Issuing authority and document: Haiti 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 07.10.2025), the death must be registered at the Civil Registry (Etat Civil) in Haiti; the next of kin usually does this, and a local funeral director needs a letter of authorisation to do it. The guidance does not name the authority that issues the certificate permitting transfer of the remains, so we do not name one. The list of missions on mfa.gov.md (consulted 13.10.2026; the page shows no date) has no embassy in Haiti and does not name this country among those covered by another mission; we establish the competent mission at the start.
Transport: Port-au-Prince is about 9,300 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 Haiti. The article on Port-au-Prince airport (same source, consulted 13.10.2026) says most passenger flights were suspended as of March 2024, that commercial flights resumed on 12.06.2025 with a domestic flight, and that on 23.11.2025 one airline announced a temporary suspension of all its flights; it adds that its content dates from around 2025. We therefore have no confirmed route and check with airlines what is operating when the documents are ready.
Timing: UK guidance gives no deadlines for registration, for the certificates or for taking the body out of Haiti. The only time reference it contains is to contact the insurer as soon as possible. We promise no timeline: it depends on the civil registry, on the authority that issues the transfer certificate, on the Moldovan mission and on flights actually operating.
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 (07.10.2025) says the death must be registered in Haiti at the Civil Registry (Etat Civil). Under Haitian law the next of kin is the spouse or the closest living blood relative; someone who is not next of kin may need the next of kin's authorisation, and a local funeral director who registers the death must be given a letter of authorisation. Haitian death certificates do not show the cause of death.

A post-mortem is usually carried out if the cause is unknown, unnatural, sudden or violent, by forensic doctors appointed by the court. If the person had an infectious condition such as hepatitis or HIV, the guidance asks that the local authorities be told.

Required documents

For repatriation to the UK the guidance lists the death certificate from the civil registry, a certificate of embalming and a certificate permitting transfer of the remains; the authority issuing the last one is not named. What the Moldovan side adds we establish with the competent mission rather than assume. 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.

Haiti does not appear in the Hague Apostille Convention status table (HCCH, updated 30.06.2026), nor in the list of states on the legalisation page of mfa.gov.md (dated 02.02.2017), which says that documents of countries not on the list are recognised only after consular legalisation. We therefore plan for consular legalisation and confirm the order of steps before sending any document.

Specifics of Haiti

According to the guidance, cremation is possible: a relative or formally appointed representative must instruct a local funeral director. To leave Haiti with ashes the guidance asks for the death certificate and the certificate of cremation, and advises checking the airline's rules for carrying ashes.

Personal belongings held by the police or the court can, according to the guidance, be shipped with the body if it is repatriated. Clothing held as evidence is not returned until the court case ends.

Frequently asked questions

Who can register a death in Haiti?

According to UK guidance (07.10.2025), the next of kin usually does, meaning the spouse or the closest living blood relative under Haitian law. Someone else, or a funeral director, needs a letter of authorisation.

Does the Haitian death certificate state the cause of death?

The guidance says it does not. If a document with the cause is needed for Moldova, we establish with the competent mission what is accepted instead.

Can ashes be taken out of Haiti?

The guidance says cremation is possible, and that the death certificate and the certificate of cremation are shown when leaving with ashes. The airline's conditions for carrying an urn we check before the flight.

Are there flights from Port-au-Prince now?

We cannot confirm it from a reliable current source. The Wikipedia article we consulted (13.10.2026) describes suspensions in 2024 and 2025 and dates from around 2025, so we ask airlines directly when the documents are ready.

Other countries

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Repatriation from Haiti to Moldova