Repatriation from Dakar, Senegal

Dakar is the capital and principal city of the Republic of Senegal, situated on the westernmost point of mainland Africa on the Cap-Vert peninsula. It is the main hub for anglophone travellers entering the Sahel region and West Africa. British tourists visit primarily for Gorée Island (UNESCO World Heritage Site, a site of the Atlantic slave trade, approximately 3km offshore by ferry), Dakar’s art and music scene, and as a transit point for onward travel to The Gambia, Mali, and other West African destinations.

Senegal is a predominantly francophone country. All official processes — registration, police reporting, medical certification, legal authorisations — are conducted in French. This adds a translation requirement to every step of the repatriation process.

The FCDO advises against all travel to the Casamance region (southern Senegal, separated from the north by The Gambia). Deaths in Casamance present additional logistics and security complications. Dakar itself carries no general travel advisory.

Consular coverage

The British Embassy Dakar (20 Rue du Docteur Guillet, Dakar) provides full consular services for British nationals throughout Senegal.

British Embassy Dakar: +221 33 823 7392. FCDO 24-hour: +44 (0)20 7008 5000.

What Senegalese law requires

Code de procédure pénale du Sénégal (Code of Criminal Procedure): All sudden, violent, and unexplained deaths are reported to the Police Nationale or Gendarmerie Nationale. The Parquet (Public Prosecutor) at the Tribunal de Grande Instance de Dakar supervises investigations. The investigating judge (juge d’instruction) may order a forensic autopsy.

État civil (Civil Registration): The décès is registered at the Centre d’État Civil (Civil Registry Office) of the municipality where the death occurred. The acte de décès (death certificate) is the primary civil document.

Institut National de Transfusion Sanguine et de Médecine Légale (INTS, National Institute of Blood Transfusion and Forensic Medicine, Route de l’Aéroport, Dakar): The INTS is the principal forensic medicine facility in Senegal and performs all court-ordered autopsies. It operates under the Ministry of Justice.

Ministry of Health export authorisation: The Ministère de la Santé et de l’Action Sociale issues the laissez-passer mortuaire (mortuary pass) permitting international transport of the body.

Source: Code de procédure pénale du Sénégal; Loi No. 2011-08 du 30 mars 2011 portant Code de l’état civil; 2025.

Medical coverage

Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Fann (CHU de Fann, Dakar) and Hôpital Principal de Dakar (Boulevard de la République) are the two main public hospitals. The Clinique du Cap and Hôpital Saint Jean de Dieu are better-equipped private facilities. A number of clinics in the Almadies and Plateau districts serve the expatriate community.

The documentation chain

1. Acte de décès from the Centre d’État Civil. 2. Police Nationale or Gendarmerie investigation report. 3. Parquet or juge d’instruction release of the body. 4. INTS forensic autopsy report (if ordered). 5. Laissez-passer mortuaire from Ministère de la Santé. 6. Embalming certificate. 7. Certified French-to-English translation of all documents. 8. IATA air waybill via DSS (Blaise Diagne International Airport, Diass, approximately 45km east of Dakar).

Air France, Royal Air Maroc, and Turkish Airlines serve DSS with connections to London. The airport replaced the old Dakar Léopold Sédar Senghor Airport (DKR) in 2017; DKR is now largely decommissioned.

Timeline from Dakar

• Natural death, expected: 14 to 21 days
• Sudden death, prosecutor involved: 21 to 35 days
• Complex forensic/criminal case: 6 to 10 weeks

For repatriation guidance, reach our team via the enquiry form or WhatsApp.

See also the Senegal repatriation guide.

Information based on Code de procédure pénale du Sénégal; Loi No. 2011-08 du 30 mars 2011 portant Code de l’état civil. Last reviewed May 2026.