Repatriation from Kiribati to Poland
We organise bringing the deceased from Kiribati to Poland: documents from the country of death, Polish permits and transport of the body or urn.
- Issuing authority and document
- Certificate: the Polish Embassy in Wellington. The export permit comes from the authorities of the country of death.
- Transport
- The body is carried by air as air cargo. We agree the arrival airport and the handover point in Poland with the family.
- Timing
- The starosta and the consul have up to 3 days for their documents (Article 14(5) of the Act on Cemeteries). We give the full timing once the documents from Kiribati are collected.
- Price
- We will quote the price once we know the details.
Procedure: Kiribati
Poland is not a party to the 1973 Strasbourg Agreement on the Conveyance of Corpses, so bringing a body from Kiribati always requires the Polish consul's certificate.
Documents from Kiribati are authenticated by legalisation if a Polish office asks for it (the country is not a party to the Hague Convention, HCCH, as of 13 October 2026).
Kiribati: the Polish Embassy in Wellington
Kiribati falls under the Polish Embassy in Wellington. The same post serves New Zealand, Samoa, Tonga and Tuvalu. The appointment for the certificate is booked through the e-Konsulat system, and documents can be submitted in person or by post.
The Wellington embassy's page requires an authenticated copy of the death record; since Kiribati is not a party to the Hague Apostille Convention, authentication is done by legalisation. For an urn, a cremation certificate and a funeral home statement that the ashes are in a sealed, damage-resistant container are also needed. We arrange the local death document in Kiribati, its legalisation and all the remaining papers so that the embassy receives a complete set. The family does not need to know these requirements itself. After the consul's certificate, a funeral home prepares the remains for transport, and we organise carriage to Poland, collection on arrival and burial at the cemetery chosen by the family. We clarify the detailed requirements of this country's authorities on request in your case.
The Polish consul's certificate
The certificate is issued by the consul of the mission named on gov.pl: the Polish Embassy in Wellington.
How to get them: the starosta's permit and the consul's certificate.
Frequently asked questions
Who issues the Polish consul's certificate when a body is brought from Kiribati?
The consul of the mission named by gov.pl: the Polish Embassy in Wellington. It is based on the starosta's permit and the death certificate.