Issuing authority and document: Authorisation to transport a body abroad is issued by the prefect or sub-prefect of the département in which the coffin was closed. The Polish certificate is issued by the Polish consulate in Paris or Lyon.
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 France

France is a party to the Strasbourg Agreement on the Transfer of Corpses, but Poland is not. For transport to Poland, therefore, the prefecture issues the authorisation in the form of a prefect's decision (arrêté préfectoral). Among other things, the following are needed: the death certificate, a medical certificate, a certificate of no infectious disease, a record of placing the body in the coffin and the mayor's consent to closing it. Transport may be carried out only by funeral homes holding French accreditation (habilitation).

The mairie, and Paris or Lyon

In France a death is reported at the town hall (mairie) of the commune where it occurred. When someone dies in a hospital or care home, the institution reports it within 24 hours. For a death at home there is no deadline, but it is best done as soon as possible because further formalities depend on it. A funeral home can report the death for the family if it presents a mandate.

The Polish certificate is issued by the Embassy in Paris or the Consulate General in Lyon. The Paris district covers, among others, Paris and the rest of Ile-de-France, Monaco and the French overseas territories, while Lyon covers, among others, the Rhone department and Corsica. The full lists of departments are on the Polish foreign ministry's post page. We check them together with the family and pick the right office before we start collecting documents. The person reporting brings an ID, the doctor's death certificate if available, and a document of the deceased, for example a family record book or birth certificate.

Documents for the Polish consulate

The Polish consulate in France requires the starosta's permit, the death certificate, the certificate of closing the coffin and the prefecture's authorisation to take the body out of the country. For ashes: the cremation certificate and the prefecture's consent to the transport of the urn.

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 authorisation to take a body out of France?

The prefect or sub-prefect of the département in which the coffin was closed. The application is submitted by an authorised funeral home.

Is consent needed to transport an urn from France?

According to the Polish consulate, the prefecture's consent to the transport of the urn and a cremation certificate are needed, and in Poland the starosta's permit.

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

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 France to Poland