Cremation in Egypt: Is It Possible and What Families Can Do

What families do instead of cremation

Transporting the body to Ukraine

This is the most common option. An Egyptian funeral director prepares the documents, and the body is embalmed and transported to Ukraine. The UK government notes that embalming is mandatory for transporting a body. We have described how this works on the transporting a body from Egypt page.

Cremation in Ukraine after transport

The body is brought to Ukraine, and the cremation is carried out by a Ukrainian crematorium. The urn is then buried at a cemetery or placed in a columbarium. We agree on the crematorium and the date together with the family.

For the family, this is often simpler: the farewell takes place at home, the documents are in Ukrainian, and the cremation happens close to the burial place.

Cremation in another country

In theory, the body can be transported to another country that has a crematorium. However, this means another border, another set of documents, and another set of rules. It is usually neither cheaper nor faster than transporting the body to Ukraine. We only consider this option for specific situations.

Burial in Egypt

Some families bury their loved one locally. The UK government mentions that the Latin and Protestant cemeteries are most commonly used in Cairo. For a burial plot, they advise speaking with the local religious community and the funeral director.

Documents

The death is registered at the local district health office. Usually, the funeral director handles this. The death certificate is issued in Arabic.

If the death is related to an infectious disease, such as hepatitis or HIV, the local authorities must be informed.

Egypt is not a party to the Hague Apostille Convention. Therefore, Egyptian documents go through legalisation. According to the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, a document is first certified by the issuing authority, and then by the ratification office of the Egyptian MFA. For example, a paper death certificate is certified by the Ministry of Health or the governorate health directorate. We check whether further legalisation at the Embassy of Ukraine in Cairo is needed based on your specific documents. We handle the translation into Ukrainian.

Decisions are made by the next of kin. They can authorise another person, such as us, to handle the arrangements. We provide a full list of documents to every family.

How much it costs

The cost of transporting a body from Egypt depends on the city, route, embalming, and documents. We calculate it for your specific situation, and an estimate is available on the country page. Cremation in Ukraine is paid separately according to the crematorium's rates. If you already have the urn, transporting an urn with ashes to Ukraine costs from 800 €.

If the person had travel insurance, contact the insurance company as early as possible. They may appoint a funeral director and cover part of the costs. We work with both families and insurers. Payment is made after handover under the contract.

What to do now

1. Call us and let us know where and when the person died.
2. If there was insurance, notify the insurance company.
3. Decide as a family: cremation in Ukraine or burial.
4. Sign a power of attorney. We will take care of the rest.

Call +380 77 882 77 77Ask about transport

Phone available 24/7, also on Viber, WhatsApp, and Telegram.