Issuing authority and document: Senegal is not a party to the Strasbourg Agreement (list consulted 13.10.2026), so Senegalese rules and the requirements of the Republic of Moldova apply. UK government guidance (updated 10.11.2025) says the death is registered at the local civil registry office, immediately or within one month, and the certificate is issued by the town hall. On mfa.gov.md (13.10.2026) there is no Moldovan mission in Senegal and Senegal is not named among countries covered by another mission; we check the competent mission at the start.
Transport: Dakar is roughly 5,600 km from Chișinău in a straight line (our own calculation). Scheduled Chișinău–Dakar flights do not appear in the airport's list of destinations (secondary source, 13.10.2026), so the journey involves at least one connecting airport; current routes have not been verified. We choose the airline and routing once the documents are seen.
Timing: The UK guidance says a death must be reported immediately or within one month but gives no timings for the transport permits. We confirm the timeline once we have the documents, bearing in mind that the coroner, the town hall and the Ministry of Interior are all involved.
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 death is reported at the local civil registry office. IDs of the person reporting and of the deceased are needed, the certificate from the doctor, police or gendarmerie, and where relevant a family record book or birth or marriage certificates. If a funeral director acts, the guidance asks for a signed authorisation letter.

An autopsy is performed by court-appointed forensic doctors, usually if the cause is unknown, unnatural, sudden or violent. Removed organs are normally returned before the body is released.

Required documents

For taking a body to the UK the guidance lists: death certificate, permission to remove the body (issued by a coroner), passport, cause-of-death certificate, certificate of non-contagiousness, burial permit from the town hall, police report, Ministry of Interior authorisation and transportation certificate. For most documents the issuing body is not named. The list for Moldova we establish with the competent mission.

Senegal is a party to the 1961 Hague Convention (in force 23.03.2023); the HCCH table (30.06.2026) marks it with an objection, but we could not verify which states objected and do not know whether the Republic of Moldova did; we confirm this and the competent Senegalese authority before submission. The documents are in French, so translations are factored in.

Specifics of Senegal

According to the guidance cremation is not permitted and the country has no facilities for it. For Senegal we therefore speak only about transporting the body, not an urn.

If the family cannot pay for the funeral, the guidance warns the body may be included in a mass burial. So it matters to decide early who arranges the transport. Embalming and coffin requirements are not described in the guidance; we find them out separately.

Frequently asked questions

Why are the documents from Senegal in French?

The UK guidance says the town-hall death certificate is issued in French. For use in Moldova we check what translations and certifications are required.

What is the coroner's permit?

The guidance calls it permission to remove the body, issued by a coroner, and lists it among the transport documents. How it is obtained for a citizen of the Republic of Moldova we find out locally rather than assume.

Can ashes be brought from Senegal?

The guidance says cremation is not permitted and there are no facilities in the country, so an urn is not an option. For Senegal we discuss transporting the body.

What does the apostille objection mean for Senegal?

The HCCH table marks Senegal's accession with an objection; we could not verify which states objected and do not know whether Moldova did; we confirm the position before submission.

Other countries

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Repatriation from Senegal to Moldova