Issuing authority and document: Saudi Arabia is not among the 24 states listed for the Strasbourg Agreement (1973) in the Dutch treaty database, consulted on 13.10.2026, so Saudi rules and the requirements of the Republic of Moldova apply. According to the British guide of April 2021, the local death certificate for non-Saudis comes from the Civil Affairs Office of the Ministry of Interior. The mortuary passport is issued by a mission of the Republic of Moldova; the mission list on mfa.gov.md places Saudi Arabia under the Embassy in Ankara.
Transport: From Saudi Arabia the transport is by air, after the body is prepared at the mortuary of a government hospital and the airport cargo office gives authorisation. In the list of flights from Chisinau that we consulted (Wikipedia, destinations table, consulted 13.10.2026) there are no direct flights to Riyadh or Jeddah, so a connection is probably needed; routes and carriers that accept remains we confirm separately.
Timing: Each step depends on a different Saudi office, and government offices are closed on Fridays and Saturdays with no emergency service (British guide, 2021). We confirm the timeline once we have the documents; the guide notes that it takes longer when the circumstances of death are suspicious or the death was a road accident.
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 FCDO guide (April 2021), repatriation or local burial is usually arranged through the sponsor or employer, who appoints a local agent. For the British Embassy letter, the guide requires the sponsor to have the hospital's death notification and the deceased's passport. The city office issues a letter to the police, and the police generally allow the body to be moved to the central mortuary of a government hospital.

The sponsor then obtains the death certificate, the body is embalmed (a certificate and a letter to the airline are issued), and the exit visa for the deceased is obtained from the passport office. The airport cargo office authorises delivery of the body. The guide is written for British nationals; we found nothing published on what the Moldovan mission requires beyond this, so we check with it directly.

Required documents

Usually: the Saudi death certificate, the deceased's passport, the embalming certificate, police approvals, the exit visa and the airline's papers. Saudi Arabia joined the Hague Apostille Convention, in force since 07.12.2022 (HCCH), so Saudi documents can carry an apostille. However, the Moldovan foreign ministry's list of recognised documents is dated 02.02.2017, before the accession, and does not include Saudi Arabia; whether Moldova objected to the accession we did not check. So we ask the mission to confirm: apostille or consular legalisation.

Specifics

If the death happened during a pilgrimage (Umrah or Hajj), the British guide states that the local tour operator is responsible for returning pilgrims, under the rules of the Ministry of Hajj. The guide says nothing about cremation, so we do not present it as possible. If the death happened outside a hospital, the case goes through the police first.

Frequently asked questions

Who arranges the paperwork in Saudi Arabia?

According to the British guide (2021), usually the sponsor or employer, through a local agent; for a temporary stay, usually the traveller's insurance company. We work together with the family and these parties.

Which Moldovan mission serves Saudi Arabia?

The mission list on mfa.gov.md (13.10.2026) shows Saudi Arabia under the Embassy in Ankara. Which mission issues the mortuary passport in your case we confirm at the start.

Is cremation possible in Saudi Arabia?

We have no official source confirming it; the British guide does not mention it. We do not say it is possible.

Does it matter if the death was in an accident?

Yes. According to the British guide, in road accidents the police lead the investigation and the prosecutor decides whether further inquiries are needed; burial and repatriation can then take much longer.

Other countries

Request

If the form does not send, please write to us in a messenger:

WhatsApp Viber Telegram

Repatriation from Saudi Arabia to Moldova