BE → UA · 24/7
Repatriation of the deceased from Belgium to Ukraine
from €2,700 including documents, the coffin and transport to your town. You get the exact price within 5 minutes of the call.
Summary. Repatriating the deceased from Belgium to Ukraine costs from €2,700 for the whole journey: documents, the coffin and transport to your town; the funeral in Ukraine is extra. The key Belgian document is the laissez-passer mortuaire (LPM); Ukraine is not party to the Strasbourg Agreement, so we prepare the Ukrainian border documents on top of it. We go by road through Germany and Poland or by plane to an airport near the border. The body's journey home to Ukraine takes from 24 hours after collection. We will give you the exact price within 5 minutes.
Thank you. We will call you back. For urgent matters, please call: +380 77 882 77 77.
- Since 2015 bringing people home
- Ukrainian company Company code (EDRPOU) 46261246
- Contract with a fixed price
- 35 countries with “from” prices
- Own workshop coffins and funeral goods
- 24/7 one number from start to finish
If it has just happened
- Call or write any time. We explain what to say. We contact the hospital and the police.
- Find the insurance policy. The compensation depends on it.
- Name two cities. Where it happened. Where to bring the body. The passport can come later.
How we work in Belgium
In Belgium, the main document for taking a body out of the country is the laissez-passer mortuaire, or LPM for short. Without it, the body cannot leave. Here is how we handle the whole process.
We listen to you
Where the death occurred, where the deceased is now, and whether you have their passport. We tell you the price and the first steps straight away.
We collect the Belgian documents
The death record (acte de décès), an attestation that the person had no contagious disease, and a certificate that the body has been placed in the coffin.
The application for the LPM
In Belgium we submit it online, through one system for the whole country. We make sure the application goes in on time.
We prepare the body and the coffin
A hermetic coffin, usually with a zinc liner inside, as required by the international agreement to which Belgium is a party.
We prepare the documents for Ukraine
Ukraine is not a party to that agreement, so the Belgian permit alone is not enough. We put together what Ukrainian customs requires.
We bring the deceased home
By road across Europe, or by plane to an airport near the border, and then on in our vehicle.
We hand the deceased over to the family
In your town, at a morgue or straight to the farewell, as we agree.
We work out your price
Call or leave your number.
Documents in Belgium
What Belgian rules require
Laissez-passer mortuaire (LPM) is the mortuary permit: permission for the international transport of a body. The document is in three languages: French, Dutch and English.
Belgian law requires three documents before an LPM can be issued:
- Acte de décès: the death record.
- Attestation de non contagiosité: an attestation that the deceased had no contagious disease.
- Certificat de mise en bière: a certificate that the body has been placed in the coffin.
They are scanned and submitted together with the application.
Who issues the permit
The LPM is issued by Belgium's federal public health service. Applications for the whole country are handled by Saniport staff at Brussels Airport and are submitted online.
Some embassies require the original LPM, not an electronic copy. In that case it is collected at the airport. We make sure the original is in hand on time.
What we need from you
- The deceased's passport, if you have it.
- Your passport and a document showing you are a relative.
- Your consent for us to act on behalf of the family.
The general order of steps in the first hours is set out on the page “What to do if a loved one dies abroad”. Which documents are needed on the Ukrainian side is in the “Documents” section.
The Embassy of Ukraine in Belgium
The Embassy of Ukraine in the Kingdom of Belgium is in Brussels. It also covers Luxembourg. There are honorary consulates in Brussels and Borgloon.
What the consul does when a citizen of Ukraine dies:
- registers the death (where the person lived, where they died or where they are buried);
- issues the first death certificate free of consular fees;
- issues a certificate that the family in Ukraine uses to apply for the funeral allowance.
Belgian documents for use in Ukraine must carry an apostille and a Ukrainian translation. The apostille goes on the death certificate. We put together the package for the border under Ukrainian law, which is the same for every country. Before submitting, we check with the Embassy in Brussels exactly what the consulate will ask for.
How we bring the deceased home from Belgium
Belgium is a party to the Strasbourg Agreement on the transfer of corpses. For countries that are parties to it, one permit is enough. Ukraine is not a party. So the Ukrainian border requires two more documents besides the LPM: the death certificate and a certificate that the coffin contains no prohibited items. The death certificate is submitted with an apostille. The certificate about the contents is issued by the authority of the country of death and certified by the Ukrainian consulate.
Where we collect from
We collect the deceased from Brussels, Antwerp, Ghent, Liège, Charleroi, Bruges and from any other Belgian town: from a hospital, a morgue or another place where the deceased is. Belgium is small, so the distance to the Ukrainian border is almost the same from every city.
Coffin
The coffin must be hermetic, with a metal liner inside, as both the Belgian rules and Ukrainian law require. We prepare one that meets both.
Road
The longest stretch of the journey is through Germany and Poland. We can go all the way by road in our vehicle, or fly part of the way. We do not promise direct flights to Ukraine: the plane goes to an airport near Ukraine (Warsaw, Rzeszów or Chișinău). The air leg takes from 2.5 hours, and the rest of the journey is by road.
Timing
The journey home takes from 24 hours after collection. Most of the time is spent on the paperwork.
More about the journey is on the pages “Road transport” and “Air transport”.
Bringing home an urn with ashes from Belgium
If the body in Belgium has already been cremated, we collect the urn from the crematorium in your city, from Brussels to Liège, and bring it to Ukraine.
For Ukrainian customs the urn travels with a death document and a certificate that it contains no prohibited items. The authority of the country of death issues the certificate and the Ukrainian consulate legalises it. We write the short customs statement ourselves.
The Strasbourg Agreement does not cover ashes, so an urn needs the Belgian cremation papers as well as the Ukrainian papers for the border. We give the exact list after your call.
Urn transport costs from €500. The service itself is described on the page “Urn transport”.
Customs, planes and the post are covered in the article “Customs clearance of an urn with ashes”.
Price of repatriation from Belgium
Body from Belgium from €2,700What the price includes
The price includes:
- contact with the hospital and the morgue
- local, consular and border documents
- preparing the body for the journey
- hermetic coffin, soldered zinc liner
- sealing as the border requires
- transport by road, or part of the way by air, whichever is faster and better value for you
- handover to the family in your town
Farewell coffin: quoted separately.
The “from” price covers the whole journey home. A funeral in Ukraine is a separate service and is not included. The final amount may change with the distance from the Belgian city to the border and on to your town, and with the choice of transport and coffin. Tell us your town and we will give you the exact price straight away. Prices for all countries →
Our work
Call us, day or night
Languages: Ukrainian, English, Polish, German. The same number works on Viber, WhatsApp and Telegram.
Questions about repatriation from Belgium
How much does it cost to bring the deceased home from Belgium?
From €2,700 for the whole journey home: documents, preparing the body, a transport coffin, transport and border clearance. A funeral in Ukraine is paid separately. We will give you the exact price for your town as soon as you call or message us on a messenger app.
How long does it take?
The journey home with the deceased takes from 24 hours after collection. If part of the journey is by plane, the air leg takes from 2.5 hours. Most of the time is spent on documents: the death record, the attestations, the LPM and the package for the Ukrainian border.
What is the LPM and who arranges it?
Laissez-passer mortuaire is the mortuary permit that allows a body to leave Belgium. It is issued by the federal public health service through Saniport staff at Brussels Airport. We submit the application. We take care of everything else.
Why is one permit not enough for Ukraine?
The LPM is drawn up in the format of the Strasbourg Agreement. For countries that are parties to it, it replaces other documents. Ukraine is not a party, so the Ukrainian border also requires the death certificate and a certificate that the coffin contains no prohibited items, legalised by the Ukrainian consulate.
Which documents do you need from the family?
The deceased's passport, if you have it, your own passport and a document showing that you are a relative. We take care of the death record, the attestations, the LPM and the translations. We will tell you the exact list after our first conversation.
Do I need to travel to Belgium?
Usually not. We submit the application for the LPM, and we deal with the other offices with your consent. If your personal signature is needed anywhere, we will tell you in advance. What you can do from home is described in the article “If the family cannot travel abroad”.
What coffin is needed? Is embalming required?
A hermetic coffin with a metal liner inside, which suits both the Belgian rules and the Ukrainian border. Whether embalming is needed depends on the route and the carrier. Preparing the body is already included in the price. If embalming turns out to be needed, we will tell you in advance whether the amount changes. More in “Preparing the body”.
What should I do about insurance?
Keep the policy at hand and tell us about it on the first call. The transport must be approved by the insurer, otherwise the compensation can be refused; we deal with that. We will tell you in advance about any part the policy does not cover.
Which cities in Belgium do you collect from?
From any town or city in Belgium: from a hospital, a morgue or another place where the deceased is. If the death occurred in neighbouring Luxembourg, call us too: the Embassy of Ukraine in Belgium also covers Luxembourg, and we will give you the price during the call.
Can you bring home an urn with ashes?
Yes. The Strasbourg Agreement does not cover ashes. For an urn, Ukrainian law requires the death certificate and a certificate that it contains no prohibited items. Ukrainian customs clears an urn on a written declaration. Urn transport is priced from €500. More in “Urn transport”.
Tell us what happened
Oleg Zdendiak and the team. We explain the next steps.
Send a request for repatriation from Belgium
Leave your number and we will call you back.
Thank you. We will call you back. For urgent matters, please call: +380 77 882 77 77.
Nearby destinations: the Netherlands, France, Germany. All countries are on the countries page.