Repatriation of remains to Honduras: FOSMIH fund, documents, timelines

Honduras has a state fund, the Fondo de Solidaridad con el Migrante Hondureño (FOSMIH), which the law assigns, among other uses, to repatriating the bodies of Hondurans who died abroad whose families lack the resources to do so. The request is filed at a Honduran consulate or with the Dirección General de Protección al Hondureño Migrante (DGPHM) of the Foreign Ministry (SRECI). Under the regulation published in La Gaceta on February 22, 2020, repatriation is carried out within a maximum of 60 business days from the request, with exceptions. Decree 54-2024 set the fund’s allocation at USD 10,000,000.00 annually (legal texts checked October 3, 2026).

Versión en español

SRECI lists “Repatriaciones de hondureños fallecidos en el exterior” (repatriation of Hondurans who died abroad) as the first function of its Directorate General for Migrant Protection. This page describes the rules as the regulation writes them; the decision on each case is made by SRECI.

The rules that govern it

RuleWhat it says about repatriation
Law on the Protection of Honduran Migrants and their Families (Decree 106-2013, La Gaceta of February 15, 2014), Art. 29 (2014 text; the article was amended by Decree 15-2015 and by Decree 54-2024)FOSMIH resources “se destinarán asimismo para repatriar los cuerpos de hondureños fallecidos en el exterior y cuyas familias no tengan recursos para hacerlo” (shall also be used to repatriate the bodies of Hondurans who died abroad and whose families lack the resources to do so)
Decree 54-2024 (La Gaceta No. 36,593, July 23, 2024)Amends Art. 29: the fund is financed by the Foreign Ministry and the allocation “será de Diez Millones de Dólares de los Estados Unidos de América (USD 10,000,000.00) anualmente”; the Directorate General for Migrant Protection is responsible for executing it
General Regulation of the Law (Executive Agreement No. 01-SG-2020, La Gaceta No. 35,182, February 22, 2020), Arts. 23–36Requirements, the consular and DGPHM procedures, and deadlines

The USD 10,000,000.00 is the annual allocation for all of FOSMIH. Article 23 of the Regulation lists other uses of the fund: aid to Hondurans in need or calamity, voluntary return, help for people deprived of liberty and for those hospitalized, returned-migrant centers, reintegration and strengthening consulates.

The Regulation we use is the one published in 2020, before the 2024 amendment. Confirm with SRECI whether the procedure has changed.

Who can request it

Article 31 of the Regulation says the process starts “a través de solicitud presentada ante DGPHM o a las oficinas consulares, por los familiares contemplados en el Artículo 2 de la Ley […] numeral 4” (through a request to the DGPHM or the consular offices by the family members in Article 2, numeral 4, of the Law). The Law defines those family members as “el cónyuge y los ascendientes de ambos cónyuges en primer grado y los descendientes menores de edad o mayores de edad que estén a su cargo y dependan de ellos económicamente” — the spouse, the first-degree ascendants of both spouses, and descendants who are minors, or adults in their care who depend on them economically.

Documents (Regulation, Article 24)

#DocumentNote
1Original birth certificate of the deceased (Certificación de Nacimiento Original del Fallecido)See Honduran birth certificate from the US
2Original birth certificate of the applicant“para acreditar el parentesco” — to prove kinship
3Copy of the applicant’s identity card (Tarjeta de Identidad)
4Marriage record (Constancia de matrimonio)“en caso de ser cónyuge” — if the applicant is the spouse
5Applicant’s municipal residence certificate (Constancia Municipal de Vecindad)
6Socioeconomic studyDone by the DGPHM, not by the applicant

Article 33 also requires attaching the legal document proving the death, “debidamente autenticado o apostillado y traducido cuando se requiera” (duly authenticated or apostilled, and translated when required). If it lacks those formalities, the consular official reports it to the DGPHM and a 60-day period is granted to legalize it. The US death certificate is ordered in the state where the death occurred (vital records by state); the US apostille is covered in apostilling a document.

The socioeconomic study

Under Article 29, the DGPHM prepares the study with information sent by state institutions, consulates and applicants, “a efecto de verificar que no cuente con los recursos” (to verify that the applicant lacks the resources). Article 34 allows the study to be omitted in cases of missing or unlocated migrants, provided that: (a) the deceased had been reported missing or unlocated at least five years before being found; and (b) the case was documented through a forensic search and identification process.

How it works when requested at a consulate (Article 33)

  1. A signed request at the consular office, or fingerprinted if the person cannot write. An interview is held for the socioeconomic study and the applicant is told which documents to hand in.
  2. The consulate forwards the request within a maximum of 24 hours to the DGPHM, verifies the deceased’s nationality and facilitates contact with the family in Honduras.
  3. The consulate obtains three (3) quotes from legally constituted funeral homes, following the State Procurement Law, and sends them with a report to the DGPHM.
  4. The document proving the death is attached, authenticated or apostilled and translated when required (60 days to legalize it if missing).
  5. The Administrative Management office checks that the quotes meet the Law and selects “la cotización más conveniente al interés general en las mejores condiciones de costo y calidad para el Estado” (the quote most convenient to the general interest under the best cost and quality conditions for the State).
  6. The Undersecretariat for Consular and Migration Affairs approves the file or asks for more information.
  7. Once approved, the file goes to the Administrative Management office to proceed with payment.
  8. The consulate contacts the selected funeral home to purchase the ticket and set the body’s arrival.
  9. Once the flight itinerary is confirmed, the contact is informed for the reception of the body.
  10. A DGPHM official receives the body together with the applicant, and both sign a reception record (signature or fingerprint).

What the 2020 Regulation text we read does not say (Arts. 23–36, checked October 3, 2026): where the applicant must be for the reception in step 10, or whether another relative in Honduras can sign in the applicant’s place; how an applicant living abroad obtains the municipal residence certificate in item 5 of Article 24; and whether the 60 days to legalize the death document count toward the 60-business-day limit. Ask the consulate or the DGPHM about each before planning around them.

When requested in Honduras with the DGPHM (Article 32)

Family in Honduras can also start the procedure with the DGPHM. A file is opened with the signed (or fingerprinted) request and an interview; the DGPHM transfers the case within 24 hours to the consular office nearest the place where the person died, so it can investigate the death. From there the steps are the same: three quotes, selection by the Administrative Management office, approval by the Undersecretariat, payment, ticket and reception.

Deadlines in the Regulation

DeadlineArticle
The consulate forwards the request to the DGPHM within a maximum of 24 hoursArt. 33 b
Repatriation is carried out within a maximum of 60 business days from the requestArt. 35
60 days to legalize the death document if it lacks formalitiesArt. 33 d

Exceptions to the 60-business-day period (Art. 35): when the body is in an advanced state of decomposition and DNA tests are required; when a person previously reported missing is found and must be identified by forensic means; and when the person was a victim of kidnapping, human trafficking or crime, or a violent death, and the case must go through a judicial procedure in the country where the events occurred. In those delays, the Regulation says the family must always be informed in writing or by phone, with a log entry explaining the cause.

Article 36 adds that repatriations by air, land or sea follow the same process.

What the Regulation does not say

  • It publishes no fee for the applicant and no list of which costs the fund covers beyond what is described (the selected funeral-home quote, payment and the ticket purchase).
  • It describes no online procedure: the request is filed at a consulate or with the DGPHM.

Your US immigration status

Article 23 of the Regulation says FOSMIH serves Honduran migrants and their families, “tanto a los que han migrado de forma regular como irregular, que están en países de tránsito o destino” (both those who migrated regularly and irregularly, who are in transit or destination countries). The Article 24 document list asks for no US immigration document.

SRECI contact

SRECI publishes the consular-affairs email tuconsuladovirtual@sreci.gob.hn and the phone numbers (504) 2236-0200 and (504) 2236-0300. It also describes a phone line, SIAMIGH@, created in February 2023 to serve Hondurans abroad from 06:00 to 20:00; its page does not publish the number. To find the nearest consulate: Honduran consulates in the US · by state.

Official sources

Last verified: 2026-10-03. General procedural information for educational purposes. This page describes the rules of the 2020 Regulation and the Law as published; each request is assessed by the Honduran Foreign Ministry. Verify directly with SRECI or the Honduran consulate. Not legal advice.