Exhumation in Israel and Reburial in Ukraine: Permit, Timeframes, Documents

The short version, in 30 seconds.

• Exhumation is governed by the Public Health (Reburial) Regulations of 1941. The permit is issued by a government physician of the Ministry of Health (משרד הבריאות).
• If the death was from natural causes and one year has passed, a permit to take the remains out of Israel can be granted. Doing so before one year is also possible, but comes with additional conditions.
• The application must be approved by the cemetery in Ukraine where the new burial will take place.
• Exhumation is carried out in the presence of a Ministry official. The body is placed in a lead-lined coffin, and the doctor seals it.
• Our exhumation service starts from €500 plus transport from Israel. No prepayment for transport.

Call +380 77 882 77 77Ask about exhumation

Who Can Request an Exhumation

The 1941 regulations do not specify who exactly must submit the application. In practice, the family does this through a funeral service or a representative. We recommend collecting written consents from the closest relatives: spouse, children, and parents. This reduces the chance of a dispute or refusal.

The cemetery is managed by a burial service: a burial society (חברה קדישא, Chevra Kadisha), a local council, or a kibbutz. The grave will not be opened without them, so their consent is also required. We check directly with the specific cemetery to see what documents they require.

If the Family Lives in Ukraine

You do not have to travel to Israel. You arrange a power of attorney and the consents, and we pass them on to our partners in Israel. They submit the application and make arrangements with the cemetery. Ukrainian documents for Israeli authorities are translated into Hebrew. We check before submission whether notarization of the translation is required.

When It Is Allowed

The waiting period depends on the cause of death:

• death from natural causes and one year has passed since the date of death: a permit to take the body out of Israel or to rebury it within Israel can be granted (Regulation 5(2));
• less than a year has passed: the Director may grant written permission and set conditions. For example, consent from a cleric of the deceased's religion, approval from the Israel Police, and sanitary requirements (Regulation 5(5));
• death from plague, cholera, or yellow fever: the people carrying out the exhumation must spend 5 days in quarantine (Regulation 5(4)).

There are no prohibited seasons in the regulations. The cemetery may have its own restrictions on working days and hours. We check the schedule with the cemetery.

Urn or coffin. The 1941 regulations speak of a body (גופה). If your relative was buried as ashes, we check the procedure separately.

Documents for Transport to Ukraine

• exhumation permit from the government physician;
• doctor's certificate confirming the coffin was prepared and sealed according to the rules;
• Israeli death certificate;
• confirmation of the burial plot in Ukraine.

Israel and Ukraine are parties to the Hague Convention, so Israeli documents require an apostille. In Israel, apostilles are issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and registrars of the Magistrates' Courts (בית משפט שלום), depending on the document. We check which authority will apostille your documents. We handle the translation into Ukrainian.

The Embassy of Ukraine in Israel is located in Tel Aviv. Its consular section can advise which certificates are needed to bring the remains into the country. We provide a complete list of documents to every family.

How Much It Costs

We found no official state tariffs for exhumation. The costs consist of:

• the Ministry of Health fee, if charged;
• work by the cemetery or burial society;
• the lead-lined coffin and disinfection;
• apostille, translations, and transport.

We request cemetery prices specifically for your case.

Our price: exhumation starts from €500 plus the cost of transport (repatriation) from Israel. We calculate the exact amount for your situation. No prepayment for transport: payment is made after handover according to the contract.