How to move the deceased to another city in Ukraine

Where we go from and to: hospital, morgue, home, church, cemetery

• From a hospital or morgue. We collect the deceased when the hospital or morgue releases them: each has its own hours. We agree the time with them and tell you when the vehicle will arrive.
• To the family home. If the farewell will be held at home.
• To a church. If the family wants a funeral service in church.
• To the farewell hall. We prepare the hall for the ceremony.
• To the cemetery. Directly, if the farewell has already taken place in another city.

A route can have several stops. For example: from a morgue in one city to the family home in a village, then to a church and on to the cemetery. The family approves the route, the stops and the time before we set off.

Documents for the journey

Which documents to have with you depends on where the body is now and what has already been arranged. We will tell you which documents to take before the vehicle leaves.

Put everything you have been given in one folder: the document from the healthcare facility confirming the death, the death certificate if the death has already been registered, and the deceased's passport. We will look through it and tell you whether it is enough.

It is better not to put off registering the death because of the journey. As a general rule, in Ukraine the application to register a death is submitted no later than three days from the day of death, or no later than five days if the document from the healthcare facility or the forensic medical institution cannot be obtained. The civil registry office (DRACS) will confirm the exact deadline. For how to get everything done in time, see the article “How to arrange a funeral”.

What the law says:

• By law, the application to register a death is filed no later than three days after the death or the discovery of the body, or no later than five days if a document from a healthcare or forensic institution cannot be obtained. zakon.rada.gov.ua

If the body has come from abroad, the documents from the country of death travel with it. Take care not to lose them. A foreign death certificate is recognised in Ukraine with an apostille or legalisation, and for the civil registry offices it is submitted together with a certified translation into Ukrainian.

What the law says:

• In Ukraine a notary certifies the accuracy of a document translation if the notary knows the languages; otherwise a translator translates and the notary certifies the translator's signature (Art. 79 of the Law on Notaries). zakon.rada.gov.ua

If the body has come from abroad

If we are bringing the body from abroad, you do not need to look for a separate carrier within Ukraine. We bring the deceased to any town or village in Ukraine: to the family home, the farewell hall or a church. The body's journey home to Ukraine takes from 24 hours after collection. In most cases the family does not need to travel abroad for the body; see the article “If the family cannot travel abroad”.

Often an insurance policy pays only for the journey as far as the border or a transport hub in Ukraine, and the family pays for the rest. Tell us about the policy on the first call: we will work out what the rest of the journey will cost and help agree the transport with the insurer.

A funeral in Ukraine is a separate service. We arrange it anywhere in Ukraine. More on the pages “Funerals across Ukraine” and “Road transport of the deceased to Ukraine”.