Issuing authority and document: Tunisia is not on the public list of parties to the Strasbourg Agreement on the Transfer of Corpses (1973), which we consulted on 13.10.2026, so Tunisian rules and the requirements of the Republic of Moldova apply. According to the British government guide for Tunisia (published 09.05.2025), the death is registered at the local registry office (the municipality), as a rule by the funeral director. Tunisia does not appear in the list of Moldovan missions on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs website (consulted 13.10.2026), and we found no other official source on which mission covers it. We confirm with the Ministry at the outset who issues the mortuary passport.
Transport: By air. It is about 1,900 km in a straight line from Tunis to Chișinău (our own calculation, approximate coordinates). We have not verified whether there are direct flights to Chișinău (RMO), so the route and connections are planned for each case.
Timing: We confirm the timeline once we have the documents. The British guide (2025) says the death must be registered within 72 hours and that the process can be completed in one day; that concerns the certificate only. Police permission, the Moldovan mission and the route can add time, and legalisation or apostille of the documents is a separate step.
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 registered at the local registry office; the funeral director can handle this. The Tunisian certificate omits the cause of death; the British guide advises requesting at least three copies and says a French version can also be requested.

For repatriation the British guide lists: the local death certificate, a doctor's certificate that the deceased was not contagious, police permission to remove the body, the deceased's passport and the undertaker's statement on how the body is placed in the coffin and that the coffin is accepted for transport. Embalming is not mentioned in the guide.

Required documents

Usually needed: the death certificate, the non-contagion certificate, police permission, the passport and the funeral director's statement. Tunisia appears in the status table of the Hague Apostille Convention (in force for Tunisia since 30.03.2018, table consulted 13.10.2026). The Moldovan Ministry of Foreign Affairs list on the recognition of documents (last update 02.02.2017) predates this and does not include Tunisia; documents from countries outside that list are recognised there only after consular legalisation. We therefore agree with the Ministry what is required today for Tunisian documents.

Specifics of Tunisia

Cremation is not permitted in Tunisia, according to the British guide, and local burial needs a Tunisian funeral director. We therefore plan on transporting the body.

The British guide refers to a covering statement from the British Embassy explaining non-English documents; that is a rule for British citizens, so for Moldova we ask what the Tunisian side and the Moldovan mission require.

Frequently asked questions

Can cremation take place in Tunisia?

No. The British government guide (published 09.05.2025) says cremation is not allowed in Tunisia. The options are local burial or transporting the body to Moldova.

Why is police permission needed?

The British guide lists it among the documents for repatriation, together with a doctor's certificate of non-contagion. Who issues it in each city and in what form we check for your case.

Does the Tunisian certificate show the cause of death?

No. According to the British guide, Tunisian certificates omit the cause of death. A French version can also be requested; which translations are needed for Moldova we determine from the documents.

Are documents from Tunisia apostilled?

Tunisia is in the status table of the Apostille Convention (in force since 30.03.2018), but the Moldovan Ministry of Foreign Affairs list (02.02.2017) is older. We therefore confirm the current procedure with the Ministry before sending documents.

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Repatriation from Tunisia to Moldova