Issuing authority and document: Sierra Leone is not a party to the 1973 Strasbourg Agreement (24 states listed; Dutch treaty database, consulted 13.10.2026), so local rules and the requirements of the Republic of Moldova apply. On mfa.gov.md (13.10.2026) there is no Moldovan mission in Sierra Leone and the country is not named among those covered by another mission; we clarify the competent mission at the start.
Transport: Freetown is roughly 5,840 km from Chișinău in a straight line (our own calculation, 13.10.2026). Freetown does not appear in the list of destinations of Chișinău airport (secondary source, 13.10.2026). The UK government guidance (02.07.2025) says Brussels Airlines is the only commercial airline from Sierra Leone that carries human remains; Brussels is among destinations from Chișinău, but we have not verified a Brussels–Freetown link or whether it can be combined for Moldova.
Timing: The UK guidance says repatriation “can take several weeks” because of the limited flight schedule, and autopsy results may take “several months”. For Moldova we set the timeline once we have the documents.
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 UK guidance (02.07.2025), a doctor issues a “Medical Certificate of Cause of Death”, which is not a death certificate. The death is registered at the local registry office, normally through the funeral director; a birth certificate, religion, nationality and official ID are needed. All official documents are issued in English and the death certificate does not state the cause. The guidance warns that errors, especially in name spelling, are frequent and should be checked.

Under Sierra Leonean law, the guidance says, every repatriation must be carried out by a funeral home. For transport to the UK it names the death certificate, the coroner’s permission to remove the body, the deceased’s passport and a letter of no objection from the British High Commission. What is required for Moldova the guidance does not say.

Required documents

We did not find the list for Moldova (mortuary passport, apostille, translations) in official sources. In the Hague Convention status table (updated 30.06.2026) we did not find a row for Sierra Leone; we draw no conclusion about the apostille and, before submission, check how Sierra Leonean documents can be used in Moldova.

The exact list is set with the local funeral home and the competent Moldovan mission for each case.

Specifics of Sierra Leone

The UK guidance says embalming is possible in Freetown but to lower standards than in the UK; outside the capital hospital facilities are “extremely limited”, with no regular electricity, so the body should be moved to Freetown as soon as possible. Medical and mortuary facilities in the country are described as very poor.

Cremation is arranged through a local funeral director and needs official authority (an application to the Ministry of Health). Per the guidance, cremation takes place on a funeral pyre in an open cemetery area; there is one crematorium, in Freetown, linked to a Hindu temple. Sending ashes by post or courier may not be possible; to carry them on a flight the guidance asks for the death and cremation certificates, compliance with local rules and advance notice to the airline.

Frequently asked questions

Can remains be repatriated from Sierra Leone without a funeral home?

According to the UK guidance (02.07.2025), Sierra Leonean law requires every repatriation to be carried out by a funeral home. How this applies to citizens of the Republic of Moldova we check at the start.

Is the medical certificate of cause of death the same as the death certificate?

No. A doctor issues the medical certificate, while the death certificate is obtained after registration at the local registry. The guidance adds that the death certificate does not state the cause.

How does cremation work in Sierra Leone?

The UK guidance describes cremation on a pyre in an open area and a single crematorium in Freetown linked to a Hindu temple, with an application to the Ministry of Health. If the family wants cremation, we check together whether the place and documents fit.

Why can repatriation take several weeks?

The guidance says the flight schedule for carrying remains is limited. We promise no specific timeline; we set it once we have the documents.

Other countries

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Repatriation from Sierra Leone to Moldova