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 Dakar.
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: We confirm the timing once we have the documents. The law provides that the starosta and the consul issue their documents within 3 days of the application at the latest (Article 14(5) of the Act on Cemeteries and Burial of the Dead); in practice time is added for the sanepid's opinion and delivery of the originals, and the time needed for matters in the country of death depends on the local offices.
Price: We will quote the price once we know the details.

Procedure: Senegal

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.

Dakar: a metal coffin in a crate, or burial on the spot

The certificate for transport from Senegal is issued by the Consular Section of the Polish Embassy in Dakar, and a visit is arranged by email. The embassy page lists four documents: the starosta's or city mayor's burial permit, the death certificate, a medical statement that the death was not linked to an infectious disease, and a funeral home certificate that the body was placed in a soldered metal coffin with an absorbent layer of at least 5 cm, set in a wooden crate.

Documents can be filed in person or by post, and the consul issues the certificate immediately and no later than three days after the application. When the family does not bring the deceased home, the consul asks the local authorities for a burial under local law in a public cemetery, at their expense. The consul does not decide for the family on the manner or place of burial. We take care of the coffin preparation and the transport. We confirm translation and apostille requirements with the mission for each document.

The Polish Embassy in Dakar serves eight states: Senegal, Burkina Faso, Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Mali, the Republic of Cape Verde and Côte d'Ivoire. Consular matters are handled by the Consular Section of the Polish Embassy in Dakar. Outside Dakar there are three honorary consulates: in Serrekunda in Gambia, in Abidjan in Côte d'Ivoire and in Praia in Cape Verde. For families whose loved one died, for example, in Mali or Burkina Faso, consular matters are therefore handled by the section in Dakar. Which actions the honorary consuls can take, we confirm with the embassy before contacting them.

The Polish consul's certificate

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

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 family or an authorised funeral home may apply).
A copy of the death certificate or another document confirming the death.
Medical certificate that the death was not connected with an infectious disease.
Certificate from the funeral home handling the transport that the body was placed in a metal coffin with a layer of absorbent material of at least 5 cm at the bottom, soldered shut and placed in a wooden crate.

Frequently asked questions

Who issues the Polish consul's certificate when a body is brought from Senegal?

The Polish Embassy in Dakar, on the basis of the starosta's permit and the death certificate. The law provides that the certificate is issued within 3 days of the application at the latest (Article 14(5) of the Act on Cemeteries and Burial of the Dead).

Are permits needed for an urn from Senegal?

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

Other countries

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Repatriation from Senegal to Poland