At a glance
- Austrian transport document
- multilingual Leichenpass issued under the applicable provincial rules
- Receiving application
- sprovodnica for burial in Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Place of burial
- evidence that a grave has been secured in BiH
- Additional review
- specified cases involving exhumation, infectious disease or foreign citizenship
Which burial details establish the receiving application?
Start with the intended burial location in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The embassy's published list includes proof that a grave has been secured. A broad intention to return someone to the country does not supply that evidence. The location also becomes relevant where a special application must identify the Federation, Republika Srpska or Brčko District. These are administrative distinctions within the receiving country, not alternative names for the same office.
The Vienna guidance allows relatives to apply or a funeral company representative to act with the family's authority. It specifies a power of attorney certified by an Austrian or Bosnian-Herzegovinian authority. Establish who is making the application before assuming that the person arranging the funeral can also sign every consular document. The supporting evidence should correspond to the applicant's actual role.
How is the Austrian departure file prepared?
Austria's national guidance requires a multilingual Leichenpass for transfer abroad. It separately identifies medical examination, civil registration and release as prerequisites. Responsibility follows provincial rules: in most provinces the relevant district administrative authority at the place of death handles the international transfer. A statutory city generally acts through its Magistrat; elsewhere the district authority may be a Bezirkshauptmannschaft.
Local examples clarify why the actual institution matters. Graz directs applications to its Gesundheitsamt and requires the death certificate, release and medical examination record. Vienna names its Hygienezentrum and describes a check of the coffin before the international document is handed over. A family should therefore identify the Austrian location precisely, rather than choose an office simply because it is nearer to the border or to a relative's home.
What does each document contribute to the transfer?
The Austrian civil record, medical certificate and Leichenpass should not be treated as interchangeable names. The embassy requests them for different parts of its assessment. Check that they identify the same deceased person and that the destination corresponds with the burial evidence. If a discrepancy appears, refer it to the relevant issuer before relying on the document for the receiving application.
| Document | Issuing body or jurisdiction | Purpose for this transfer |
|---|---|---|
| International death-register extract | Austrian civil-registration authority | records the registered death |
| Leichenpass | competent Austrian authority | supports departure for an international transfer |
| Medical death certificate | medical examiner | records the medical particulars required by the embassy |
| Evidence of a secured grave | responsible body at the burial location in BiH | supports the proposed place of burial |
| Sprovodnica | competent Bosnian-Herzegovinian mission | documents the receiving country's consular approval |
When does the Vienna embassy require consent from BiH?
Three circumstances receive separate treatment in the embassy instructions: death from an infectious disease, transfer after exhumation and burial of a person who is not a citizen of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Where prior consent is required, the sprovodnica is not issued until that consent has been obtained. Austrian paperwork may already be ready, but it cannot settle a decision reserved to the receiving authorities.
The embassy publishes a general application and additional forms for particular receiving territories. Those additional forms are linked to the special cases described above. They should not be presented as paperwork that every family must complete regardless of circumstances. Equally, the existence of a general form does not remove the additional procedure where a case actually falls within one of the stated categories.
What connects document readiness with a collection arrangement?
Salzburg provides a useful example of a local requirement affecting collection: where a foreign funeral company collects the deceased, the death certificates must be obtained from the register office before transfer abroad. Its guidance warns that missing documents can delay registration. Confirmation of a burial destination cannot substitute for this unfinished Austrian task. The releasing institution and the receiving location need a consistent, documented arrangement.
For an enquiry to Fenjer, provide the location holding the deceased and the intended receiving address. Routine document collection carries no separate handling fee. Arrival within 48 hours is planned for an uncomplicated case. The qualification matters when the embassy is awaiting consent or a releasing authority has yet to decide: a transport plan does not override an outstanding official requirement. Fees charged by authorities or other institutions are paid according to their actual invoice.
Process for this case
- Step 1 of 4
Identify the receiving case
Clarify citizenship, the proposed grave and who is authorised to submit the embassy application.
- Step 2 of 4
Complete the Austrian prerequisites
The responsible local authority examines the records needed for an international Leichenpass.
- Step 3 of 4
Resolve any consent requirement
A case covered by the embassy's special categories awaits the required decision from Bosnia and Herzegovina.
- Step 4 of 4
Confirm the documented handover
Compare collection details and the proposed recipient with the completed departure and receiving documents.
Sources and review date
The official sources listed below were reviewed for the statements on this page. Responsibilities and forms can change, so the current version published by the relevant authority remains decisive.
- Austrian government — Leichenpass requirements and jurisdiction — oesterreich.gv.at · reviewed
- City of Salzburg — death registration and collection abroad — Stadt Salzburg · reviewed
- City of Graz — international Leichenpass — Stadt Graz · reviewed
- City of Vienna — application to the Hygienezentrum — Stadt Wien — Gesundheitsdienst · reviewed
- Embassy of Bosnia and Herzegovina in Vienna — sprovodnica instructions — Ambasada Bosne i Hercegovine u Beču · reviewed
Frequently asked questions
Does the Vienna embassy accept citizenship evidence when a BiH passport is unavailable?
Its guidance provides for proof of Bosnian-Herzegovinian citizenship, including a citizenship certificate or a birth-register extract bearing the relevant citizenship entry.
Are the Bosnian regional forms compulsory for every Austrian departure?
The supplementary territorial forms apply to the specified special circumstances. The embassy distinguishes these from the general application used for transfer to Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Why retain the medical certificate alongside an Austrian death-register extract?
The embassy lists both because medical particulars and civil registration serve different evidential purposes. A register extract does not replace every medical attachment in the application.
Can Vienna's Hygienezentrum instructions be used as Graz's complete checklist?
Each city publishes its own procedure. Graz names the Gesundheitsamt and its required records; Vienna describes a separate local application and coffin check.
What changes if the deceased was previously buried in Austria?
The Vienna embassy treats exhumation as a case requiring prior consent from the competent authorities in Bosnia and Herzegovina before issuing the sprovodnica.
What must be collected from Salzburg's register office before transfer abroad?
For collection by a foreign funeral company, the city's instructions require the death certificates to be obtained before departure. Incomplete registration should be clarified directly with that office.