How repatriation from Austria works
It all starts with a phone call. We take over coordination with our partner in Austria, who collects the deceased, carries out the embalming required for international transport, and prepares the coffin.
In parallel, the Austrian documents are prepared: the death certificate (Sterbeurkunde), issued by the civil registry office (Standesamt) of the locality where the death occurred, based on the medical certificate (Todesbescheinigung). The Austrian mortuary passport (Leichenpass) is the document that authorizes the international transport of the coffin; it is issued by the competent local authority once the death certificate and the embalming certificate are presented.
Austria is a party to the 1937 Berlin Arrangement on the international transport of the deceased, like Romania. Under this convention, the Leichenpass is sufficient to cross the borders of member states, with no separate consular clearance needed in ordinary cases. The road route through Hungary is direct and short.
What the Leichenpass is and how it is obtained
The Leichenpass (Austrian mortuary passport) is the key document of any repatriation from Austria. It describes the identity of the deceased, the coffin used, the route, and the destination, and authorizes the coffin to leave Austria.
It is issued by the local authority — usually the district health office or the municipality — once the death certificate (Sterbeurkunde) and the embalming certificate are presented. If the death was sudden, violent, or unexplained, clearance from the forensic doctor or the public prosecutor is also required. Our Austrian partner obtains the Leichenpass directly, without the family needing to travel.
How long it takes and what it costs
For most cases from Austria, repatriation takes 3–5 days from the first call to arrival in Romania. The total cost, between €2,500 and €4,500, covers embalming, the transport-compliant coffin, the Austrian documents, the Leichenpass, and door-to-door transport.
Because Austria is close to Romania, the road transport cost is lower than from western Europe. The price difference comes from the departure city — Vienna and eastern Austria are closest, while Tyrol or Vorarlberg, in the west, add a few hours of driving. We give you a firm estimate from the very first call.
Cities and regional specifics
We repatriate from anywhere in Austria. Most cases come from Vienna and its metropolitan area, home to the largest part of the Romanian community, but we also cover Salzburg, Graz, Linz, Innsbruck, and Bregenz.
The distance from Romania affects only the duration of road transport, not the paperwork. From Vienna, the drive through Hungary to the border takes around ten hours; from western Austria, a few hours more. Air transport is rarely used from Austria, precisely because the road route is so direct.
The Romanian consulate in Austria
Romania has an embassy in Vienna, with a consular section serving Romanian citizens in Austria (Prinz Eugen-Straße 60, 1040 Vienna). Appointments for consular services are made through the econsulat.ro portal. If a consular document is needed in an exceptional situation, the consular section in Vienna issues it.
In most cases, however, the Austrian documents and the Leichenpass are sufficient, and our local partner handles the formalities without the family needing to contact the embassy.
The documents required
- The Sterbeurkunde (Austrian death certificate), issued by the Standesamt, with a legalized translation into Romanian
- The Leichenpass (Austrian mortuary passport), which authorizes the international transport of the coffin
- The embalming certificate, required for international transport
- Clearance from the forensic doctor or prosecutor, when the death was sudden, violent, or unexplained
- The deceased's ID or passport
- Transcription of the death certificate into the Romanian civil registry, on arrival
What we do for the family
You are one phone call away from a single coordinator. You don't have to deal with several firms, in two languages, in two countries — we handle both ends: the Austrian side (collection, embalming, Leichenpass) and the Romanian side (transcription of documents, the ceremony, the burial plot).
We answer day and night. Many families call us from Austria while they're still there. Read the full repatriation guide for an overview, or the mortuary passport guide. If you're weighing several destinations, see also repatriation from Germany or from Belgium — similar road procedures.
We don't run up unexplained costs. Before any procedure begins, we give you the full estimate in writing — what it includes and what it doesn't.