Issuing authority and document: Mauritania is not on the list of the Strasbourg Agreement (1973; 24 states, Germany only signed) on the transfer of corpses (public list, checked 13.10.2026), so Mauritanian rules apply together with the requirements of the Republic of Moldova. The Mauritanian authority that permits taking the body out of the country we did not find in an official source. The list of missions on mfa.gov.md (checked 13.10.2026) shows no mission of the Republic of Moldova in Mauritania, so we establish the competent mission for the mortuary passport before filing.
Transport: Nouakchott is about 5,200 km from Chișinău (our own straight-line calculation). Nouakchott does not appear in the destinations list of Chișinău airport (RMO; Wikipedia version of 29.09.2026), so we do not assume a direct flight. The route with a stopover, the departure airport and the transport conditions are set once we have the documents and the airline's conditions.
Timing: We confirm the timeline once we have the documents. For Mauritania we found no official timeline for any stage, so we give no interval: it depends on the local authorities, the competent Moldovan mission, the legalisations and the route.
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 mfa.gov.md, a death is registered with the local authorities of the country where it occurred, and transport is allowed only under that country's law and international rules. For Mauritania we found no official public guide, neither Mauritanian nor from a foreign government, on registering a foreigner's death, keeping the body or taking it out of the country.

The official Mauritanian procedures portal (procedures.gov.mr, page updated 23.11.2023) only describes the approval in Mauritania of a death certificate issued abroad; it is not a procedure for taking out a foreigner's body, so we do not use it as one. The Mauritanian steps for repatriation we clarify directly, on request.

Required documents

Which documents Mauritania requires to take out a body or an urn, and what the Republic of Moldova requires, we did not find in a public source, so we give no list. According to mfa.gov.md, a foreign death certificate must be legalised by the authorities of the state concerned, and the mortuary passport is issued by embassies and consulates of the Republic of Moldova.

Mauritania does not appear in the table of the 1961 Hague Convention (HCCH, checked 13.10.2026), so an apostille cannot be assumed; we confirm the order of legalisations with the competent mission.

What remains to be confirmed

Unconfirmed: the Mauritanian authority that permits taking out the body, the requirements for the casket and embalming, the rules for ashes and whether cremation exists, the airports and airline that accept such transport, and the language of the documents. We state none of this until a source or an authority confirms it.

If you give us the city and the deceased's details, we start from there and tell you in writing what was confirmed and what was not.

Frequently asked questions

Which documents does Mauritania require to take out a body?

We found no official public source, so we give no list. We verify the requirements in each case with the local authorities and tell you in writing what was confirmed.

Does an apostille apply to documents from Mauritania?

It cannot be assumed: Mauritania does not appear in the table of the 1961 Hague Convention (checked 13.10.2026). We confirm the order of legalisations with the competent Moldovan mission.

Is there a direct flight from Nouakchott to Chișinău?

Nouakchott does not appear in the destinations list of Chișinău airport (RMO), so we do not assume a direct flight; the distance is about 5,200 km in a straight line. We set the route once we have the documents.

Can ashes be brought from Mauritania?

We have no verified source on cremation in Mauritania or the rules for an urn, so we do not promise this option. The rules for ashes differ from those for a body; we clarify them before any decision.

Other countries

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Repatriation from Mauritania to Moldova