Issuing authority and document: In England and Wales, taking a body out of the country requires notifying the coroner (Form 104) and the coroner's consent (Form 103). The Polish certificate is issued by the Polish consulate in the United Kingdom.
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: A body may not be taken out of England until the coroner has given consent. 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 England and Wales

The United Kingdom is not a party to the Strasbourg Agreement on the Transfer of Corpses. In England and Wales the funeral director notifies the coroner of the intention to take the body abroad (Form 104). If the coroner is not conducting an inquiry into the death, the coroner gives consent for the export (Form 103). Until it is received, it is not worth planning the transport.

The procedures in Scotland and Northern Ireland differ from the English one. If the death occurred there, we check the requirements separately.

London, Manchester, Edinburgh or Belfast

In the United Kingdom the certificate is issued by the consulate responsible for the place of death. The London district covers, among others, Greater London, Kent, Essex, Hampshire, Cornwall, Devon and the West Midlands, plus the Channel Islands. Manchester serves the north and centre of England, all of Wales and the Isle of Man, Edinburgh serves Scotland, and Belfast serves Northern Ireland.

The death must also be registered on the British side. According to the UK government this is done within 5 days in England and Wales (8 in Scotland) of receiving confirmation that registration can go ahead. The certificate from registration goes to the funeral director. When a coroner is involved, the body is released only after the coroner's examinations, so timing can be longer. We guide the family through these steps. The application can be submitted in person or by post, and the certificate is collected in person or sent by post at the applicant's cost. The Consular Department in London operates at the embassy.

Documents for the Polish consulate

The Polish consulate in the United Kingdom requires the starosta's permit, the British death certificate (also the coroner's one) and, if the certificate does not state the cause of death, a document excluding an infectious disease. A certificate from the funeral home that the coffin or urn is secured for the journey is also needed. For ashes the consulate requires the original of the cremation certificate (in English). The consulate accepts the other documents in Polish or with a sworn translation.

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 are Forms 104 and 103?

They are coroner's documents in England and Wales. Form 104 notifies the coroner of the intention to take a body abroad, and Form 103 is the coroner's consent for the export. The funeral home deals with this.

Do British documents have to be translated?

According to the Polish consulate in the UK, documents should be in Polish or translated by a sworn translator (originals for inspection); the cremation or embalming certificate is submitted in the English original. The starosta's office in Poland may also ask for a sworn translation of the death certificate.

How long does it take to bring a body home from the United Kingdom?

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

Request

If the form does not send, please write to us in a messenger:

WhatsApp Viber Telegram

Repatriation of a Body from England and the United Kingdom