Exhumation in Turkey and Reburial in Ukraine: Permits, Documents, Restrictions

In 30 seconds.

• The permit for exhumation to move remains to another cemetery is issued by the municipality (belediye) after a medical report from a municipal doctor. In a village, the permit is given by the local headman's office (muhtarlık) after a report from a healthcare worker.
• If the person died of cholera, plague, smallpox, or epidemic typhus, exhumation for relocation is prohibited for one year.
• Cremation after exhumation is forbidden by law. You will have to transport a coffin.
• For departure, you need a road transit permit (cenaze yol izin belgesi) and a border crossing permit (cenazeler için geçiş izin belgesi), as well as a special hermetically sealed coffin.
• Our exhumation service starts at €500, plus transport from Turkey. No prepayment for transportation.

Call +380 77 882 77 77Ask about exhumation

Who Can Request an Exhumation

Turkish laws do not provide a specific list of eligible applicants. In practice, the deceased's relatives submit the application to the municipality. The municipality may ask for proof of kinship and the death certificate. We check the exact requirements with the specific local authority.

If it is a family grave (aile mezarlığı), other relatives may also be buried there. In that case, it is best for the whole family to reach an agreement in advance.

If the Family Lives in Ukraine

You do not have to travel to Turkey. You issue a power of attorney, we pass the documents to our partners in Turkey, and they submit the application and communicate with the municipality and the cemetery. Documents from Ukraine are translated into Turkish. We verify whether the power of attorney requires notarization and an apostille before submitting the paperwork.

When Exhumation Is Possible in Turkey

The law does not set a general minimum period after burial before an exhumation can take place. Article 223 of the law, which mentions 5 years, applies to something else: another person cannot be buried in the same grave before this period expires.

However, there are bans related to infections:

• those who died of cholera, plague, smallpox, or epidemic typhus (lekeli humma) cannot be removed from the grave for relocation until one year has passed (Article 41 of the regulation);
• those who died of cholera, plague, smallpox, anthrax, leprosy, or glanders cannot be transported to another city or abroad within one year after death (Article 36 of the regulation).

We found no seasonal bans in the law. We check locally to see if the specific municipality has its own restrictions.

Documents for Transport to Ukraine

Turkish Documents

According to Articles 32 and 34 of the regulation, international transport requires:

• a road transit permit (cenaze yol izin belgesi, Annex Ek-3). It is issued by the municipality's health department and confirms that the coffin is hermetically sealed;
• a border crossing permit for the body (cenazeler için geçiş izin belgesi, Annex Ek-1). It is completed by the Ministry of Health authorities;
• the documents are handed over to the border health service (Hudut ve Sahiller Sağlık Genel Müdürlüğü) at the departure airport or port.

Article 228 of the law also requires a copy of the death record and a doctor's confirmation that the transport poses no public health risk.

If the destination country is not party to international agreements on the transfer of corpses, the family must also submit the documents required by that country (Article 35). We check what applies to Ukraine for each specific case.

Consulate of Ukraine

Ukrainian consular offices in Turkey can advise on which documents are needed to bring the remains into Ukraine. We provide a complete list of documents to each family individually.

Apostille and Translation

Both Turkey and Ukraine are parties to the Hague Apostille Convention. Apostilles on Turkish documents are placed by authorized Turkish authorities, which vary depending on the document type. We arrange the translations.

How Much It Costs

Cemetery service prices are set by the municipalities. In Istanbul, for example, grave relocation (nakl-i kabir) is listed as a separate item in the metropolitan municipality (İBB) fee schedule each year. We check the exact amount for the current year in the municipality's tariff schedule for your case.

Cemetery labor, medical reports, transport permits, translation, apostille, the transport coffin, and the transportation itself are paid separately.

Our price: exhumation starts at €500 plus the cost of transportation (repatriation) from Turkey. We calculate the exact amount based on your situation. There is no prepayment for transportation: payment is made upon handover according to the contract.