortuary passport. Bosnia and Herzegovina is a party to the 1961 Hague Apostille Convention (in force since 6 March 1992 by succession). Under the country's declaration in the HCCH table, the "country" line of the apostille is filled in as "Bosnia and Herzegovina" without any entity marks. In the list of the Moldovan Ministry of Foreign Affairs (updated 2 February 2017) it appears among the states with an apostille.

Specifics of the country

There are no crematoria in Bosnia and Herzegovina; UK guidance says funeral directors take the deceased to the nearest crematorium, in Belgrade (Serbia), by plane or by car. For an urn, the death and cremation certificates are needed; the guidance adds that by air ashes travel in hold luggage or as cargo, and sending them by post or courier may not be possible.

The straight-line distance between Sarajevo and Chișinău airports is almost 900 km. The country is listed under the Budapest mission (we confirm with it how to submit the request), and consular appointments are booked online, according to the Budapest embassy's page.

Frequently asked questions

Why does Budapest matter for a death in Bosnia and Herzegovina?

Because the list of missions on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs website shows no Moldovan embassy in Sarajevo, and the country appears under the embassy in Budapest. The list carries no date; we confirm with the mission how a request is submitted.

Can cremation take place in Bosnia and Herzegovina?

No: according to UK government guidance there are no crematoria in the country. Funeral directors take the deceased to the nearest crematorium, in Belgrade. If the family chooses cremation, we confirm the list of documents for that route.

How are ashes transported from Bosnia and Herzegovina?

According to UK guidance, the death and cremation certificates are needed, and by air the ashes go in hold luggage or as cargo; sending them by post may be prohibited. We check the airline's rules before the flight.

Which apostille is put on Bosnian documents?

The apostille must follow the country's declaration: the "country" line reads "Bosnia and Herzegovina" without entity marks (HCCH table). We check each document before it is submitted.

Other countries

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Repatriation from Bosnia and Herzegovina to Moldova