US → UA · 24/7
Repatriation of the deceased from the USA to Ukraine
from €7,100 including documents, the coffin, the flight and the road to your town. We will give you the exact price within 5 minutes.
Summary. Bringing the deceased home from the USA to Ukraine costs from €7,100 for the entire journey: the paperwork, the coffin and the road to your town. The funeral in Ukraine is extra. The USA has no single federal procedure: state rules apply, sometimes city ones, so we first establish the state. The coffin flies across the ocean and from the European airport our vehicle takes it on. For Ukraine you need the death certificate with an apostille and a notarised translation, and a coffin of galvanised steel or tinplate. The body's journey home to Ukraine takes from 24 hours after collection. Give us the city and the state, and you get 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.
What we do when you call
There is no single federal procedure in the USA for taking a body out of the country: the rules of the state apply, and sometimes those of the city. So we first find out in which state the death occurred. We do the work ourselves, and XREQUIEM runs the whole case for you. We speak Ukrainian, English, Polish and German, so we can make arrangements with the family and all parties in the USA in English.
We listen and give you the price
We ask which state and city, where the body is now and which documents you already have. We tell you the cost to your town in Ukraine straight away.
We obtain the death certificate
Everything else depends on the death certificate. Without it, no permit to transport the body is issued.
We obtain the burial-transit permit
This is the permit to transport the body, and state laws require it. It is issued by an official of the health authority or by a clerk. In some states the funeral home itself can issue it.
We collect the documents for Ukraine
Each one carries an apostille and a notarised translation into Ukrainian. The list is below.
We deal with the Embassy
We send the deceased's passport with a notarised copy of the death certificate, and tell the Embassy the date, time and place of arrival.
We prepare the coffin and the flight
A metal coffin, which we seal. We book the air transport, state which cemetery in Ukraine will receive the coffin and receive it there ourselves.
We meet the coffin and bring it home
In Europe our vehicle meets the coffin and takes it to your town. We hand the deceased over to the family.
We work out your price
Call or leave your number.
Documents in the USA
The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) does not regulate taking bodies out of the country: the rules of the state apply, and sometimes those of the city. And whoever takes the body out must meet the requirements of the destination country. So the main task is to gather everything Ukraine requires.
What the USA issues
- Death certificate.
- Burial-transit permit: the permit to transport or bury the body. It is issued only after the death certificate. In New York State, for example, the registrar of vital statistics issues it as soon as the death certificate is filed.
- A certificate from the health authorities that the cause of death was not infectious.
- A certificate that the coffin contains no prohibited items.
For Ukraine, the death certificate, the health certificate and the certificate of no prohibited items must carry an apostille and be translated into Ukrainian, with the translation notarised.
What we take on
- We obtain the death certificate and the permit in the right state ourselves.
- We arrange the apostille and the notarised translations.
- We send the documents to the Embassy of Ukraine and agree the arrival.
- We book the air transport and act as the Ukrainian funeral home that receives the coffin.
- We prepare the written customs application for the Ukrainian border.
What we need from you
- The deceased's passport: it has to go to the Embassy.
- Your passport and a document showing your relationship to the deceased.
- A power of attorney: only the closest relatives, or people they have authorised, can receive the coffin in Ukraine.
The general list of documents is on the Documents page.
The Embassy and consulates of Ukraine in the USA
The Embassy of Ukraine is in Washington. There are Consulates General in New York, Chicago, San Francisco and Houston. The Embassy has a hotline for when a citizen of Ukraine dies.
- The death of a citizen of Ukraine abroad is registered by the consul. There is no consular fee for the registration or for the first death certificate.
- For the funeral allowance in Ukraine you will need the consul's certificate for the social protection authorities. We will ask for it together with the other documents.
We do all of this on the family's behalf. More about the consul's role is in the article The Ukrainian consulate when someone dies abroad. The first steps are on the What to do if a loved one dies abroad page.
How we bring the deceased home from the USA
We plan the route from the USA in two stages: the flight across the ocean, and then our vehicle to your town.
Where we collect from
We collect the deceased from New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Houston, Philadelphia, Miami, Seattle and from any other city in the USA. The state decides which transport permits are needed, so please name it right away.
The flight across the ocean
The coffin travels in the cargo hold of a passenger aircraft or on a cargo flight. We choose the flight and the arrival airport to fit your state and the date. We do not promise direct flights to Ukraine.
From the airport, in our vehicle
After landing, our driver takes over the coffin and the documents. From there a specialist vehicle takes it to the Ukrainian border and on to your town.
How long it takes
The journey home takes from 24 hours after collection. What usually takes longest is waiting for the apostille, the translations and the confirmation of the flight.
The coffin for transport from the USA
The Embassy of Ukraine requires a metal coffin made of galvanised steel or tinplate. We seal it. This also meets the requirement of the Ukrainian border: a hermetic metal coffin under official seal. We agree the documents with the countries involved before booking, so that the coffin is not held up at the airport. More on the Air transport and Coffins pages.
How much it costs to bring the deceased home from the USA
Body from the USA from €7,100This price covers the whole journey home, including the flight. A funeral in Ukraine is a separate service, quoted 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 air to an airport near Ukraine, then in our vehicle to your town
- handover to the family in your town
Farewell coffin: quoted separately.
What can change the price
The state and the city. The departure airport and the airline's fare on the date of the flight. Whether the carrier requires embalming. How many documents are already in place. Where exactly in Ukraine the coffin is going. We take all of this into account when we give you the price. 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 the USA
How much does it cost to bring the deceased home from the USA?
From €7,100 for the whole journey home: documents, the apostille and translations, preparing the body, a metal coffin, the flight, the road in our vehicle and crossing the border. A funeral in Ukraine is separate. All prices are on the Prices page. What the price is made of is explained in the article How much it costs to bring a body home to Ukraine from abroad.
How long does it take?
The journey home with the deceased takes from 24 hours after collection. Most of the time goes on the documents: the death certificate, the state permit, the apostille, the translations and the approval of the Embassy.
Is embalming required?
There is no single rule for all states, but some airlines accept only embalmed bodies, so on a long flight it may be needed. We will tell you in advance what the carrier requires and whether the price will change. More about preparing the body.
Who can receive the coffin in Ukraine?
The Embassy of Ukraine's rules allow only the closest relatives, or a person with their power of attorney, to receive the coffin. Your power of attorney gives us the right to receive the coffin after the flight and bring it to you.
Why do I need to name a cemetery in Ukraine?
For air transport, the Embassy asks for the cemetery in Ukraine and the Ukrainian funeral home that will receive the coffin. That funeral home is us. Tell us which cemetery when you are ready. If you have not decided yet, we will advise you.
Which documents do you need from the family?
The deceased's passport, your passport, a document showing your relationship to the deceased and a power of attorney authorising us to act. We arrange the American documents, the apostille and the notarised translations.
Do I need to fly to the USA?
Usually not. We collect the papers in the state ourselves. From you we need a power of attorney and the family's documents, and we will tell you how to send them. We write to you about every step and take the time difference into account. What can be done from home is set out in the article If the family cannot travel abroad.
Will insurance cover the transport?
If the policy has a clause covering the transport of the body, the insurer may cover part or all of the cost. Take a photo of the policy and send it to us: we will go through the terms and talk to the insurer ourselves. A policy sometimes covers only the journey as far as the border of Ukraine or an airport in Europe. In that case we tell you the remaining amount before we start. More in the article Insurance and bringing a body home.
Which states do you collect from?
From any state and city in the USA. The rules differ between states, so at the start we ask where exactly the death occurred.
Can an urn with ashes be brought home?
Yes, from €3,400: for the USA the urn has its own price. For the Ukrainian border you will need the death certificate and a certificate of no prohibited items legalised by the consulate. How it works: Urn transport.
Tell us what happened
Oleg Zdendiak and the team. We explain the next steps.
Send a request for repatriation from the USA
Leave your number and we will call you back at a time that suits you, allowing for US time zones.
Thank you. We will call you back. For urgent matters, please call: +380 77 882 77 77.
Repatriation from other countries: Canada. All countries are on the countries page.