Documents for Bringing a Body Home to Poland
The documents that are usually needed to bring a loved one home to Poland. The exact list depends on the country of death and the consulate, so we confirm it in every case.
| Document | Issued by | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Death certificate from the country of death | The civil registry office in the country where the death occurred | A death is registered first in the country where it occurred. The starosta's office (district office) may ask for a sworn translation into Polish. |
| Document excluding an infectious disease | A doctor, hospital or other authority in the country of death | Needed if the death certificate does not state the cause of death (Regulation of the Minister of Health of 27.12.2007, § 2(2)). |
| Starosta's permit to bring in the body | The starosta (or the mayor of a city with district rights) responsible for the place of burial in Poland | Issued after consulting the district sanitary inspector, no later than 3 days after the application is submitted (Article 14(5) of the Act on Cemeteries and Burial of the Dead). No stamp duty for the permit itself. |
| Certificate from the Polish consul | The Polish consul in the country of death | Issued on the basis of the starosta's permit and the death certificate, no later than 3 days after the application is submitted (Article 14(5) of the Act on Cemeteries and Burial of the Dead). The consular fee depends on the post. |
| Documents for export from the country of death | An authority in the country of death (depends on the country) | For example a passport for the body (laissez-passer, in Germany the Leichenpass) or a coroner's consent. We describe them on the country pages. |
| Certificate for the coffin or urn | A funeral home in the country of death | Many Polish consulates require confirmation that the coffin is hermetically sealed and that the ashes are in a sealed container. |
| Power of attorney for the funeral home | The person entitled to arrange the burial (closest family) | It allows us to submit applications on your behalf. |
Who can submit the application
Applications for the starosta's permit and the consul's certificate are submitted by the person entitled to arrange the burial: the deceased's closest family (spouse, children, parents, siblings and the more distant relatives listed in Article 10 of the Act on Cemeteries) or a person who voluntarily undertakes to do so. On the basis of a power of attorney, a funeral home can do this for you.
Registering the death in Poland
A foreign death certificate can be transcribed into the Polish civil status register (transcription, Article 104 of the Act on Civil Status Records). This is not a condition for bringing the body home: according to the Polish consulates in Germany and the USA, transcription is not required for the consul's certificate to be issued. A Polish death certificate is nevertheless useful later, for example in inheritance matters. We help you submit the application.