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The short answer
To repatriate a body from the US to Nigeria you need US papers (certified death certificate, burial or transit permit, embalming and sealed-casket letters, and a non-communicable disease letter), a letter from the Nigerian mission permitting shipment, and, according to the Atlanta consulate, a waiver from Port Health Services in Abuja. Atlanta charges $50 on its remains page and $15 on its burial transit permit page, so confirm which applies.
Three sets of papers
Repatriation paperwork comes from three directions, and the funeral home will usually coordinate all of it:
- US documents
- Death certificate, burial or transit permit, embalming and casket statements, health letter
- Nigerian mission
- Letter permitting shipment of human remains to Nigeria
- Nigerian authorities
- Waiver for repatriation of a corpse, Federal Ministry of Health, Port Health Services, Abuja
The details below come from the Atlanta consulate, which publishes two pages on the subject. New York's published page does not cover remains, and Washington's requirements were not available to us, so use Atlanta's lists as a guide and confirm with your own mission.
The two Atlanta lists side by side
| Item | Remains page | Burial transit permit page |
|---|---|---|
| Death certificate | Copy | Four certified copies; cause of death shown or a photo of the original or physician's letter |
| Burial or transit permit | Copy | With raised seal |
| Health letter | Original non-communicable disease letter from coroner, medical examiner or health agency | Signed, notarised letter from a health official |
| Embalming | Original notarised embalmer's affidavit | Funeral home letter on letterhead confirming embalming |
| Casket | Notarised letter: hermetically sealed metal casket | Metal sealer casket; outer wood box, no inner liner; notarised statement that it holds only the deceased |
| Identity | Deceased's Nigerian passport or relative's notarised affidavit | Passport of deceased |
| Receiving family | Contact name, address, phone in Nigeria | Family letter committing to collect the body, with consignee details |
| Request | Formal funeral home letter | Not listed |
| Port Health waiver | Required | Not listed |
| Fee | $50 postal money order or certified cheque | $15 money order |
| Return | Self-addressed stamped express envelope | Prepaid UPS envelope |
| Timing | Not stated | Three business days from receipt |
The burial transit permit page also says no consul inspection is required: the consulate issues the permission letter on the papers. The remains page adds that both photocopies and original documents are required.
Who produces what
- Funeral home: embalming affidavit, casket letter, statement that the casket holds only the deceased, the request letter to the consulate, and usually the burial or transit permit.
- Coroner, medical examiner or health department: the non-communicable disease letter.
- Family: the deceased's Nigerian passport or the relative's affidavit, the receiving party's details, the commitment letter, the fee and the envelope.
- Family or agent in Nigeria: the Port Health Services waiver, which is applied for in Abuja.
Several items need a notary. Book one early; funeral homes often have a notary on staff.
A worked timeline
Example only, assuming papers move without delay. A death on a Monday in Georgia:
- Monday to Wednesday: death certified, funeral home embalms and obtains the permit and certified copies.
- Wednesday: health letter and notarised statements ready; family signs the affidavit if there is no valid passport.
- Thursday: file sent to the consulate by express mail with the fee and return envelope; it arrives Friday.
- Following Wednesday: three business days from Friday's receipt (Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday), the permission letter can be issued and posted back.
- In parallel: family in Nigeria applies for the Port Health waiver, and the funeral home books the flight with the airline's cargo service.
In this example the consulate step alone takes about a week from mailing to return. Delays usually come from a missing notarisation or a death certificate without the cause of death.
Why files get sent back
Most delays come from small gaps rather than big ones. Check the file against this list before it goes in the post:
- A death certificate that does not show the cause of death. Atlanta asks for a photo of the original showing the cause, or a physician's letter.
- A copy where an original is required. The health letter, the embalmer's affidavit and the casket letter must be originals on the remains page, and notarised where stated.
- Names that do not match. The name on the death certificate, the Nigerian passport and the funeral home letters should agree; if they do not, include an affidavit explaining the difference.
- No receiving party. The consulate wants a named person in Nigeria with an address and phone number.
- A missing return envelope, which leaves the letter sitting at the consulate.
If a Nigerian institution later asks for the US death certificate itself, it may want it authenticated first; see authenticating US documents for Nigeria.
After the body arrives
The receiving party named in the file collects the body in Nigeria. The death should then be registered with the National Population Commission; our guide to consular steps after a death in the US covers that and the estate questions that follow.
Where Pryme fits
Costs on the Nigerian side, from the waiver to transport home, are paid in naira. A Pryme account opened from the US lets relatives hold dollars and naira and send to the receiving family, seeing the rate and the fee before they approve. Naira deposits are held by a licensed Nigerian microfinance bank; outside Nigeria Pryme works through regulated partners.
Questions people ask
What documents are needed to ship a body to Nigeria from the US?
Atlanta lists the death certificate, burial or transit permit, a non-communicable disease letter, embalming and sealed-casket statements, the deceased's Nigerian passport or a relative's affidavit, the receiving party's details, the fee, an envelope and a Port Health waiver.
How long does the Nigerian consulate take to issue the letter?
Atlanta's burial transit permit page says three business days from receipt. Add postage time both ways.
Does the Nigerian consulate need to inspect the body?
Atlanta's burial transit permit page says no consul inspection is required.
What is the Port Health waiver?
A waiver for the repatriation of a corpse from the Federal Ministry of Health, Port Health Services, Abuja, which Atlanta lists among its requirements.
Sources
- Consulate General of Nigeria, Atlanta: requirements for shipping human remains to Nigeria · accessed Oct 2026
- Consulate General of Nigeria, Atlanta: burial transit permit · accessed Oct 2026
- Consulate General of Nigeria, New York: passport requirements and jurisdiction · accessed Oct 2026
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