Issuing authority and document: Serbia is not listed among the parties to the 1973 Strasbourg Agreement on the Transfer of Corpses in the public list we consulted on 13.10.2026, so the single laissez-passer does not apply. The mortuary passport is issued by embassies or consulates of the Republic of Moldova; in the list of missions on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs website, Serbia appears as covered by the embassy in Bucharest. Which Serbian office permits taking remains out of the country we did not confirm from sources, and we establish it at the start.
Transport: By air or by road. Overland the route runs through Romania (Serbia borders it), and the transit state may have requirements of its own, which we check for the chosen route. The public table we consulted shows no scheduled Belgrade — Chișinău flight, so we look for a flight on the actual date.
Timing: We confirm the timeline once we have the documents. Particularly relevant here are the mission in Bucharest, which also covers Montenegro, and, if a post-mortem took place, the time for its results, which British guidance says can take months.
Price: Body (repatriation of remains): from 1 000 €
Ashes (urn): from 800 €

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 registered at the local registry office in Serbia, usually through the funeral service. According to UK government guidance (published 19 March 2025), the Serbian death certificate does not state the cause of death: it is in a separate document, the Potvrda o smrti, usually issued before the certificate. An international version in English can also be requested.

Serbia is not a party to the Strasbourg Agreement, and the list of missions on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs website shows no Moldovan embassy in Belgrade: Serbia appears under the embassy in Bucharest ("also accredited to"). The list carries no date, so we check with the mission whether and how it accepts a request for a death in Serbia.

Required documents

For repatriating a body, UK guidance lists the death certificate (local or international), the medical confirmation stating the cause of death, the embalming certificate and the certificate of permission to transfer; for an urn, the cremation certificate. The same guidance says embalming is not obligatory in general but the family can request it, especially for repatriation. The list for Moldova we agree with the mission.

Serbia is a party to the 1961 Hague Apostille Convention (succession, in force since 27 April 1992), and in the list of the Moldovan Ministry of Foreign Affairs (updated 2 February 2017) it appears among the states whose documents are accepted with an apostille. Serbian documents are therefore, as a rule, submitted with an apostille; we check each document.

Specifics of Serbia

Cremation can be arranged in Serbia through a local funeral service, and the ashes can be transported afterwards, according to UK guidance. For an urn the rules differ from those for a body, and the Strasbourg Agreement does not apply to ashes.

The straight-line distance between Belgrade and Chișinău airports is about 700 km; the real road is longer and runs through Romania.

Frequently asked questions

Does Moldova have an embassy in Belgrade?

It does not appear in the list of missions on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs website. Serbia is shown as covered by the embassy in Bucharest. The list carries no date, so we confirm with the mission how a request for a mortuary passport is submitted.

What does the Serbian death certificate show?

According to UK government guidance, it does not show the cause of death. The cause is in a separate document (Potvrda o smrti). Which documents are needed for Moldova we agree with the mission.

Can cremation take place in Serbia and the urn be brought to Moldova?

Yes, if the family chooses cremation: UK guidance says cremation is arranged through the local funeral service and the ashes can be transported. For an urn the cremation certificate is needed; we confirm the full list for your case.

How does the body travel from Serbia to Moldova?

By air or by road. We look for a flight on the actual date because we did not confirm a scheduled direct one, and on the road we check the requirements of the transit states.

Other countries

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Repatriation from Serbia to Moldova