Issuing authority and document: Eritrea is not among the parties to the Strasbourg Agreement (1973) on the transfer of corpses (public list, checked 13.10.2026), so Eritrean rules apply together with the requirements of the Republic of Moldova. According to the UK government guide (updated 29.09.2025), the death is registered at the local Public Registration Office and with the Zoba administration, and the sub-Zoba issues an acknowledgement letter. The mortuary passport is issued by an embassy or consulate of the Republic of Moldova; Eritrea does not appear in the list of missions on mfa.gov.md (checked 13.10.2026), so we find the competent mission before filing documents.
Transport: Asmara is about 3,640 km from Chișinău (our own straight-line calculation). The destinations list of Chișinău airport (RMO) does not include Eritrea, and we have no verified source on the route, so we assume nothing. The British guide asks for an approval letter from the airport immigration police for a body, so the departure airport matters from the start.
Timing: The British guide gives no timescales for Eritrea; it only advises asking for extra copies of the documents from the start because they will be needed later. We have no timeline for Moldova; we discuss one only after seeing the documents, taking into account both levels of registration, the police letters and the competent mission.
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 UK government guide for Eritrea (updated 29.09.2025) describes two local steps: registering the death at the Public Registration Office and with the Zoba administration, then reporting it to the sub-Zoba administration, which issues an acknowledgement letter. A funeral director normally handles this, and family or friends must also register with the Zoba. The guide is written for British nationals, so we use it only as an indication of local practice.

The page of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Moldova on deaths abroad (checked 13.10.2026) says that transporting a body to Moldova is possible only under the law of the country of death and the applicable international rules. What Moldova requires specifically for Eritrea we have not verified.

Required documents

For transporting a body the British guide lists: the death certificate from the Zoba administration, the hospital form or certificate, the deceased's passport, a police clearance letter, the airport immigration police approval letter and an embalming certificate. For Moldova we set the exact list with the competent mission, not by another state's rules.

Certificates are issued in the local language; the Zoba administration provides an English translation of the death certificate, and hospital documents are in the local language and in English. Eritrea does not appear in the table of the 1961 Hague Convention (HCCH, checked 13.10.2026), so an apostille cannot be assumed: the page of the Moldovan ministry asks for legalisation by the authorities of that state, and we confirm the order with the mission.

Specifics of Eritrea

According to the guide, burial and cremation are arranged through a local funeral director, and the rules differ by region. For ashes you show the death certificate, the hospital certificate and the cremation certificate; the guide advises telling the airline in advance, and sending ashes by post or courier may not be possible, while air freight is.

On the coffin, and on airports or flights, the guide says nothing, so we do not describe such requirements as fact. We found no information on a Moldovan diaspora or an honorary consulate in Eritrea.

Frequently asked questions

Why are police letters required for a death in Eritrea?

The British guide (29.09.2025) lists a police letter and an airport immigration police approval among the documents for transporting a body, without explaining why. We confirm the requirement with the authorities for your case.

Can Eritrean documents be apostilled?

Eritrea does not appear in the table of the 1961 Hague Convention (checked 13.10.2026), so we do not assume an apostille. We learn how to legalise them from the Moldovan mission.

Is it enough to register the death at one office?

The British guide describes two: the Public Registration Office and the Zoba administration, plus the sub-Zoba letter. Whether all three are needed in your case we confirm at the start.

In which languages will Eritrean documents be?

The guide says certificates are in the local language and the Zoba gives an English translation of the death certificate; it mentions Tigrigna and Arabic. The translation for Moldova we set with the mission.

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Repatriation from Eritrea to Moldova