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 Bratislava.
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: Slovakia

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.

Slovakia: the registry office of the place of death and the first death certificate

In Slovakia the doctor who examined the deceased reports the death to the civil registry office (matrika) without delay and no later than three working days after the examination. This also applies to foreign nationals. The death is entered by the registry office of the place of death. If the place is unknown, the office where the body was found does it, and for a death in a vehicle the office where the body was unloaded. The only document listed in advance is an identity document, whether or not the deceased was an EU citizen.

The first death certificate (úmrtný list) is issued free of charge. When a foreign national dies, the registry sends an extract from the death register to the embassy or consulate of that person's state. We help the family find out which office entered the death and collect the document needed for the Polish certificate.

The Polish consul's certificate

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

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.
Laissez-passer for a corpse (self-governing region, regional public health office or forensic medicine institute after an autopsy); with it: a copy of the deceased's identity document, the death card, the death certificate (Úmrtný list).

Frequently asked questions

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

The Polish Embassy in Bratislava, 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 Slovakia?

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 Slovakia to Poland