Issuing authority and document: Gabon is not a party to the Strasbourg Agreement (1973) on the transfer of corpses (list of 24 states, consulted 13.10.2026), so Gabonese rules and the requirements of the Republic of Moldova apply. UK government guidance (updated 11.12.2025) says the death is declared at the civil status services of the town hall, and the mortuary pass or transfer authorisation and the export authorisation are issued by the Ministry of the Interior, with final approval from the police prefecture. On mfa.gov.md (13.10.2026) there is no Moldovan mission in Gabon and the country is not named among those covered by another mission; we establish the competent mission at the start.
Transport: Libreville is roughly 5,500 km from Chișinău in a straight line (our own calculation). No flight to Gabon appears in the list of destinations of Chișinău airport (secondary source, 13.10.2026), so we plan on a connection; specific routes have not been verified. For air transport the guidance asks for a sealed metal coffin with a sealing certificate.
Timing: The only time limit in the guidance is for the hospital’s cause-of-death certificate, usually within a week. For the Ministry of the Interior authorisations and the remaining steps no published times exist, and consular approval by the destination country also takes time. We confirm our own 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

According to UK government guidance (11.12.2025), the death is declared at the civil status services of the town hall where it occurred. It can be declared by a relative, any person with accurate civil status information, or the director of a hospital, hotel or other establishment. Full names, date of birth and the deceased’s identity document are needed.

In hospital the attending physician issues the death certificate or medical report; the guidance says the hospital usually issues the cause-of-death certificate within a week. If the death was at home, the certificate is issued by the municipal hygiene service on the declaration of the neighbourhood chief. An autopsy is usually ordered by the judicial authorities in suspicious or unexplained deaths.

Required documents

For transfer and local burial the guidance lists: the certificate or medical report, the official death certificate (“acte de décès”), the burial permit (“permis d’inhumer”), the transfer authorisation where applicable, and the record of placing in the coffin (“procès-verbal de mise en bière”). For transport to the UK it adds the embalming certificate, a non-contagious disease certificate, the sealed coffin certificate, the export authorisation from the Ministry of the Interior and the consular approval of the destination country. The list is written for the UK; what the Moldovan side requires (mortuary passport, apostille, translations) we establish with the competent mission.

In the Hague Convention (1961) status table (updated 30.06.2026) we did not find a row for Gabon; we draw no conclusion about the apostille and, before submission, check how Gabonese documents can be used in Moldova.

Specifics of Gabon

The guidance says that for transport out of the country the body must be embalmed to international standards and placed in a metal coffin; embalming usually takes place after the post-mortem. The sealed coffin certificate confirms the coffin is airtight for air transport.

Any transport of the body, within or out of the country, needs a mortuary pass or transfer authorisation from the Ministry of the Interior. On cremation the guidance says only that a local funeral director can arrange burial or cremation, with no detail; whether cremation is possible and where we have not confirmed.

Frequently asked questions

Who issues the transfer authorisation for the body in Gabon?

According to the UK guidance, the Ministry of the Interior issues the mortuary pass or transfer authorisation and the export authorisation, and the police prefecture gives final approval. How the application is filed, and by whom for a citizen of the Republic of Moldova, we establish with the local funeral home.

What is a sealed coffin certificate?

It is the document confirming that the coffin is airtight for air transport. The guidance lists it next to the embalming certificate, and the body must be in a metal coffin.

What if the death occurred at home, not in hospital?

The guidance says the certificate is then issued by the municipal hygiene service on the neighbourhood chief’s declaration, and the death is declared at the civil status services of the town hall. If the circumstances are unclear an autopsy may be ordered.

Who can declare the death at the town hall?

The guidance names a relative, any person with accurate civil status information, and the director of a hospital, hotel or other establishment. The declaration needs the deceased’s details and identity document.

Other countries

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Repatriation from Gabon to Moldova