A Cairns sailor will be extradited from Queensland over the alleged manslaughter of a man in Darwin.

Jayson Kelly, 23, handed himself into police yesterday after a month-long Northern Territory police investigation into the death of a 68-year-old man on August 9.

Kelly, from the Cairns suburb of Mount Sheridan, is accused of delivering a fatal punch to the man on a street in Darwin's nightclub district.

The man died in the Royal Darwin Hospital 13 days later.

"It is alleged the victim was walking along Mitchell Street when an altercation took place between the two men and the 68-year-old man was struck and fell to the ground," Northern Territory police said in a media release.

"He succumbed to his injuries on 22 August."

Kelly appeared in the Cairns Magistrates Court today where he was formally charged with manslaughter.

Magistrate Sandra Pearson granted an extradition order and released Kelly on conditional bail.

His lawyer, Tom Eckersley, told the court his client had surrendered his passport.

Kelly is required to report weekly to Cairns police next Wednesday and was ordered not to contact crown witnesses, consume alcohol or intoxicating substances.

A date for his extradition was not set, but Kelly was due to appear in the Darwin Court on September 23.

In a statement, the Australian Defence Force says it's assisting police and providing support to the sailor.