Coffin and embalming for bringing a body to Ukraine

An ordinary coffin is not suitable for taking a body across a border. Ukraine lets a body through only in a hermetic coffin under official seal: wooden on the outside, with a soldered zinc liner inside (the law calls this a hermetic metal coffin). The country the body leaves also has its own requirements for the coffin, for embalming and for sealing. Here we explain what is required, and where.

Wooden coffin with a soldered zinc liner between candlesticks

In brief

To cross the Ukrainian border, the body must be in a hermetic coffin with a zinc liner, and the coffin is put under official seal.
Most often this is a wooden coffin with a zinc liner inside. The liner is soldered shut.
Embalming is compulsory in some countries and not in others. Some airlines accept only embalmed bodies.
Ukraine is not a party to the Strasbourg Agreement on the transfer of corpses. So a “body passport” alone is not enough for Ukraine: Ukrainian documents for the border are needed as well.
We take care of the coffin and of preparing the body in line with the country's requirements. We will tell you in advance what the price includes.

What Ukraine requires

Ukrainian law states the rules for the coffin briefly:

the body must be in a hermetic metal coffin;
the coffin is put under seal by officials;
it is opened only in exceptional cases, when there is specific information that it contains prohibited items. Even then it is opened at a medical facility, in the presence of a customs officer and the person accompanying the body.

Two documents go with the coffin: the death certificate and a certificate that the body and the coffin contain no prohibited items. The certificate is issued by an authority of the country of death, and the Ukrainian consulate legalises it. More in the article “The Ukrainian consulate when someone dies abroad”.

As a rule, the law does not require embalming for entry into Ukraine. What is required is a sealed hermetic coffin with a zinc liner.

What the law says:

The body is carried in a hermetic metal coffin; the coffin (urn) is put under official seal by the same officials who issue the certificate of no prohibited items. zakon.rada.gov.ua

What a coffin for transport looks like

From the outside it is an ordinary wooden coffin. Inside is a metal liner, most often zinc. The body is placed in the liner, and the liner is soldered shut to make it hermetic. Then the wooden lid is closed and the coffin is put under seal.

Wooden coffin on a trolley in a corridor — A wooden coffin before departure

Black lacquered coffin on the sliding deck of a vehicle — A lacquered coffin on the deck of the vehicle

Requirements of the Strasbourg Agreement

Countries that have signed the Agreement set the same requirements for the coffin: it must be hermetic, with metal inside. There are two options:

a wooden coffin with a soldered zinc liner;
a wooden coffin lined with zinc on the inside.

For a flight, the coffin must have a valve that equalises the pressure, or be strong enough. If the coffin is sent as ordinary freight, it is packed so that it does not look like a coffin, and it is marked to be handled with care.

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Coffin requirements in different countries

Each country sets its own rules. They differ in the details, for example in who seals the coffin. A few examples:

Poland: the coffin goes in a tightly closed wooden box, and a sanitary inspector puts it under seal.
Italy: a double coffin, a hermetically soldered metal one and a wooden one.
Denmark: we solder the zinc coffin and complete a certificate of sealing.
Spain, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Switzerland: parties to the Strasbourg Agreement, so the requirements described above apply.

The full list of requirements by country, what may be put in the coffin, and photos of coffins from our work are on the page “Coffins and sealed metal liners”.

The Ukrainian requirement, a hermetic coffin with a zinc liner, matches these rules. So from the start we prepare a coffin that suits both the country the body leaves and the Ukrainian border. The deceased does not have to be moved into another coffin.

Embalming: when it is compulsory

Embalming is a treatment that slows the changes in the body after death. It is done by a trained specialist, a thanatopractitioner. For a long journey embalming is often needed, but not always.

The rules differ greatly from country to country. In some countries embalming is compulsory for any transport outside the town or city, as in Romania. In others it is needed only for air transport, as in Denmark. In Italy, from April to September, a body that has not been embalmed must be specially prepared for the journey. In Bulgaria or the United Kingdom the law does not require embalming for taking a body out of the country.

In other countries, such as Poland or Croatia, the decision depends on the condition of the body, the season, the length of the journey and the carrier's requirements.

What preparing the body includes, who does it and what the rules are in each country: see the page “Preparing the body”.

A flight is a separate matter

Certain carriers take only embalmed bodies. The requirements of different countries for embalming can even contradict each other. So before booking a flight we agree the documents with both countries and with the carrier. The plane flies to an airport near Ukraine, and the last stretch is by road. The air leg takes from 2.5 hours, and the body's journey home to Ukraine takes from 24 hours after collection. More on the page “Air transport”.

By road, without embalming

For short road routes embalming is often not needed. What matters then is a hermetic coffin and refrigeration equipment in the vehicle. Our fleet includes such vehicles; more on the page “Our fleet”.

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The Strasbourg Agreement and Ukraine

The Strasbourg Agreement is an agreement between Council of Europe countries on the transfer of corpses. The idea is simple. One document accompanies the body: the laissez-passer mortuaire, also called a “body passport”. It is issued by the authority of the country the body is leaving. If the transit and destination countries are parties too, they ask for no documents beyond the usual transport ones.

The body passport is issued only after checks. All the medical, sanitary and legal formalities of the departure country must be complete. The coffin must meet the requirements. And it may contain only the body and personal items for the burial.

Why this is not enough for Ukraine

Ukraine has not joined the Agreement. Germany, Italy and Poland are not parties either.

What this means for a family is simple. Even if the body comes from a country that is a party, a body passport alone is not enough at the Ukrainian border. The documents required by Ukrainian law are needed too: the death certificate and a certificate of no prohibited items, legalised by the Ukrainian consulate. On top of that, the countries the body leaves add steps of their own when the destination is outside the transfer agreements:

The Netherlands: for a country that has not ratified the Agreement, a further certificate is needed from the competent authorities, with the name of the deceased and the destination.
Lithuania: when the body leaves for a country outside the Agreement, a separate notification is sent to the Lithuanian sanitary service.
Denmark: for countries outside the agreements on simplified transfer, the body passport (ligpas) is legalised by the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Spain: for countries outside the agreements, the permit to take the body out is issued by the Sanidad Exterior service, and the consulate of the destination country issues the permit to bring it in.

Italy is a special case. It is not a party to the Strasbourg Agreement itself, so taking a body from Italy to Ukraine requires the consent of the Ukrainian consulate, the nulla osta.

The Strasbourg Agreement does not cover ashes. For an urn with ashes the same rules apply at the Ukrainian border as for a coffin: a death certificate and a certificate of no prohibited items. Bringing an urn to Ukraine costs from €100, depending on the country. More on the page “Transport of an urn with ashes to Ukraine”.

Questions about the coffin and embalming

Can a body be transported in an ordinary coffin?

No. For the Ukrainian border a hermetic coffin with a zinc liner, put under official seal, is required. An ordinary wooden coffin without a metal liner is not suitable.

What is a zinc liner?

A metal “inner box” inside the wooden coffin. It is soldered shut to make the coffin hermetic. The Strasbourg Agreement and the rules of many countries require this.

Is embalming compulsory?

It depends on the country, the route and the means of transport. In Romania it is compulsory. In Spain the body must be embalmed or given another permitted preparation for the journey. In Denmark it is required for air transport. In Czechia and Bulgaria it is not required. We will tell you exactly once we know the country and the route.

Will the coffin be opened at the border?

Only in exceptional cases, when there is specific information that it contains prohibited items. Even then it is not opened at the checkpoint but at a medical facility, in the presence of a customs officer and the person accompanying the body.

Can we say goodbye with the coffin open, at home in Ukraine?

It varies from case to case. It depends on the condition of the body, on embalming and on how the liner is soldered. We will tell you as soon as we know the details. For more on the farewell, see the page “Funerals across Ukraine”.

Is the coffin included in the price of the transport?

Yes. The “from” price includes a coffin with a zinc liner, together with preparing the body. If the family would like a different model, or a separate coffin for the farewell, please call us: we will choose one and give you the price. Prices by country are on the page “Prices”.

Who seals the coffin?

It depends on the country. In Poland it is a sanitary inspector. In Bulgaria the coffin is soldered in the presence of a state sanitary inspector. In Denmark we do it and issue a certificate of sealing. We arrange this locally.

Ukraine has not joined the Strasbourg Agreement. Will this delay the transport?

It adds steps: a consular document for the Ukrainian border and, in some countries, extra certificates. We prepare them in parallel with the local documents so that no days are lost.

Does an urn with ashes need special packaging too?

Yes. An urn goes through an X-ray machine, so it is packed so that it will not break. Airlines' rules differ; we check them in advance.

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