Issuing authority and document: The Leichenpass for transport abroad is issued by the district authority (Bezirkshauptmannschaft) or the city magistrate; in Lower Austria, according to the declaration to the Strasbourg Agreement, by the mayor. The Polish certificate is issued by the Polish consul in Vienna.
Transport: By a specialised vehicle for carrying bodies, or by plane. We agree the route and the handover place in Poland with the family.
Timing: We confirm the timing once we have the documents. The Polish Act provides that the starosta (district head) and the consul issue their documents at the latest within 3 days of the application (Article 14(5) of the Act on Cemeteries and Burial of the Dead); in practice time is also needed for the sanepid's opinion and delivering the originals, and the time needed to deal with matters in the country of death depends on the authorities there.
Price: We will quote the price once we know the details.

The procedure in Austria

Austria is a party to the Strasbourg Agreement on the Transfer of Corpses. Transport is governed by the law of the federal state. A multilingual Leichenpass is needed for transport abroad; beforehand the death must be certified by a doctor and registered at the civil registry office. Only authorised funeral homes may carry out the transport.

Austria: a Leichenpass or a cremation certificate

A body leaves the country on a multilingual Leichenpass. According to the Austrian official portal, a post-mortem inspection (Totenbeschau) and registration of the death at the registry office must come first. In most federal states the document is issued by the district authority (Bezirkshauptmannschaft), and in cities with their own statute by the magistrate. The application is made in person or through a funeral home. The inspection produces a Leichenbegleitschein, which will be needed. Some states require you to ask for approval, others only a notification, so we check this for the place of death.

The consulate in Vienna accepts a Leichenpass or a cremation certificate (Einäscherungsbescheinigung); one of the two is enough, not both. The application can be made in person or by post. If the consul refuses, he issues a decision, and a complaint to the foreign minister must be filed within seven days. We assemble the full set of documents so that such a refusal is avoided.

Documents for the Polish consulate

The Polish consulate in Vienna requires the starosta's permit, the death certificate and the Leichenpass, and in the case of ashes the cremation certificate (Einäscherungsbescheinigung).

On the Polish side two documents are always needed: a permit from the starosta (district head) responsible for the place of burial, and then a certificate from the Polish consul, issued on the basis of that permit and the death certificate (Article 14(4) of the Act on Cemeteries and Burial of the Dead). The same documents are needed for an urn with ashes.

Frequently asked questions

Who issues the Leichenpass in Austria?

The district authority or the city magistrate, under the law of the given federal state. The application is submitted by the funeral home.

Is a Leichenpass needed for an urn from Austria?

For ashes, the Polish consulate requires the cremation certificate. The starosta's permit and the consul's certificate are also needed for an urn.

How long does it take to bring a body home from Austria?

We confirm the timing once we have the documents. The Act provides that the starosta and the consul issue their documents at the latest within 3 days of the application (Article 14(5) of the Act on Cemeteries and Burial of the Dead); in practice time is also needed for the sanepid's opinion, delivering the originals, formalities in the country of death and the transport itself.

Other countries

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Repatriation of a Body from Austria to Poland