Issuance of laissez-passer for a corpse

The doctor who issued the death certificate should print a complete copy of the certificate and include the following details:

• Statement indicating whether the deceased person had an infectious disease.
• Legible name, stamp, date, and signature.

Please note that the information on the death certificate is confidential. In order to comply with the duty of confidentiality towards the deceased and safeguard sensitive personal data from third parties, the doctor must provide the death certificate in a sealed envelope to the applicant, typically a funeral director or a relative of the deceased. The sealed envelope must remain unopened when submitted to the receiving Supervision and Guidance division at the Danish Patient Safety Authority.

In exceptional circumstances where an electronic death certificate is not available, the medical doctor must make a photocopy of the handwritten paper death certificate's second part (pages 2-3) and include a statement on the photocopy containing the following information:

• Statement indicating whether the deceased had any infectious disease.
• Declaration that the photocopy is identical to the original.
• Legible name, stamp, date, and signature.

The photocopy should be placed in a sealed envelope and provided to the funeral director.

A printed copy of the burial authority's decision on the "Request for Burial and Cremation" is required as proof that the death has been reported to the burial authority. The burial authority is the church parish where the deceased passed away or where they were born. Additional information about the "Request for Burial and Cremation" can be found on the website of the Danish Ministry of Ecclesiastical Affairs.

The completed request form for transporting a deceased person abroad, along with details about the coffin's characteristics, must be signed and submitted. You can download the form under "Certificates and Requests" below.

Funeral directors are responsible for soldering zinc coffins. The company performing the soldering must complete a soldering certificate, which must be submitted with the application.

Special provisions for Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden: Zinc coffins are not mandatory unless required by the transporting company. However, the coffin must always be airtight and solid.

Funeral directors handle the embalming process for deceased individuals. To arrange for the embalming of a deceased person, you must contact a funeral director. Once the corpse is embalmed, the funeral director who performed the procedure will complete an embalming certificate. You can download the certificate form below under "Certificates and Requests."

Special provisions for Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden: Embalming of corpses before air transportation is not mandatory unless required by the transporting company.

A laissez-passer for a corpse is not required for transporting cremated human remains (ashes) to or from Denmark.

A laissez-passer for a corpse is not required for transporting corpses within the boundaries of the Kingdom of Denmark. No laissez-passer for a corpse is required for transport to the Faroe Islands, which is considered part of the Kingdom of Denmark in relation to the Order on the Handling of Corpses, No. 152 of 1983, including the transportation of corpses.

A laissez-passer for a corpse is not required for transport to and from Bornholm via Sweden.

However, a laissez-passer for a corpse is required for transport to Greenland.