Transport of human remains

For the transfer of the remains of the deceased from the Hellenic Republic to the Republic of Serbia, it is necessary to obtain an official document issued by the Republic of Serbia, referred to as a Sprovodnica (Transit Permit).

The application for the issuance of a Transit Permit shall be submitted to the Consular Section of the Embassy of the Republic of Serbia in Athens or to the Consulate General of the Republic of Serbia in Thessaloniki.

In order to obtain the Transit Permit, the following original documents must be submitted:

1. Passport of the deceased person – following its cancellation, it shall be returned to the family;

2. A formal request submitted by the next of kin or by a licensed funeral service provider authorized to transport the remains of the deceased, which shall include:

• the location of the burial,

  • the method of transportation,

  • the registration number of the vehicle used for transport,

  • and, in the case of air transport, the flight number;

• 3. Extract from the Death Registry issued by the competent authority of the country of departure, duly certified with an Apostille (Hague Convention) stamp and translated into Serbian;

• 4. Medical report stating the cause of death;

• 5. Transit permit or authorization for the transfer of the body abroad, issued by the competent authority of the country of departure;

• 6. Embalming Certificate;

• 7.Confirmation of a secured burial plot in the Republic of Serbia, in cases involving foreign nationals;

• 8. In the event that the deceased passed away due to plague or smallpox, the sprovodnica shall be issued only upon obtaining prior approval from the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Serbia. Such approval shall be obtained by the diplomatic or consular mission of the Republic of Serbia.

If the deceased is to be buried in a third country, but the transportation of the remains of the deceased is to be conducted through the territory of the Republic of Serbia, a transit sprovodnica must be obtained. The issuance of a transit sprovodnica requires submission of all the aforementioned documents, as well as the sprovodnica issued by the country in which the burial will take place.

Transfer of Cremated Remains (Urn)

For the transfer of an urn to the Republic of Serbia, a Transit Permit is likewise required. All of the above-mentioned documents must be submitted, in addition to a certificate of cremation.