Reviewed by Carlos Vargas, Texas Licensed Funeral Director (TFSC #119648) ·
One embassy, in Washington
Senegal has no consulate in Texas. Its embassy in Washington states on its page about its jurisdiction that it covers the United States along with a number of countries in the Americas. The embassy’s homepage gives the address as 2215 M St NW, Washington DC 20037, the telephone +1 202 234 0540, and hours of Monday to Friday from 09h30 to 16h30, with its consular section open to the public. A Dallas family deals with Washington.
The embassy issues the authorization to transfer
The embassy’s page on civil status sets out what happens when a Senegalese national dies abroad. At the request of the family, the embassy transcribes the death certificate into its own registers and issues its own certificate of death. For the transfer of the body to Senegal, it says, a duly signed authorization is also issued.
The documents it asks for are short: the original of the death record or certificate issued by the medical or municipal authorities, and a copy of the Senegalese identity document of the person who died. In Dallas the first of those is the certified death certificate from the state. The second is the practical problem in many cases, because an identity card may be in Senegal or may have expired, so start looking for it on the first day and ask the embassy what it accepts in its place.
What the embassy does not publish
The same page does not state a fee, a processing time, whether the file is sent by mail or brought in person, or what the funeral home must certify about embalming and the casket. It says nothing about cremated remains, and we found no Senegalese page on health or customs requirements for remains arriving in the country. These are gaps in what is published rather than an absence of rules.
Write to the embassy with the full name of the person who died, the place and date of death, whether a body or ashes will travel, and the intended arrival, and ask for the fee, the processing time and the complete document list in writing. Ask the family in Senegal to confirm what the receiving funeral service and the airport authorities there will require. Do not order documents or book a flight until both answers are in hand.
Apostille: recent, and worth confirming
Senegal joined the Apostille Convention only recently. The HCCH status table shows accession on July 13, 2022 and entry into force on March 23, 2023, and marks the accession with the footnote the table uses for objections and declarations by other parties. The embassy’s list does not mention an apostille, and Senegalese practice may still expect legalization. If legalization is asked for, the Texas Secretary of State’s authentication page describes the chain used for countries outside the Convention. Ask the embassy which it wants rather than assuming.
Documents in French
French is the language of administration in Senegal, and the embassy’s own pages are in French. Nothing we read states a translation requirement for a Texas death certificate, but a receiving funeral service or a registry office may expect one. Ask the embassy whether it requires a French translation, and whether the translation must be done by a particular kind of translator, before paying for one.
Routes and what airlines publish
We found no airline page confirming a routing from Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW) to Senegal for human remains, so expect at least one connection. Royal Air Maroc Cargo says on its special cargo page that it specializes in transporting both cremated and non-cremated human remains worldwide. Turkish Cargo’s funeral page sets out the documents a shipper provides and says international funeral transport is arranged through IATA-authorized agents. Ethiopian Airlines publishes passenger-side rules for cremated ash as cabin or checked baggage and advises contacting the embassy of the destination country before travelling. Decide the arrival airport with the family, then let the cargo agent propose the carrier.
| Step | Who to ask |
|---|---|
| Death certificate and the funeral home file | The funeral director here |
| The identity document of the deceased | The family, in Senegal if necessary |
| Transcription, certificate and transfer authorization | Embassy of Senegal in Washington |
| Fee, processing time and translation | The embassy, in writing |
| Reception and the arrival airport | The family or funeral service in Senegal |
Who pays
We found no Senegalese statement about the government meeting the cost of a return. Plan on the family, an insurer, an employer or a community or religious association paying. The insurance and assistance guide lists places to ask.
Questions families ask about a return to Senegal
- Which Senegalese office covers Dallas?
- The embassy in Washington. Its jurisdiction page says it covers the United States, and we found no Senegalese consulate in Texas.
- What does the embassy issue?
- It transcribes the death certificate into its registers, issues its own certificate of death and, for the transfer of the body to Senegal, a duly signed authorization.
- What does it charge?
- The page does not state a fee or a processing time. Ask the embassy in writing before ordering documents.
Sources checked and case confirmation
Sources checked September 21, 2026. The embassy publishes a short procedure and no fee, timing or arrival-side rule, and Senegal’s accession to the Apostille Convention is recent enough to confirm case by case. 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.
