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 Santiago.
Transport: Bodies are carried by air as air cargo. We agree the arrival airport and the handover point in Poland with the family.
Timing: We confirm the timing once we have the documents. The law provides that the starosta (district head) and the consul issue their documents within 3 days of the application being submitted at the latest. In practice, time is added for the opinion of the district sanitary inspector (sanepid) and for delivery of the originals. The time needed to deal with matters in the country of death depends on the offices there.
Price: We will quote the price once we know the details.

Procedure: Chile

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, so in addition to the documents from the country of death, the Polish consul's certificate is needed.

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

The first three days after a death in Chile

According to the ChileAtiende portal, the registration of a death must be requested within three days of the date of death, and after that a court authorisation is needed. The request is filed at the Registro Civil office for the place of death. For a death confirmed by a doctor, a medical death certificate in duplicate and the ID of the person filing are required, and the procedure is free of charge.

After registration the civil officer issues a pase de sepultación, a document the cemetery requires. When the death was violent, a Servicio Médico Legal certificate and a court order for the autopsy are needed. On the Polish side consular matters are handled by the Embassy in Santiago. Because the deadline is short, we start by establishing which Registro Civil office took the death and whether the record has already been made, and only then deal with the documents for the Polish starost and consul.

The Polish consul's certificate

The certificate for bringing a body or ashes to Poland is issued by the Polish Embassy in Santiago.

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 may be submitted by the family or an authorised funeral home).
Copy of the death certificate or another document confirming the death.
Sanitary documents (one of): a certificate of cremation, a certificate that the coffin/urn is suitable for international transport, 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 may be submitted by the family or an authorised funeral home).
Copy of the death certificate or another document confirming the death.
Sanitary documents (one of): a certificate of cremation, a certificate that the coffin/urn is suitable for international transport, a police record of the sealing of the coffin.

Frequently asked questions

Who issues the Polish consul's certificate for repatriation from Chile?

The Polish Embassy in Santiago, on the basis of the starosta's permit and the death certificate. The law provides for the certificate to be issued within 3 days of the application being submitted at the latest.

Are permits needed for an urn from Chile?

Yes. Polish rules on the conveyance of corpses apply accordingly to ashes, so the starosta's permit and the Polish consul's certificate are needed.

Other countries

Request

If the form does not send, please write to us in a messenger:

WhatsApp Viber Telegram

Repatriation from Chile to Poland