Issuing authority and document: Export documents are issued by the authorities of the country of death; we confirm them in your case. Polish certificate: the Polish Embassy in Buenos Aires.
Transport: The body is conveyed by air as air cargo. We agree the arrival airport and the place of handover in Poland with the family.
Timing: We confirm the date once we have the documents. The Act provides that the starosta and the consul issue their documents within 3 days of the application at the latest (Article 14(5) of the Act on Cemeteries and Burial of the Dead). In practice, extra time is needed for the opinion of the district sanitary inspector (sanepid) and for delivery of the originals. How long matters take in the country of death depends on the local authorities.
Price: We will quote the price once we know the details.

Procedure: Argentina

This country is not a party to the Strasbourg Agreement on the Conveyance of Corpses of 1973 (according to the Netherlands treaty database, as of 13 October 2026). Poland is not a party to it either, so in addition to documents from the country of death the Polish consul's certificate is needed.

This country is a party to the Hague Apostille Convention (according to the HCCH, as of 13 October 2026), so documents from it can be authenticated with an apostille if a Polish office asks for this.

Registering a death in Argentina and the post in Buenos Aires

Under Argentine Law 26,413, a death must be registered within two working days before the civil registry officer of the place of death. After that, the general directorate may, for well-founded reasons, authorise registration up to 60 days after the death, and later a court order is needed. The report is made by the spouse, descendants, ascendants and other relatives, and in a hospital or prison by the facility's administrator.

The same registry issues the permit for burial or cremation (licencia de inhumación o cremación). Cemeteries and crematoria will not accept a body without it, and the law requires it also when a body is moved to another locality. In a violent death a court decides on the remains. On the Polish side the case is handled by the Embassy in Buenos Aires, which also serves Paraguay and Uruguay. We watch the two-day deadline from the first day.

The Consular and Polonia Section of the Polish Embassy in Buenos Aires receives from Monday to Friday between 8:30 and 16:30. Personal collection of decisions in citizenship matters and of Polish civil status extracts is currently suspended, and the originals are sent by registered post to the address given in the application. Four honorary consulates operate in the country. The consulate in Oberá covers the provinces of Misiones, Corrientes and Chaco, Rosario covers Santa Fe and Entre Ríos, Córdoba covers the province of Córdoba, and Comodoro Rivadavia covers Chubut, Santa Cruz and Río Negro. Argentina is vast, so for a family from Patagonia or the north-east this is important information. We confirm the scope of the honorary consulates' work in a transport case with the embassy.

The Polish consul's certificate

The Polish consul's certificate for bringing a body or ashes to Poland is issued by the Polish Embassy in Buenos Aires.

On the Polish side two documents are always needed, for an urn too: the starosta's permit and the Polish consul's certificate (Article 14(4) of the Act on Cemeteries and Burial of the Dead).

Documents for the consul: body

According to the Polish mission's website, the following are needed:

Burial permit issued by the starosta or the city mayor (the application can be submitted by the family or an authorised funeral home).
Copy of the death certificate or another document confirming the death.
Sanitary documents depending on the situation: a cremation certificate, a certificate that the coffin or urn is suitable for international transport, or a police record of the sealing of the coffin.

Documents for the consul: ashes

According to the Polish mission's website, the following are needed:

Burial permit issued by the starosta or the city mayor (the application can be submitted by the family or an authorised funeral home).
Copy of the death certificate or another document confirming the death.
Sanitary documents depending on the situation: a cremation certificate, a certificate that the coffin or urn is suitable for international transport, or a police record of the sealing of the coffin.

Frequently asked questions

Who issues the Polish consul's certificate when a body is brought from Argentina?

The Polish Embassy in Buenos Aires, on the basis of the starosta's permit and the death certificate. The Act provides that the certificate is issued within 3 days of the application at the latest (Article 14(5) of the Act on Cemeteries and Burial of the Dead).

Are permits needed for an urn from Argentina?

Yes. The Polish rules on conveying remains apply accordingly to ashes, so the starosta's permit and the consul's certificate are needed.

Other countries

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Repatriation from Argentina to Poland