Issuing authority and document: Cabo Verde is not among the 24 states listed for the Strasbourg Agreement on the Transfer of Corpses (1973; list on treatydatabase.overheid.nl, consulted 13.10.2026), so local rules and the requirements of the Republic of Moldova apply. According to UK government guidance (updated 16.06.2025), registration with the Cape Verdean Civil Registration Office (Conservatória do Registo Civil) is mandatory and is normally handled by the funeral director, on the basis of the certificate issued by the doctor or pathologist. The list of missions on mfa.gov.md (consulted 13.10.2026; the page shows no date) has no embassy in Cabo Verde and does not name this country among those covered by another mission; we establish the competent mission at the start. The list does show an embassy of the Republic of Moldova in Lisbon, but it does not name Cabo Verde among the countries that embassy covers.
Transport: Praia is about 6,000 km from Chișinău in a straight line (our own calculation from the cities' coordinates). The destinations list of Chișinău airport (Wikipedia, consulted 13.10.2026) has no flights to Cabo Verde. The list for Praia airport (same source, consulted 13.10.2026, several entries uncited) shows flights to Lisbon, and Lisbon also appears in the Chișinău list; we have not verified that a through connection exists today, or which carrier accepts remains, and the same page says the busiest international airport of the country is on the island of Sal. The route is agreed with the family once the documents and the island of departure are known.
Timing: The UK guidance gives three points: local burial must take place within 24 hours; the law sets no timescale for repatriation; and a post-mortem can take up to 10 days because there are only two pathologists in the archipelago. How these fit together in a case of transport to Moldova it does not say, so we confirm the timeline once we have the documents.
Price: We will quote the price once we know the details.

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 guidance (updated 16.06.2025) says the death must be registered at the local civil registry, which the funeral director normally does. The doctor or pathologist needs the full details and the parents' names of the deceased and an official identity document. The Cape Verdean death certificate is issued only in Portuguese; no international version exists.

After any post-mortem the body is released to the local funeral director for burial or repatriation. Embalming is carried out at the hospital morgue by the funeral director; organs removed for examination are replaced before the body is sutured.

Required documents

The guidance does not list the documents for taking a body out of Cabo Verde, so we do not state a Cape Verdean list as fact; we establish it at the start from the island where the death occurred. According to the Moldovan Ministry of Foreign Affairs (consulted 13.10.2026), the mortuary passport is issued by embassies and consulates of the Republic of Moldova, and a foreign death certificate must be legalised by the authorities of the country where the death occurred.

Cabo Verde is a party to the Hague Apostille Convention (in force there since 13.02.2010; HCCH table updated 30.06.2026), and the legalisation page of mfa.gov.md (dated 02.02.2017) lists it as a country whose documents are used with an apostille. Because the certificate is in Portuguese, a translation will also be needed; the form and the order of steps we confirm with the competent Moldovan mission before sending documents.

Specifics of Cabo Verde

Cremation is not available in Cabo Verde, so ashes cannot be obtained locally. The guidance also says organ donation is not available.

Personal belongings are handed to the next of kin or taken by the police, according to the guidance.

Frequently asked questions

Is the Cape Verdean death certificate available in another language?

According to UK guidance (16.06.2025), it is issued only in Portuguese and no international version exists. A translation for Moldova will therefore be needed; we confirm the requirements with the Moldovan mission.

Does the 24-hour rule for burial apply to repatriation?

The guidance says local burial must take place within 24 hours and that the law sets no timescale for repatriation. It does not explain how the two relate, so we ask the funeral director and the registry at the start.

Why can a post-mortem delay things?

The guidance says there are only two pathologists in the archipelago and a post-mortem can take up to 10 days.

Are Cape Verdean documents apostilled?

Cabo Verde is a party to the Hague Apostille Convention (in force since 13.02.2010) and is on the mfa.gov.md list as an apostille country. We still confirm the exact formalities for a mortuary file with the competent mission.

Other countries

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Repatriation from Cape Verde to Moldova