Transport of human remains

For the transfer of human remains to Serbia, it is necessary to obtain a relevant document of the Republic of Serbia called a docket. A request for the issuance of this document should be submitted to the diplomatic mission or the consulate general of the Republic of Serbia in the jurisdiction of the last place of residence of the decedent.

For the issuance of a docket, original copies of the following documents are required:

1. Passport of the deceased person (The Serbian passport needs to be physically brought to the embassy, or if sent by mail it must be included in the shipment, and will be returned upon cover letter issuance, in the case that the deceased did not possess a Serbian passport, we will need proof of a purchased burial plot in Serbia (in Serbia cremated remains must be buried as well).
2. Request by a family member of the deceased person or a funeral service authorized for the transport of human remains stating, beside other things, the venue of the funeral and the transport route to the funeral venue;
3. Death Certificate issued by the relevant authority of the receiving state;
4. Medical report on the cause of death;
5. A docket or a permit to transport the mortal remains from abroad, issued by the relevant USA authority;
6. A letter stating that a grave site is procured in the Republic of Serbia, only if the deceased is a foreign national;
7. In case death is caused by the plague or small pox, docket is issued following the approval of the Serbian Health Ministry. The approval is obtained through the diplomatic or consular mission of the Republic of Serbia;

If funeral is to take place in a third country and the remains are transported via Serbian territory, it is necessary to have a transit docket. In order to be able to issue a transit docket, all the above documents should be submitted, along with a docket of the state of burial.

A docket is also required in order to transport an urn. In this case all the above documents including cremation certificate, are submitted.

In the case that you send everything by mail, the signature of the person submitting the application must be notarized, however a funeral stamp will suffice instead of a notary.

Please inform the person transporting the remains, that they will need to translate the death certificate and apostille stamp, however this can be done once they are in Serbia in order to register the death in Serbia.

We are at your disposal for any additional questions (email consular@serbiaembusa.org )