FI → UA · 24/7
Repatriation of the deceased from Finland to Ukraine
from €2,900 including documents, the coffin and transport to your town. We will give you the exact price within 5 minutes.
Summary. Bringing the deceased home from Finland to Ukraine costs from €2,900 for the entire journey: the paperwork, the coffin and the road to your town. The funeral in Ukraine is extra. The body can leave only after a doctor has established the cause of death and issued a burial permit; a transport permit (ruumiinkuljetuslupa) is then arranged by us. We go by plane and then by our vehicle, or by ferry to Estonia and then by road; the air leg takes from 2.5 hours. The body's journey home to Ukraine takes from 24 hours after collection. Tell us the city and the address and 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 a case in Finland works
In Finland the body can be taken out of the country only once a doctor has established the cause of death and issued a burial permit. The documents on the cause of death are written only in Finnish or Swedish, and the family has to order the translation. We take care of that part. We arrange the permit to transport the body. If the hospital or the police ask who is arranging the transport, give them our number +380 77 882 77 77, and we will take care of the rest. We speak Ukrainian, English, Polish and German, so you or the hospital can call us in English. If an international call is expensive for you, write to us on Viber, WhatsApp or Telegram, or leave your number and we will call you back.
We listen and give you the price
We ask where the death occurred, where the body is now and what is already known about the documents. Then we tell you the cost straight away.
We wait for the doctor's findings
The doctor establishes the cause of death and writes the death certificate (kuolintodistus) and the burial permit (hautauslupa). We stay in touch with the hospital and tell you where the case stands.
We obtain the permit to transport the body
Transport in a coffin needs a separate permit, the ruumiinkuljetuslupa. We arrange it.
We translate the documents
We translate the Finnish or Swedish documents into Ukrainian and have them certified as Ukraine requires.
We prepare the body and the coffin
The coffin must meet the international rules for transport and the Ukrainian requirement: it must be metal, hermetically sealed and carry an official seal.
We handle the Ukrainian side
We prepare the certificate of no prohibited items and the documents for the Embassy of Ukraine in Helsinki.
We bring the deceased home
By plane to an airport near Ukraine and then by road, or by ferry to Estonia and then by road. We hand the deceased over to the family in your town.
We work out your price
Call or leave your number.
Documents in Finland
There are three Finnish documents. The key point is that they are issued only after a doctor has established the cause of death.
What Finland issues
- Kuolintodistus: the death certificate. A doctor writes it, and it is handed over when the body is released.
- Hautauslupa: the burial permit. A doctor issues it too. Without it, the body cannot be taken out of Finland.
- Ruumiinkuljetuslupa: the permit to transport the body in a coffin. We arrange it.
In Finland, the documents on the cause of death are issued only in Finnish or Swedish.
What we do
- We stay in touch with the hospital while the cause of death is being established.
- We arrange the permit to transport the body ourselves.
- We order the translation into Ukrainian and have the documents certified.
- We prepare everything for the embassy and for customs at the Ukrainian border.
What we need from you
- The deceased's passport, or a photo of it.
- Your passport and a document showing you are a relative.
- A power of attorney for us. We will tell you how to draw it up.
Finland is a party to the 1973 Strasbourg Agreement on the transfer of corpses, and Ukraine is not. That is why, for the Ukrainian border, we prepare two documents separately: the death certificate and the certificate that the body and the coffin contain no prohibited items. The general list of papers is on the “Documents” page.
The Embassy of Ukraine in Finland
The Embassy of Ukraine is in Helsinki and has a consular section. When a citizen of Ukraine dies, a Finnish authority or the hospital notifies the embassy. The embassy advises on transport and burial.
- The consul usually registers the death of a citizen of Ukraine abroad, based on the place of death, of residence, where the body was found or of burial. We will check with the embassy whether that is possible in your case.
- The Finnish documents must be certified for the consul and translated into Ukrainian.
- The consul registers the death and issues the first death certificate without a consular fee.
- The consul also issues a certificate for the social protection authorities, which the family needs to claim the funeral allowance.
- The certificate that the body and the coffin contain no prohibited items must be certified by the embassy. Without it, the body will not be allowed across the Ukrainian border.
The first hours after a death are described on the page “What to do if a loved one dies abroad”.
How we bring the deceased home from Finland
Finland is far from Ukraine, so the journey always has several stages. We choose the route for your case: the city, the timing and the family's wishes.
Where we collect from
We collect the deceased from Helsinki, Espoo, Vantaa, Tampere, Turku, Oulu and from any other Finnish town or village: from a hospital, a morgue or from another place where the deceased is. The route, by air or by ferry to Estonia, is chosen for the town, the timing and the family's wishes.
Plane and road
One option is a flight to an airport near Ukraine, with the coffin in the cargo hold, and then on by road in our vehicle. The air leg takes from 2.5 hours. We do not promise direct flights to Ukraine.
Ferry and road
By ferry to Estonia, and then by road through Latvia, Lithuania and Poland to the Ukrainian border.
How long it takes
The journey home takes from 24 hours after collection. The longest wait is usually for the doctor's findings and for the documents.
The coffin for transport
For international transport the coffin must be hermetically sealed, with a moisture absorber. A wooden coffin needs walls of at least 20 mm and a soldered zinc insert, or walls of at least 30 mm and a zinc lining. For a flight it needs a pressure-equalising valve, or it must be sufficiently strong. Ukraine accepts a body only in a metal, hermetically sealed coffin that carries an official seal. Such a coffin is already in the price. More on the pages “Coffins and sealed metal liners” and “Air transport”.
Bringing home an urn from Finland
If the body has already been cremated, we bring the urn with the ashes. At the Ukrainian border an urn needs the death certificate and the certificate of no prohibited items, certified by the embassy.
The price for bringing home an urn is from €700. More on the page “Urn transport”.
The article “Customs clearance of an urn with ashes” explains how an urn passes customs, whether it can go on a plane and whether the post accepts it.
Price of repatriation from Finland
Body from Finland from €2,900This sum is for the whole way home. A funeral in Ukraine is not included and is priced separately.
What 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
- by ferry to Estonia and on by road, or part of the way by air, whichever is faster for you
- handover to the family in your town
Farewell coffin: quoted separately.
What can change the price
The city in Finland and the town in Ukraine. Plane or ferry, with road transport. The model of the coffin. How many documents need translating. Whether the airline requires embalming. You will hear the full amount before we start. Prices for other countries are on the Prices page.
Call us, day or night
Languages: Ukrainian, English, Polish, German. The same number works on Viber, WhatsApp and Telegram.
Our work
Questions about repatriation from Finland
How much does it cost to bring the deceased home from Finland?
From €2,900 for the whole journey home: documents, translations, preparing the body, the coffin for transport, the transport itself and customs formalities. A funeral in Ukraine is separate. We will give you the exact amount as soon as we know the cities of departure and destination and the type of transport.
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. Before that, the doctor has to establish the cause of death and issue the burial permit, and the start of the journey depends on that.
What should I do first?
The first steps are described near the top of this page, and fully on the page “What to do if a loved one dies abroad”. Please pay nobody before you know the total cost of getting the deceased home.
The documents are only in Finnish or Swedish. Who will translate them?
We will. In Finland the documents on the cause of death are issued only in Finnish or Swedish, and the family has to order the translation. We have them translated into Ukrainian and certified on your behalf.
Do I need to travel to Finland?
In the majority of cases, no. We act on your behalf. If some office asks for a relative to sign in person, we will let you know in good time. What you can do from home is in the article “If the family cannot travel abroad”.
Which documents do you need from the family?
The deceased's passport or a photo of it, your passport, a document showing you are a relative and a power of attorney for us. We take care of the permits, the translations and the documents for the embassy and the border.
What kind of coffin is needed? Is embalming compulsory?
The coffin is hermetically sealed, with zinc and a moisture absorber. It is already in the price. Whether embalming is needed depends on the route: some airlines accept only embalmed bodies. We will advise what you need in your case, and tell you in advance if the amount changes. More in “Preparing the body”.
The deceased had insurance. What should I do?
It depends on the policy, and on whether it includes transport of the body. Photograph the policy and send it to us: we will check the limits and speak to the insurer. Do not hire a local funeral home before the insurer has approved it, or the claim may be refused.
Where in Finland do you collect from?
From cities, towns and villages alike in Finland: hospital, morgue or funeral home. Give us the address; we will tell you the day we can collect.
Can you bring home an urn with ashes?
Yes. The price is from €700. The documents you need are described in the section “Bringing home an urn from Finland” above on this page.
Tell us what happened
Oleg Zdendiak and the team. We explain the next steps.
Send a request for repatriation from Finland
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: Sweden, Estonia, Norway, Latvia. All countries are on the countries page.