Exhumation in Greece and Reburial in Ukraine

In brief (30 seconds).

• Many municipal cemeteries practice a three-year burial period (τριετής ταφή). After that, the bones are removed, and the family decides where to keep or bury them.
• Exhumation before the three-year mark is possible only as an exception, with a special permit. In that case, the body is transported in a metal coffin with an absorbent material.
• To take bones abroad, you need a transport permit from the Regional Directorate of Public Health (Διεύθυνση Δημόσιας Υγείας της Περιφέρειας). You can apply through a Citizen Service Center (ΚΕΠ).
• The bones are disinfected and transported in an airtight metal box. This is cheaper than transporting a body.
• Our exhumation service costs from 500 € plus the cost of transport (repatriation) from Greece. We calculate the exact amount for your specific situation.

Call +380 77 882 77 77Ask about exhumation

Who can request an exhumation

The National Registry of Administrative Procedures (mitos.gov.gr) explicitly states that the permit to transport bones or a body abroad is issued to the deceased's next of kin. An authorized representative can also submit the application: this requires a power of attorney from a close relative with a certified signature.

At the cemetery, the exhumation request is submitted by the next of kin or by the person who arranged the funeral and is listed on the deceased's record. For example, this is stated in the cemetery regulations of the Municipality of Mytilene (2026). If an early exhumation is requested before the standard period ends, these same regulations require written statements from all living first-degree relatives.

If the family is in Ukraine, traveling to Greece is usually not required. You sign a power of attorney, and we arrange the apostille and the translation into Greek.

When it can be done

The standard route: after three years

At many municipal cemeteries, ground burial lasts for three years. After that, relatives arrange the exhumation at their own expense and collect the bones. Sometimes the period can be extended for a fee. If relatives do not show up, the municipality can carry out the exhumation itself and move the bones to a communal ossuary. That is why it is important not to miss the notice from the cemetery.

Before three years

Presidential Decree 210/1975 (Article 4) allows the transport of a body exhumed before three years have passed if decomposition is not complete. In this case, it is placed in a metal coffin filled with an absorbent material (sawdust, charcoal) soaked in an antiseptic and embalming fluid. However, cemeteries allow early exhumation only as an exception. In Mytilene, for example, the regulations specifically mention "special reasons (for example, a refugee)" and require the consent of the municipal council and a special fee at triple the standard rate. We check how this works at your specific cemetery with the local authority.

Infectious diseases

If a person died of an infectious disease not covered by the International Health Regulations (the decree lists measles, scarlet fever, and whooping cough as examples), exhumation is possible only after three years (Article 2). If the disease falls under these regulations, transporting the body is prohibited, and exhumation is forbidden until ten years have passed (Article 3).

Documents for transport to Ukraine

For bones (according to mitos.gov.gr):

• application for a permit to transport bones abroad;
• the applicant's identity document;
• official death record extract (ληξιαρχική πράξη θανάτου);
• bone disinfection certificate from the sanitary service;
• power of attorney, if a representative is acting on your behalf.

For a body: the same documents, except that the disinfection certificate is replaced by an embalming certificate (βεβαίωση ταρίχευσης). Whether this is required for an exhumed body is something we verify with the Directorate of Public Health.

Greek documents receive an apostille, and then we translate them into Ukrainian. Before departure, we coordinate the accompanying documents with the Embassy of Ukraine in Greece. You can find the general list on the documents page.

How much exhumation costs in Greece

Fees are set by each municipal council: for the three-year burial, extension, exhumation, and keeping bones in the ossuary. There is no single rate; we check the exact amount with the local authority. Disinfection, the metal box or coffin, apostilles, and translations are paid separately.

Transporting bones in a small box usually costs less than transporting a body in a coffin: the weight and size are much smaller, and the transport requirements are simpler. We will calculate the exact difference after speaking with you, once we know the city and the cemetery.

Our exhumation service costs from 500 € plus the cost of transport (repatriation) from Greece. We calculate the exact amount for your situation. For transport, we work without advance payment: you pay after hand-over according to the contract. Read more about transport on the repatriation of a body from Greece page.