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| Type | Cross-border transport; health |
|---|---|
| Signed | 26 October 1973 |
| Location | Strasbourg,France |
| Effective | 11 November 1975 |
| Condition | 3 ratifications |
| Signatories | 23 |
| Parties | 23 |
| Depositary | Secretary-General of theCouncil of Europe |
| Languages | English and French |
TheAgreement on the Transfer of Corpses is a 1973multilateral treaty whereby states agree to rules for the transport ofhuman corpses acrossinternational borders. It is a treaty of theCouncil of Europe and as of 2013 has only been ratified by European states, but it is open to ratification by any state in the world. The Agreement was intended to replace and simplify the requirements of the 1937International Convention on the Transport of Corpses.
The Agreement mandates that every corpse being transported across international borders shall be accompanied by alaissez-passer document issued by the state in which the transport begins. Transport may only be made in an imperviouscoffin that contains only the corpse and such personal effects as are to beburied orcremated with the corpse. If the person died of aninfectious disease, the corpse must be wrapped in material that has been impregnated with anantiseptic solution. The Agreement also establishes the minimal standards for the coffins used for transporting corpses across international borders.
The Agreement does not apply to the transport ofcremationashes.
The Agreement was concluded inStrasbourg on 26 October 1973. Since then, it has been signed by 23 states. It entered into force on 11 November 1975 and has been ratified by the following 23 states:
Germany signed the Agreement in 1974 but has not ratified it. The most recent ratification was by the Czech Republic in February 2012.
The 1937 International Convention on the Transport of Corpses addresses the same issues as the 1973 Agreement. The 1973 Agreement simplifies some of the procedures and requirements that were first established in the 1937 Convention. For states that have ratified both treaties, the 1973 supersedes the 1937 Convention. However, the 1937 Convention remains in force for the following states that have ratified it but not the 1973 Agreement:
