Reviewed by Carlos Vargas, Texas Licensed Funeral Director (TFSC #119648) ·
An embassy in Washington and an honorary consulate in Dallas
Uganda is one of the few African countries with a presence in this city. The Embassy of the Republic of Uganda says it is supported by honorary consulates in eight cities, and Dallas is among them, alongside Atlanta, Chicago, Denver, Los Angeles, San Diego and Seattle. The embassy itself is the office that issues documents. Its contact page gives the address as 5911 16th Street NW, Washington, DC 20011, the telephone +1 (202) 726-7100, office hours of Monday to Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Eastern, and consular hours on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Ask the embassy what the Dallas honorary consulate can do in a death case before travelling to either. An honorary consul is often a point of contact rather than an office that issues permits.
The conditions Uganda published for bringing remains in
The clearest Ugandan document we found is an aeronautical information circular from the Civil Aviation Authority. It says air transportation of human remains into the country is allowed if certain conditions are fulfilled, and lists them: a medical certificate of cause of death; a post-mortem report or comprehensive medical report from the attending doctor or health facility; an embalming certificate; a copy of the passport or identification document of the person who died, with the original to be presented to immigration; an import licence or import authorization from the Director General of Health Services; and packaging, meaning the remains wrapped in a waterproof body bag, placed in a zinc-lined coffin and then in an outer metal or wooden box.
The import authorization from the Director General of Health Services is the item to chase first, because it comes from Kampala rather than from Washington. Ask the family or funeral home in Uganda to start it, and ask the embassy how it wants to be involved.
Read that circular with its date in mind
The circular was issued in June 2020, during the COVID-19 response, and it reads that way: it also covers quarantine for accompanying relatives, spraying of aircraft and burials conducted under procedures for scientific burials. We could not confirm which of those conditions still apply today, and no newer Ugandan document on importing remains was found.
Treat the list above as the shape of the file rather than as today’s final word. Before ordering documents, ask the embassy in Washington and the receiving funeral home in Uganda to confirm, in writing, what is required now. Absence of a newer published rule is not an exemption.
Uganda is outside the apostille system
Uganda does not appear in the HCCH status table of parties to the Apostille Convention, so a Texas apostille is not the route. Where a foreign document has to carry authentication, the Texas Secretary of State’s authentication page explains that a country outside the Convention needs the state’s certificate and then the Office of Authentications at the U.S. State Department, with the embassy last. Ask the embassy which of your documents need that chain, because the circular above does not say.
Death records, and a caution about direction
Uganda’s National Identification and Registration Authority publishes how deaths are registered, and the process it describes is domestic: a death in a medical facility is recorded by the facility’s administrator, and a death in the community is recorded by the sub-county chief or town clerk. Nothing in it covers a death abroad. Order extra certified copies of the Texas death certificate for the family.
One caution about another useful page. The U.S. Embassy in Uganda’s report on the disposition of remains sets out the Ugandan law that governs embalming and the export of remains, the Public Health Act at sections 112 to 118. That page is written for remains leaving Uganda, not arriving, so use it for background and not as your checklist.
Routes and what airlines publish
We found no airline page confirming a routing from Dallas/Fort Worth to Uganda for human remains, so expect at least one connection through Europe, the Gulf or Addis Ababa. Emirates SkyCargo’s Solace flyer sets packing standards: human remains in a hermetically sealed inner containment, which may be flexible material or a rigid coffin of lead or zinc, and ashes in funeral urns protected against breakage. Ethiopian Airlines Cargo’s FAQ lists the documents it asks for, including a death certificate that clearly states the cause of death. Kenya Airways Cargo publishes a repatriation product. Note that the airline packing standard and the Ugandan circular are not worded the same way, so give the cargo agent both.
| Step | Who to ask |
|---|---|
| Death certificate, medical report, embalming | The funeral director and the attending doctor |
| Import authorization from health services | The family or funeral home in Uganda |
| Which documents need authentication | Embassy of Uganda in Washington |
| What the Dallas honorary consulate can do | The embassy, before you travel to either |
| Coffin, outer box and the flight | The airline’s cargo desk |
Who pays
We found no Ugandan statement that the government meets the cost of a return. Plan on the family, an insurer, an employer or a community association paying. The insurance and assistance guide lists places to ask.
Questions families ask about a return to Uganda
- Is there a Ugandan office in Dallas?
- The embassy’s site lists an honorary consulate in Dallas among eight in the Americas. The embassy in Washington is the office that issues documents; ask it what the honorary consulate can do.
- What does Uganda require to bring remains in?
- A civil aviation circular lists a medical certificate of cause of death, a post-mortem or medical report, an embalming certificate, identification, an import authorization from the Director General of Health Services, and a specific packaging standard.
- Is that list current?
- It was issued in June 2020 during the COVID-19 response and includes pandemic measures. Confirm with the embassy and the receiving funeral home before ordering documents.
Sources checked and case confirmation
Sources checked September 21, 2026. The only Ugandan document we found on bringing remains in dates from June 2020, and no fee or processing time is published. 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.
