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 consul with territorial jurisdiction in this country; we identify the mission in your case.
Transport: By a special vehicle for the conveyance of bodies, or by air. We agree the route 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: Greece

This country is 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.

Greece: where and when to report a death at the civil registry (Ληξιαρχείο)

In Greece a death is registered by the civil registry office, the ληξιαρχείο, of the place of death, and when a burial is to take place, also of the place of burial. According to the national register of procedures, the death record is drawn up within 24 hours of death if the deceased is to be buried, and within three working days if cremation is planned. The report is made by close relatives, people present at the death or the funeral home, in person and with an identity document.

A medical death certificate is required, as well as the deceased's identity document, and for a foreign national their passport. For cremation, the deceased's written wish or a statement from the closest family with a notarised signature is added. On the Polish side the case is handled by the Consular Department of the Embassy in Athens. Because the death record is the first document, we start by establishing whether the ληξιαρχείο has already drawn it up and whether the funeral home filed the report on the family's behalf.

The Polish consul's certificate

The certificate for bringing a body or ashes to Poland is issued by the Polish consul with territorial jurisdiction in this country; we identify the mission in your case.

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.
Copy of the death certificate or another document confirming the death.
Certificate of embalming of the body.
Document from the sanitary office confirming that the coffin has been hermetically sealed.

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.
Copy of the death certificate or another document confirming the death.
Confirmation that the cremation has been carried out.
Document confirming that the remains were disinfected and sealed in a hermetic urn.

Frequently asked questions

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

The Polish consul with territorial jurisdiction in this country; we identify the mission in your case, 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 Greece?

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

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Repatriation from Greece to Poland