Repatriation from Palau to Moldova
For Palau we found a Pacific Community profile that shows who draws up the medical certificate and where a death is registered. On taking remains out of the country, though, we found no official sources.
- Issuing authority and document
- Palau is not on the list of states under 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 the Pacific Community (SPC) profile of 2021, with data obtained directly from the Office of the Clerk of Courts on 09.10.2020, the medical certificate of cause of death (MCCD) is drawn up at Belau National Hospital in Koror and the death is registered with the Office of the Clerk of Courts, also in Koror, where the family then collects a certified copy. The profile speaks of Palauan citizens; it says nothing about foreigners, so we do not apply it to them without confirmation. Who permits remains to leave the country we did not find, and we name no authority. The list of missions on mfa.gov.md (consulted 13.10.2026; the page shows no date) has no embassy in Palau and does not name the country among those covered by another mission; we establish the competent mission at the start.
- Transport
- Koror is about 10,570 km from Chișinău in a straight line (our own calculation from approximate coordinates of the town). The destinations list of Chișinău airport (RMO) on Wikipedia, read on 13.10.2026, has no destination in Oceania. On the Wikipedia page for Roman Tmetuchl airport (consulted 13.10.2026), United Airlines flies to Guam, Manila and Tokyo-Narita, Qantas to Brisbane, Philippine Airlines to Manila and China Airlines to Taipei; no direct flights to Europe appear. The Nauru Airlines page (13.10.2026) does not mention Koror although Wikipedia lists it, so we do not rely on that link.
- Timing
- We confirm the timeline once we have the documents. For Palau there is one benchmark from the law, quoted in the SPC profile: every death must be registered within 10 days (Palau National Code, title 34); this is a deadline for registration, not for repatriation. How long the remaining steps take, including taking the remains out, we did not find in an official source, so we give no number of days.
- 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 the SPC profile (2021), most deaths occur at Belau National Hospital in Koror; if someone dies in the community on Koror or Babeldaob, the body is taken to the hospital morgue, where the medical certificate is completed. For the more remote states, the death must be certified by two legally authorised persons and reported to the hospital.
The certificate is signed by a close relative (the informant), the attending physician and the director of the Bureau of Hospital and Clinical Services; the original passes from the Medical Records Office to the Office of the Clerk of Courts, which registers the death, and the family can then collect a certified copy. According to the profile there is also a satellite office in Melekeok that can issue certificates, but registration is done only at the main office in Koror.
Required documents
We found no official list of documents for taking remains out of Palau, so we do not present one as fact. 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.
Palau is a party to the Hague Apostille Convention: accession on 17.10.2019, in force from 23.06.2020 (HCCH table, updated 30.06.2026; no objection by Moldova). The list on the legalisation page of the Moldovan ministry is dated 02.02.2017, so it predates Palau's accession and does not include it. Which Palauan authority applies the apostille and in what form Moldova accepts it we confirm with the competent mission before sending documents.
Specifics of Palau
The SPC profile distinguishes a death in the country from one abroad, but it speaks of Palauan citizens who died outside the country; for a foreigner who dies in Palau we found no written procedure. For that reason the procedure above is a description of the local system, not a promise of a particular route.
On embalming, cremation and coffin requirements we found no official sources, and the page states nothing from them. We clarify them at the start with the Moldovan mission and the airline.
Frequently asked questions
Who draws up the medical certificate of death in Palau?
According to the SPC profile (2021), it is completed at Belau National Hospital in Koror, and the original goes to the Office of the Clerk of Courts for registration. The family then collects a certified copy.
Within what time must a death be registered in Palau?
According to the SPC profile, citing the Palau National Code, title 34, every death is registered within 10 days. This is the registration deadline, not a repatriation deadline.
Will the death certificate carry an apostille?
Probably yes: Palau has been a party to the Apostille Convention since 23.06.2020 (HCCH, 30.06.2026). Which authority applies it and the form Moldova accepts we confirm with the competent mission.
Which flights leave Palau?
According to Wikipedia (13.10.2026), United Airlines flies to Guam, Manila and Tokyo-Narita, Qantas to Brisbane, Philippine Airlines to Manila and China Airlines to Taipei; no direct flights to Europe appear. We check the timetable at planning.