Issuing authority and document: The authorisation to transport a coffin abroad (passersedel för lik) is issued by the Swedish tax agency (Skatteverket). The Polish certificate is issued by the Polish embassy in Stockholm.
Transport: By a specialised vehicle for carrying bodies, or by plane. We agree the route and the handover place in Poland with the family.
Timing: We confirm the timing once we have the documents. The Polish Act provides that the starosta (district head) and the consul issue their documents at the latest within 3 days of the application (Article 14(5) of the Act on Cemeteries and Burial of the Dead); in practice time is also needed for the sanepid's opinion and delivering the originals, and the time needed to deal with matters in the country of death depends on the authorities there.
Price: We will quote the price once we know the details.

The procedure in Sweden

Sweden is a party to the Strasbourg Agreement on the Transfer of Corpses. According to the Swedish government portal Efterlevandeguiden, the carrier of a coffin abroad must obtain a passersedel för lik authorisation from Skatteverket.

Sweden: who pays and what has to match

The Swedish portal Efterlevandeguiden notes that there are no uniform rules and that costs depend on the municipality. The funeral charge covers some transport within a burial authority's area, but transport of the deceased for burial abroad should first be checked against insurance. If the policy does not cover it, the estate pays, and the amounts can be very high. The permit to take a coffin abroad (passersedel för lik) must be obtained from Skatteverket by the person or company transporting it, so we take that step on ourselves.

The embassy in Stockholm does not require an appointment, and urgent matters can be reported by email. The starosta's permit must be presented in the original or sent to the embassy directly from the issuing authority's official mailbox. All documents must show the same place of death, because discrepancies may lead to rejection of the application. We check every document for this before filing.

Documents for the Polish embassy

The Polish embassy in Stockholm requires the starosta's permit, the death certificate and a certificate from a doctor or hospital that there is no infectious disease. For a coffin, a certificate of the cause of death (dödsorsaksintyg) and a certificate from the funeral home are also needed, and for an urn a cremation certificate. All the documents must state the same place of death.

On the Polish side two documents are always needed: a permit from the starosta (district head) responsible for the place of burial, and then a certificate from the Polish consul, issued on the basis of that permit and the death certificate (Article 14(4) of the Act on Cemeteries and Burial of the Dead). The same documents are needed for an urn with ashes.

Frequently asked questions

What is a passersedel för lik?

It is the Swedish authorisation to transport a coffin abroad. It is issued by Skatteverket at the carrier's request.

How much does it cost to bring a body from Sweden to Poland?

The price depends on the city, the documents, the type of transport and whether we are transporting a body or an urn. We will give you a price once we know the details.

How long does it take to bring a body home from Sweden?

We confirm the timing once we have the documents. The Act provides that the starosta and the consul issue their documents at the latest within 3 days of the application (Article 14(5) of the Act on Cemeteries and Burial of the Dead); in practice time is also needed for the sanepid's opinion, delivering the originals, formalities in the country of death and the transport itself.

Other countries

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Repatriation of a Body from Sweden to Poland