Repatriation from Israel to Poland

Israel: the consulate in Tel Aviv

In Israel, cases are handled by the Polish Embassy in Tel Aviv, at 16 Soutine St. A visit to the consulate is arranged by email, and documents can be submitted in person or by post. If the family does not bring the deceased home, the consul asks the local authorities for a burial in a public cemetery under Israeli law. If the consul refuses, he issues a decision, against which a complaint can be lodged with the Minister of Foreign Affairs within 7 days, through the consul. The certificate is collected in person or sent by post.

The burial permit is issued in Poland by the starost or the city president, and the application can be filed by the family or an authorised funeral home. We organise that part from Poland, in parallel with the formalities in Israel, and make sure the consulate receives a copy of the death certificate or another document confirming the death. We confirm the detailed requirements of this country's authorities on enquiry in your case.

Consular matters in Israel are handled by the Consular and Polish Community Section of the Polish Embassy in Tel Aviv. The office receives visitors Monday to Friday from 8:30 to 15:00, and the telephone line is best used Monday to Friday between 8:00 and 16:00. The application goes to the consular office with territorial jurisdiction, so before any visit we check in your case where to file it. Documents can also be sent electronically through the embassy's ESP mailbox, if the office accepts them in that form in your case.

The consul gives a single list of documents that covers both remains and ashes: the burial permit from the starost or city president, and a copy of the death certificate or another document confirming the death. The consular fee is paid in cash in shekels at the office cashier when the application is filed, and postage for sending the certificate is paid by the applicant. We check that the set of papers is complete so that the visit or the dispatch happens once, without corrections.

It is worth knowing what the consul does not do. The consul does not cover the family's financial obligations, does not give advice and does not decide for the family on the manner or place of burial. The embassy's duty telephone and duty email are not for ordinary consular information, so we run your case by regular email. There is also an Honorary Consulate of Poland in Haifa. We confirm its district and whether it can help in your case with the embassy. The legal basis for the certificate is the Consular Law Act of 25 June 2015.