Cremation in Slovenia and Taking Ashes to Ukraine

In 30 seconds.

• Cremation (upepelitev) is carried out at the crematoriums in Ljubljana (Žale) and Maribor (Dobrava).
• If the deceased did not leave burial wishes, the person ordering the funeral decides, usually the closest legal heir.
• Cremation is possible no earlier than 36 hours after death, and a doctor examines the body beforehand.
• An urn for burial outside Slovenia is released only to a funeral service that shows an order for burial abroad.
• Transporting an urn with ashes to Ukraine costs from 800 €, with no prepayment.

Call +380 77 882 77 77Ask about an urn

Who gives consent for cremation

The Funeral and Cemetery Services Act (Zakon o pogrebni in pokopališki dejavnosti, ZPPDej, Article 14) states that the farewell and burial are carried out according to the wishes of the deceased. If the person did not express their wishes, the person ordering the funeral (naročnik pogreba) decides.

Under Article 11, the person ordering the funeral is a legal heir of the first or second order of succession (spouse, children, parents, siblings), a person who permanently lived with the deceased or was legally required to support them, or their authorized representative. If there is no such person, the municipality organizes the burial.

For a Ukrainian who died in Slovenia, the rules are the same. If the family is in Ukraine, there is no need to travel in person. You sign a power of attorney with a notary, and we get it apostilled and translated into Slovenian. Both Slovenia and Ukraine are parties to the Hague Apostille Convention.

How long does cremation take

The law allows burial no earlier than 36 hours after death (Article 15). There are no official waiting time limits.

In practice, the timing depends on the paperwork, whether an autopsy is needed, and weekends. There are two crematoriums, so a body from Primorska or Štajerska is taken to Ljubljana or Maribor. The body can remain in the funeral service's refrigerated storage for up to 60 days, after which they notify the municipality (Article 10). So the family has a few days to make a decision.

The urn for transport

In Slovenia, ashes can be buried in an urn (žara) in a grave or scattered in a designated area; the law does not allow handling the ashes in any other way (Article 17). Keeping an urn at home is not listed among the permitted options under the law.

Ukraine has its own rule. Article 22 of the Law of Ukraine "On Burial and Funeral Affairs" requires that ashes crossing the border be in a hermetically sealed metal urn with an official seal. For this reason, we immediately use a sealed metal urn.

By plane, an urn is usually carried in hand luggage after approval from the airline. It may be screened by X-ray.

Can you transport the urn yourself

A relative is allowed to transport an urn. However, a family cannot pick it up directly from the crematorium for burial abroad: by law, the urn must be collected by a funeral service. Furthermore, the Ukrainian border requires a sealed metal urn and a certificate confirming no foreign objects are inside. Without these, customs might not let the ashes through.

That is why for Slovenia we advise working through us from the start. Our local partner, a Slovenian funeral service, collects the urn, and we transport it to the cemetery in Ukraine.

Burying an urn in Ukraine

An urn can be buried in a grave, placed in a columbarium, or interred in an existing family grave. This requires permission from the cemetery or local authorities. Read the article on urn burial.