Reviewed by Carlos Vargas, Texas Licensed Funeral Director (TFSC #119648) ·
The Houston consulate covers Texas
The Embassy of Iraq’s page for the Consulate General in Houston says the consulate serves Texas, New Mexico, Louisiana, Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Mississippi and Nebraska. It gives the address as 5177 Richmond Avenue, 9th Floor, Suite 900, Houston, TX 77056, the telephone 346-601-4292 and the email iraqicon.texas@mofa.gov.iq. In a return to Iraq the consulate is not a formality. As the next sections show, nothing moves until Baghdad approves, and the consulate is the office that asks.
Approval comes from Baghdad, through the consulate
Iraq’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs publishes, in Arabic, its procedure for approvals for the entry of a body. It begins by noting that families, whether Iraqi or Muslims of other nationalities, often wish to bury their dead in Iraq. When the mission learns of the death and of the family’s wish, it asks for the death certificate authenticated by the competent authorities. It then sends a cable to the ministry’s consular department requesting approval for the body to enter, giving the person’s name, nationality, date of birth, and the date, cause and place of death.
The ministry answers after it has obtained the approval of the Ministry of Health. The mission then authenticates the death certificate, and for an Iraqi citizen also issues an Iraqi death certificate, and prepares a letter addressed to the health authorities at the border point or airport, citing the number and date of the approval cable. Until that letter exists, do not book a flight.
The consul seals the coffin
The same ministry procedure says the consul, or a person the consul authorizes, attends where the body lies in order to seal the coffin with red wax, after observing the body inside the coffin; once the coffin is closed, the wax is applied at the points where it opens. For a death in Dallas, that means someone acting for the Houston consulate has to be present at the funeral home before the coffin leaves. Ask the consulate early who will attend, when, and what the coffin must allow for the seals. This step cannot be arranged on the day of the flight.
A large fee applies when the person was not Iraqi
The ministry’s text sets out a separate rule for a foreigner who is not of Iraqi origin. Burial in Iraq then requires the approval of the Ministry of Health, and after approval the mission authenticates the foreign death certificate and collects 3,200 U.S. dollars as a fee for the entry of a non-Iraqi body, citing article 61 of Public Health Law No. 89 of 1981; the person accompanying the body is granted an entry visa. The embassy in Washington describes the same fee on its Iraqi death certificate page as charged for transporting the remains of Arabs or foreigners for burial in Iraq. The two descriptions are not identical, so ask Houston in writing whether the fee applies to your relative.
For Iraqi citizens, the Washington page says an Iraqi death certificate is issued free within 30 days of the death, with late fines after that under Law No. 21 of 2024. Washington does not serve Texas, and Houston publishes no fee list of its own, so confirm every amount with Houston.
A written request naming the airport
Iraq’s consulate in Los Angeles adds a detail on its death certificate page: when the family requests burial in Iraq, the next of kin submits a written request that specifies the border entry point, meaning the airport, where the remains will arrive. Decide the arrival airport with the receiving family before you write to Houston, because the approval and the letter to the health authorities are tied to it.
If burial happens here first
The ministry procedure closes with a rule families should know before they decide. If the body cannot be moved at the time for any reason, it may not be exhumed and taken to Iraq until one year has passed from the date of burial, under the instructions of the Public Health Law. A temporary burial in Texas is therefore a decision for at least a year. The guide to disinterment and reburial abroad explains the Texas side.
Iraq is outside the apostille system
Iraq does not appear in the HCCH status table of parties to the Apostille Convention. The Texas Secretary of State explains that for a country that is not part of the Convention, a Texas document needs additional authentication from the Office of Authentications at the U.S. State Department after the state’s own certificate. The consulate’s authentication comes last. Death certificates and burial-transit forms are recordable documents, which the same page says cannot be replaced by notarized copies. Allow time for this chain; it is longer than an apostille.
Routes
The Federal Aviation Administration’s list of current U.S. flight prohibitions includes a special regulation on flights in the Baghdad flight information region, so ask the cargo agent which carriers are operating and expect at least one connection. We found no airline page that confirms a route from Dallas to Iraq for human remains. Turkish Cargo’s funeral page shows what one such carrier asks of the shipper: a death certificate approved by the consulate and translated into Turkish, a consular letter, the air waybill, an autopsy report where the death was a suicide, homicide or accident, and possibly a travel permit. It says international funeral transport is arranged through IATA-authorized cargo agents. Ask the agent which airport in Iraq, Baghdad, Erbil, Najaf or Basra, the carrier will accept.
| Step | Who to ask |
|---|---|
| Death certificate, preparation and Texas transit permit | The funeral director here |
| Texas and U.S. State Department authentication | Texas Secretary of State, then Washington |
| Request to Baghdad, fee, and sealing the coffin | Consulate General of Iraq in Houston |
| Health clearance at the arrival airport | Iraqi health authorities, with the consulate’s letter |
| Carrier, connection and arrival airport | An IATA cargo agent or the airline’s cargo desk |
Questions families ask about a return to Iraq
- Which Iraqi consulate covers Dallas?
- The Consulate General in Houston, at 5177 Richmond Avenue. The embassy’s page lists Texas among the states it serves.
- Can we book the flight before Iraq approves?
- No. The foreign ministry’s procedure requires approval from Baghdad, after the Ministry of Health agrees, and the consulate then issues a letter for the health authorities at the arrival airport.
- Is there a fee for bringing a body into Iraq?
- The ministry’s procedure sets a fee of 3,200 U.S. dollars for the entry of a non-Iraqi body. Ask the Houston consulate in writing whether it applies to your relative.
Sources checked and case confirmation
Sources checked September 21, 2026. The ministry’s procedure was read in Arabic; the Houston consulate publishes no fee list or checklist of its own. Confirm documents, fees, route and receiving arrangements for the individual case. Contact Vargas–London with the origin and destination to discuss the next step without sending medical or identity documents through the inquiry form.
