Exhumation in Norway and Reburial in Ukraine

In 30 seconds.

• Permission is granted by the local authority responsible for cemeteries (gravplassmyndigheten). Usually, this is the church joint council (kirkelig fellesråd), and in Oslo, the municipal cemetery agency.
• The Cemeteries Act (gravplassloven, § 7) requires "strong reasons" (sterke grunner) and a specific new burial site.
• The exhumation must be approved by the municipal chief medical officer (kommunelegen).
• A refusal can be appealed to the County Governor (Statsforvalteren).
• Our exhumation service costs from €500 plus the cost of transportation (repatriation) from Norway. We calculate the exact amount based on your situation.

Call +380 77 882 77 77Ask about exhumation

Who Can Request an Exhumation

In Norway, a grave is assigned to a specific person. If a grave lease is registered (feste av grav), the leaseholder (fester) legally decides who is buried in it and manages the grave (gravplassloven, § 15). Therefore, the application for relocation is usually submitted or signed by this person. If the leaseholder has died, the right is transferred to another relative through the cemetery authority (§ 16). In case of a dispute, the decision is made by this authority.

The law does not explicitly state whether the consent of other relatives is required. However, "strong reasons" are difficult to prove when the family disagrees. It is better to reach an agreement before submitting the application.

If the family is in Ukraine, traveling to Norway is usually not necessary. We prepare the application on your behalf, and you sign a power of attorney. We translate kinship documents into Norwegian or English. We verify the exact list of documents with the specific cemetery.

When It Is Possible

The law does not set a minimum period after burial for exhumation. The 20 years mentioned in the law (§ 8) apply to something else: this is the period after which a grave can be reused for a new burial.

The law does not name any prohibited months. Whether your cemetery carries out exhumations in winter when the ground is frozen is something we clarify on site.

Infectious diseases: if there is a suspicion that the body is infected with a particularly dangerous infection, the exhumation must be approved by the Helsedirektoratet.

Urn. § 7 applies to both a body and ashes. This means the same permit is required for an urn. Transporting an urn to Ukraine is usually simpler than transporting a coffin.

Documents for Repatriation to Ukraine

1. Permit from the gravplassmyndigheten for relocation, stating the new burial site.
2. Approval from the municipal chief medical officer.
3. Documents for transporting a body abroad (laissez-passer for a corpse). Under the sanitary regulation (§ 4-1), when required, these are issued by the police (politiet). The coffin is marked with the name, date of birth and death, sender, and recipient.
4. Death certificate with an apostille. In Norway, the apostille is issued free of charge by the Statsforvalteren.
5. Translation of documents into Ukrainian and documents for the cemetery in Ukraine.

The regulation directly obliges the sender to find out the requirements of the destination country. We verify the list for entry into Ukraine with the Embassy of Ukraine in Norway. Read more about paperwork on the documents page.

How Much It Costs

There is no single fee schedule. Fees for using the cemetery are set by the municipality upon the proposal of the cemetery authority (§ 21). We did not find a separate state fee for exhumation. We check the price of the work at your cemetery with the local authority.

What is included in the costs:

• opening the grave and exhumation;
• a new coffin for transportation;
• apostille and translations;
• transportation to Ukraine and the funeral.

Our exhumation service costs from €500 plus the cost of transportation (repatriation) from Norway. We calculate the exact amount for your situation, including local fees. For transportation, we work without prepayment: payment is made after handover according to the contract.