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 Consular Section of the Polish Embassy in Ankara or the Polish Consulate General in Istanbul.
Transport: The body is conveyed by air as air cargo. We agree the arrival airport and the place of handover in Poland with the family.
Timing: We confirm the date once we have the documents. The Act 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, extra time is needed for the opinion of the district sanitary inspector (sanepid) and for delivery of the originals. How long matters take in the country of death depends on the local authorities.
Price: We will quote the price once we know the details.

Procedure: Turkey

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 documents from the country of death the Polish consul's certificate is needed.

This country is a party to the Hague Apostille Convention (according to the HCCH, as of 13 October 2026), so documents from it can be authenticated with an apostille if a Polish office asks for this.

Ankara or Istanbul: which consular district in Türkiye

Türkiye has two Polish posts, each with its own district. The Consular Section of the Embassy in Ankara covers, among others, the provinces of Ankara, Antalya, Adana, Konya, Kayseri, Samsun, Hatay and Mersin. The Consulate General in Istanbul serves the city of Istanbul and, among others, Izmir, Bursa, Trabzon, Gaziantep, Diyarbakır, Erzurum, Van, Muğla and Edirne. Ankara also covers, among others, Eskişehir, Bolu, Zonguldak, Sinop, Ordu and Sivas, and Istanbul also covers Tekirdağ, Kocaeli (İzmit), Sakarya, Çanakkale, Aydın, Denizli, Rize and Kars.

The split therefore follows provinces, not the capital: the place of death decides which post is competent. We establish which one to file with before the family starts collecting documents.

The Polish consul's certificate

The Polish consul's certificate for bringing a body or ashes to Poland is issued by the Consular Section of the Polish Embassy in Ankara or the Polish Consulate General in Istanbul.

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 application can be submitted by the family of the deceased or an authorised funeral home).
Copy of the death certificate or another document confirming the death.
If a third party submits the application: a notarised authorisation from the relatives; the relatives show an identity document confirming the family relationship.

Frequently asked questions

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

The Consular Section of the Polish Embassy in Ankara or the Polish Consulate General in Istanbul, on the basis of the starosta's permit and the death certificate. The Act 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 Turkey?

Yes. The Polish rules on conveying remains apply accordingly to ashes, so the starosta's permit and the consul's certificate are needed.

Other countries

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Repatriation from Turkey to Poland