What to do if someone dies in Poland

Poland is one of the most straightforward European repatriation origins for UK families. The combination of direct daily flights to UK airports, EU legal framework, and Polish funeral directors experienced with the UK market means the process is well-established. This guide sets out what happens in order.

Step 1: Notify the British Embassy Warsaw

The British Embassy in Warsaw must be notified as soon as possible. Address: ul. Kawalerii 12, 00-468 Warsaw. Phone: +48 22 311 0000. FCDO 24-hour emergency line: +44 (0)20 7008 5000.

Consular staff will register the death with UK authorities and issue relevant UK documentation. Notify them on the day of death, not the following morning.

Step 2: Register the death with the USC

Deaths are registered at the Urzad Stanu Cywilnego (Civil Registry Office) in the district where the death occurred. The USC issues the Akt Zgonu (death certificate). This is the primary document for all subsequent steps.

For unnatural deaths, the police are notified immediately and the body is referred to the District Prosecutor’s Office. The Prosecutor must authorise release of the body before it can be transferred anywhere or prepared for repatriation.

Step 3: Prosecutor’s post-mortem

When the Prosecutor orders a post-mortem, it is conducted by the Institute of Forensic Medicine. Polish forensic medicine is well-developed. Warsaw, Krakow, and Gdansk have capable institutes. Results typically arrive within 5 to 10 days of the examination.

Once the post-mortem report is issued, the Prosecutor issues an authorisation for the body’s release to a funeral director. This authorisation is required before embalming can take place.

Step 4: Embalming and the laissez-passer

Embalming is mandatory for international repatriation from Poland under the Council of Europe Agreement on the Transfer of Corpses (Strasbourg, 1973 – ETS No. 080). The embalming must be carried out by a licensed Polish funeral director.

The laissez-passer is issued by the Voivode (regional governor’s office). The application requires the Akt Zgonu, embalming certificate, and certificate of freedom from contagious disease (issued by the local health authority). Once all four documents are in place, the body can be booked as air cargo.

Step 5: Air freight to the UK

Poland has an extensive direct flight network to the UK. Warsaw Chopin (WAW), Krakow John Paul II (KRK), Gdansk Lech Walesa (GDN), Wroclaw (WRO), and Katowice (KTW) all have direct routes to British airports. LOT Polish Airlines, Ryanair, Wizz Air, and British Airways all serve these routes.

Multiple daily departures mean cargo bookings are rarely delayed by flight availability. Human remains travel as air cargo in a sealed zinc-lined coffin.

Step 6: UK arrival and funeral arrangements

The UK funeral director collects from the cargo terminal. All Polish documents must be translated into English. The large Polish community in the UK means many funeral directors have significant experience with Poland repatriations.

A UK death registration can be applied for via the General Register Office if required. Source: FCDO guidance on death in Poland; Council of Europe Agreement ETS No. 080; Polish Civil Registry Act (2023).